Ready to move? Don’t wait until the last minute to get things ready. To avoid stress and complications, make sure you have these 10 things ready at least a few days before moving day.

1. Enough moving supplies, including cardboard boxes, packing peanuts and tape to seal the boxes.

2. Moving blankets to wrap furniture and fragile items.

3. A list of useful phone numbers for your new location, including your own, the movers’ local office, takeout food and a hotel midway to your destination in case you need to spend a night on the road.

4. A small moving box containing essentials, such as toothpaste and toothbrush, a towel, toilet paper, a first-aid kit, a cup and other things you might need on your first night at your new home. Having this available means you won’t have to dig in ten different moving boxes to get you through your first night.

5. A book or magazine to help you relax. It helps to take short breaks in between packing/unpacking to calm your mind and rest your body.

6. A large bottle of water. You’re bound to get thirsty with all the work you’ll be doing.

7. A sleeping bag if you’re moving in winter. Do you really want to sleep on the floor when you first arrive? Chances are you won’t be putting your bed together on your first night in the new place.

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Now that the move is over, it’s finally time to breathe. But before you settle in, you still have to unpack. Don’t rush into the project too quickly and too hard. Give yourself time to rest and relax from all the packing you’ve just been through. When you’re ready to unpack your moving boxes, take an organized approach.

Put each box in the room they belong in. Hopefully you’ve labeled the moving boxes with words like bathroom, kitchen, bedroom, etc. That way, you can open the box in the right room and don’t need to be carrying items all around the house to find their right spot.

Open the more important boxes first. Kitchen and bathroom are probably at the top of the list, since they will contain things you use on an everyday basis. You don’t need to start unpacking your clothes or book collection just yet.

As you unpack, put things away. Don’t pile them up on the floor or the couch. Unpack DVDs next to the TV table and put them away at once. Unpack your shoes next to your closet so you can organize them as you get them out of the moving boxes.

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Professional movers have an unwritten 30-pound rule. This means cardboard boxes should not weigh more than 30 pounds. Heavier moving boxes are more likely to break and cause injury to those moving them.

If you have lots of electronics, take a picture of how the wiring is connected. It might seem like a simple thing, but connecting 10 different colored wires can turn into a headache, especially if you no longer have the original manuals. So before you take the items apart and box them, get a digital record of their connection.

Mark your packing boxes with permanent markers. Pens, pencils and thin markers can disappear if the moving boxes get wet. Even if the words are still there, you won’t be able to read the words that easily. If you have moving boxes marked “fragile,” you’ll want movers to be able to see the word clearly.

File your change of address with the post office at least 30 days before moving. Then write your new address on all the boxes. If for some reason they get separated from the rest, they can still be delivered to the right place.

Start early. Don’t wait until moving day to finish packing boxes. The boxes should be done, sealed and ready to go at least a day before. Preferably more, so you have a day to relax before the movers arrive. On moving day, wake up early and take a walk around the house to make sure everything’s ready to go.

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When it comes to shipping your moving boxes and belongings, you should look for the best you can afford. The last thing you want is to pay for a company to box and ship your things and then discover they broke half of the contents during the move. When choosing movers, keep in mind:

1. Bad reviews are more important than good ones. The good ones could be fake, but the ones are likely to be from dissatisfied customers. Do a Google search for the name of the company you’re considering. See what’s being said about it and how realistic the complaints are. Somebody complaining that the delivery was three hours late is not the same as somebody complaining of two boxes disappearing.
2. Get referrals if you can. Ask friends, family members and coworkers for a recommendation. If somebody else used the company with success, you’re already in a better place than if you were hiring a faceless company off the Internet.
3. Don’t hire somebody who’s too cheap. If you get similar quotes from most shipping companies and a single very low one, ask yourself why. Will the services covered be less? What’s missing? Does the price include insurance? Make sure you find out why you’re getting such a bargain.

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Books are an item that can be damaged very easily when your moving. Try some of the below tips to  make sure they have a safe move to there new home.

1) Pack in small to medium size moving boxes. 1 book is light but when you put a bunch in a box it can get heavy really fast. If you have a large book collection like i do, its best to stick with medium moving boxes. Medium boxes hold more books then small boxes and are still easy to lift.

2) Group books by size. Put all your smaller soft cover books in one box and your large hard covers in another, this will help you fill the box more complete.

3) Fill empty space with moving supplies. Since books come is all shapes and sizes you will have some empty space in the box. Simply take moving supplies such as packing paper, bubble wrap or newspaper and crumble it up and fill in empty spaces. Doing this will help prevent your items from shifting around during the move.

4) Label the moving boxes with the word “Books”.

Optional
5) Weather proof the box. Sometimes it rains during your move and sometimes it doesn’t but why take a chance. Simply wrap the packed boxes with some stretch wrap. Make sure to wrap the top and bottom of the box for a complete seal.

Follow the above quick tips to you keep your books safe when moving. If you have have books you don’t want anymore, give them to a friend or donating them to your local library.

