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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Once the kitchen moving boxes are packed, chances are you won’t be doing much cooking. During this time, it might be tempting to live on snacks and takeout food, but you run the risk of being low in energy if all you’re eating is junk. Instead, consider preparing in advance, so you can keep your energy up and your waist in shape during the moving process.

Wait until the last minute to disconnect electricity. That way you can keep a few bottles of cold water in the fridge. Save the beer to celebrate after you’re done moving. Alcohol can make you sleepy and lower your energy levels and concentration, both of which you need when planning a move.

Stock up on foods that don’t need refrigeration, especially if you have a long drive ahead of you. Cereal bars, individual raisin boxes, whole wheat crackers, fruit and pretzels are all good options. Pack a few containers of instant soup or noodles so you have a quick meal for your first night in your new home.

Don’t forget to eat. Keep your energy up by eating small portions of food every few hours, rather than starving all day and then having a huge dinner. Stopping to eat will also give you a chance to unwind for a few minutes.

Don’t forget Fido. Unless you’re flying and you can’t afford the extra weight, consider buying a bag of your pet’s food to bring along. It might take you a few days to locate a pet store in your new town and you might end up having to feed your dog a completely different brand. The stress of the move, coupled with a change in food and water, can cause diarrhea.

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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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If you suffer from allergies, the idea of dealing with dust might be a little scary. This is especially true when moving. You’ll have to spend some time cleaning your old place before you leave and you should spend an hour or two cleaning your new home. This will get rid of any potential chemicals or allergens that might have been left behind by the former tenants.

Here are some tips on how to deal with the cleaning and stay healthy (and sane).

1. Hire a cleaning service if at all possible. You don’t have to spend a fortune on a professional. Pay a friend or acquaintance or help or post an ad in Craigslist asking for one-time cleaning help. If hiring a stranger, ask for references before letting that person into your home.

2. Vacuum first. Get rid of the dust, pet hair and cigarette ashes that might be flying around or stuck to the furniture. Drapes, pillows and upholstery in general tend to attract dust, so make sure you vacuum those well. If possible, use a HEPA vacuum cleaner, which have filters to help improve the quality of the air in the room.

3. Open the windows. It will get rid of the smell of mold and clear the air, so you can breathe better.

4. Rent a steam cleaner for the rugs if the previous tenants own a pet. There’s likely to be some pet hair and dandruff embedded in there and you want to get rid of it completely to prevent allergy attacks.

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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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Renting a new apartment? Don’t move in just yet. If you can afford to wait for a couple of days, visit the apartment after the old tenant has moved out and do a few things to prepare the place.

1. Clean the whole place again. Even if it looks clean, spray everything with disinfectant and clean with paper towels or disposable cloths. Not only will this leave a better scent in the place, but you’re guaranteeing that it’s really clean, rather than just dusted. Before you leave, put a couple of room deodorizers around the apartment. When you come back, the place will smell fresh and clean.
2. Replace the toilet seat. Just because.
3. Give the freezer a quick cleaning and then place a fridge deodorizer inside. Or just place an open box of baking soda inside. This will absorb all odors that might be lingering and give you a clean start.
4. Place a few roach traps around the apartment. Chances are there won’t be any bugs around, but if there are, you can get rid of them before you even move in.
5. Plug in the fridge and buy a bottle of Coca Cola or beer and place it inside. Add a bag of chips or some cookies. After all the work of moving in, you’ll be happy to find something waiting for you in the fridge!

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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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When shopping for a moving company, stay away from these three types:

The company that won’t budge on price or offer some kind of discount. Companies might have a starting price, but most offer some cheaper alternative as well. They should also be willing to work with your budget and look for ways to cut costs (even if it means eliminating some perks) in order for you to be able to afford the price. If a moving and shipping company is not willing to match a competitor’s price, you should also consider walking away.

A company without a track record. Mom-and-pop establishments are fine if you can verify they’re the real deal. Always check with the Better Business Bureau and do a quick Google search for the name of the company. You’d be surprised at the things that come up.

A company that doesn’t provide the services you need. If you need a full service pickup, don’t settle for a company that requires you to pack your own moving boxes. And if you need to save money by packing yourself, don’t let a company pressure you into paying for extra services.

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