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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You probably won’t forget to finish packing your closet, but other important things might slip your mind.

1. Pack a lunch so you have something to eat at the last minute or in route. Don’t count on ordering in or cooking, as this can create more garbage and increase your work load.
2. Make sure everything in the house is locked, all lights are turned off and there is no electrical equipment left plugged in.
3. Check all cupboards for anything that could have been left behind.
4. Check the yard to make sure no toys or sports equipment is lying out there.
5. Make sure you have printed directions to your new home (or hotel or whatever it is you’re driving), as well as a list of important phone numbers.
6. Charge your cell phone to the max in case you get lost and need to call for directions or to ask for help.
7. If you’re a renter, take photos of any damage you see if you haven’t received your security deposit back, so there’s no chance for an inflated bill or for any discussions over charges.
8. Confirm with the person who is supposed to pick up the keys or call to make sure they will be there if you are supposed to drop them off. Is there more than one copy of the keys around? Make sure you don’t leave extra keys in hidden spaces outside the house or with friends or acquaintances.
9. Double check your purse to make sure you have all necessary documents with you. Pack some pain relievers (all the stress of moving can cause headaches), tissues and a small notebook and pen.
10. Take a moment to say goodbye to the place. Whether you have mostly good or bad memories of the house you’re living, it was an important part of your life and you should take the time to acknowledge and then move on to a new chapter.

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Your moving boxes are packed, your house is clean and the movers are booked. Is there anything left to do before leaving for your new home? Most than likely, the answer is yes. Here are a few questions to ask yourself before you close your door for the last time:

• Do you have any books that need to be returned to the library?
• How about DVDs to the local Blockbuster?
• Do you have clothes at the dry cleaner or local tailor that need to be picked up?
• Does anybody have a spare set of keys for your house that you need to get back for the new owners?
• Have you written down your new address on a piece of paper? Is that piece of paper in your wallet? Don’t rely on your memory to remember the location, especially if you’re moving to a neighborhood you’re not familiar with.
• Do you have a printed map or a set location in your GPS to help plan your route?
• Did you notify the post office of your change of address?
• Are all your medical and financial records stored away in a folder? Is the folder securely stored inside your handbag? Never pack important papers in boxes to be shipped.

With all the stress of packing and moving, it’s easy to forget the little details. Keep a running list of last-minute things that need to be done in order to make the move as stress-free as possible.

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Keep Packing boxes dry on rainy moving day

We can’t control the weather forecast on moving day but what we can do is be prepared for bad weather. Rain and cardboard boxes are not best friends but we can help them get along. If you are self packing your moving boxes or if you have the movers do it for you, just remember to use one of the below helpful tricks to keep your stuff dry and protected from the rain.

1) Stretch wrap. Using moving supplies such as stretch wrap to cover your packing boxes is a great trick to keep your cardboard boxes and everything within them dry. The great thing about the stretch wrap sold on DirectMovingBoxes.com is that it comes on a handle which makes your wrapping very fast and easy to do.

2) Garbage bags. If you happen to run out of stretch wrap you can use garbage bags as a secondary backup solution.  Now a very important thing to keep in mind is the size of your packing boxes vs the size of your garbage bags. If your garbage bags are to small then you may have to cut them and use more then one to cover your cardboard boxes. Remember to use some packing tape to hold them on to your moving boxes. 

The reason that stretch wrap is better then using garbage bags is because it is clear and if you label your moving boxes on the box itself you will still be able to read it. So to protect your stuff on those rainy moving days, keep your cardboard boxes covered and use stretch wrap.

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