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Moving is usually an emotional time and chances are you won’t be in the mood (or even have the energy) to make big decisions about anything. The truth, however, is that in the rush of packing boxes and getting ready to leave, you’ll probably end up taking things that you don’t want, need or even remember owning.

If you can plan your move in advance, a good way to make things easier on you (and save you money in the process) is to go through your belongings and get rid of everything you don’t consider essential. If you haven’t used it in a while, it’s broken or has no sentimental value, there’s no reason to cart it along to your next destination.

The process of discarding things should be quick. If you dwell too long on your decision, you’ll have a harder time letting go. Give yourself five seconds to decide whether you want to keep an item or not. If you hesitate, chances are you don’t really want it.

Have a few cardboard moving boxes set up and mark them with the words Trash, Recycle, Donate, Keep. As you go through your closet, kitchen cupboards or storage bags in the garage, quickly put items in specific moving boxes and then keep moving on to the next item. Once a box is full, resist the temptation of looking inside and instead just close it and put it away.

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Relocating is an expensive endeavor, especially if you have lots of moving boxes to take along or details to finalize. While it might be the last thing in your mind, figuring out when to move can save you not only lots of money but also a number of headaches.

One of the most important things to consider is the cost of your mortgage. If you already own a home and are planning on buying another in your destination city, you need to decide how you’ll manage the expenses associated with it. Are you planning on selling the old house before you buy the new one? Can you handle two mortgages? Would it be better to rent a home until the old one sells? The answers depend on how much money you have available or whether you can pay two mortgages at once.

Moving expenses and shipping your boxes to another state might be cheaper during the summer or at the end of a calendar month, since these are the preferred times for moving and moving companies can get away with charging higher fees. If you’re shipping moving boxes that you need immediately upon arrival, keep in mind that winter weather can cause delays on the roads and complicate your plans.

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If you run a business from home or have your own office, you will need to move it with you when you relocate. Bringing your office along can be complicated if you don’t plan well and in advance.

Before you do anything else, make sure you hire a shipping company that has any experience moving office. Sometimes known as “office removal specialists,” these people will know what should be packed in cardboard boxes and what shouldn’t, how to protect valuable equipment and how to dismantle and reassemble office furniture.

If you have electronic equipment, make sure it gets boxed using padding material and thick cardboard moving boxes. Always seal moving boxes with quality packing tape so there’s not risk of contents getting spilled or shift around.

Aside from moving the actual office equipment, you will need to move the logistics of the business. This means getting new business cards, renting a new office, changing your business address and making sure your clients can find you. If you can’t provide services at a distance, you will need to plan on finding new clients upon arrival.

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Packing up the garage can be a little intimidating. Not only do most people keep all sorts of mechanical equipment here, but the garage is usually where unused items, broken or discarded pieces and even off-season decorations end up. When you’re ready to start packing your garage, here are a few tips to make the process as painless as possible.

Decide what things you absolutely must bring with you. Get rid of anything that you use only occasionally or that has passed its useful timeline. Sell heavy or bulky items such as patio umbrellas or grills unless they’re one-of-a-kind and it would be too difficult or expensive to replace them.

Buy heavy-duty cardboard boxes that will stand the weight of equipment and metal parts. Secure them with packing tape all around before you start boxing things away, as the boxes might be too heavy to maneuver properly after the packing is finished.

Secure tools and small metal parts with plastic tabs or place them inside Taperware containers. Make sure you fill the containers to the top so there is no shifting. Place the full containers at the bottom of the cardboard boxes to avoid damaging other items.

Take apart any moving parts, blades or glass sections. Wrap everything individually using bubble wrap for fragile items. Pack everything in bags (so the parts don’t become separated) and then pack inside the same box. Dismantle patio furniture if possible.

Contact a car shipping company if you’re planning on taking your car along. If you’re not moving too far, consider driving the car yourself. Not only will this save you money, but you can also use the backseat and trunk to move extra items that are not allowed in moving trucks, such as plants, or items that are not protected by insurance, such as photo albums, jewelry and CDs or DVDs.

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Moving overseas is not something that happens every day, so chances are you will have extra time to prepare and organize the move. This doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t worry or put effort into the process. In fact, because of customs restrictions and costs, moving abroad presents its own set of problems you will need to deal with as early as possible.

If you’re moving to work with an international branch of your company, ask whether they will foot the bill for the move. Even if they don’t plan on paying for everything, you might be able to arrange for partial coverage, such as them paying for a few boxes or bags of essential or offering a partial payment towards the moving fee.

The next step should be to contact the embassy of the country you’re moving to and get a list of restrictions. Are there quarantine laws for pets? If you’re bring Fido along, what paperwork will you need? Are there limits on the type of items you can bring along (anything from guns to electronics to a knife collection)? What are the import and duties fees for different items? You might found out that is cheaper to replace some things than it would be to take them along.

Finally, research your destination. Humid climates may ruin works of art or photos, so might want to consider leaving them behind. If you’re going to be living in a small space or a hotel, it makes sense to take only the basics and sell large furniture or items.

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