Moving from one house to the next isn’t exactly fun for the movers. Relocating from one place to the next requires time, effort, and money. Since most people agree that relocation can be quite a bit expensive, we immediately start thinking about moving things ourselves to save money.
DIY moving may sound like a great idea to save all the expenses related to hiring professional packers and movers. These include the cost of packing and labelling, labour cost, loading and unloading cost, etc. However, relocating all by yourself is not an easy task. There are many risks associated with this task, especially if you have no prior experience on how to handle it.
Preparing for the move, whether done in the same city or a different one is a bigger task to handle than what you might expect. This may result in you juggling a lot of your responsibilities and having to take care of them is not the most ideal way. There are ways to avoid doing this, such as hiring moving labour hiring full-service packers and movers. These will still require you to strategize and plan your move to some degree. But the overall manual labour required for your move is remarkably less.
If a DIY move still sounds tempting to you, we have listed down some of the common mistakes people make while executing a DIY move.
Procrastinating till the final moments
One of the biggest mistakes we make is procrastinating till the last minute. We do not recommend postponing everything till the last minute as it is sure to leave you with a completely chaotic situation by the end. This will result in messy packing and extra expenses for carrying all goods including the ones you don’t need.
Here is how you can avoid it
- The planning period must begin at least 2-4 weeks before your moving date
- Make a list of tasks that are to be completed.
- Set a deadline for these tasks so that you don’t miss them.
Not de-cluttering well enough
You might have the idea that the ideal way to pack and move is to throw everything you have in packing boxes and shift them. This is not exactly true as it will lead to stress while sorting through and organizing everything you have (even the unnecessary items). Apart from this, you will have to spend money on moving things that you might end up throwing later.
Here is how you can avoid it
- Make sure you create 3 separate piles.
- One of these piles will have all the stuff meant to be taken with you.
- Another pile will have all the stuff that has items that can be sold for money or donated.
- Finally, the last pile will have items that are meant to be thrown away.
Not packing essentials
Since you’ll be completely exhausted after your move, it would be very difficult for you to find and unpack all the essentials. It will be really hard for you to spend the first few days in your new house without these essentials. This may stress you out.
Here is how you can avoid it
The following is a list of essentials-
- Change of clothes
- Toiletries
- Medications
- Water
- Snacks
- Wallets
- Keys
- Laptop
- Electronics
- Chargers
- Basic kitchen supplies
- Milk
- Packed food
- Necessary toys
- Important documents
- Jewelry etc.
Buying less packing supplies than what is necessary
It is important that you pack the right quality and quantity of packing materials. Without these, your goods are more vulnerable to getting damaged during the transit period. All the household items are unique in their shape and build. This means it is important to pack them in a certain way to maximize their safety.
Here is how you can avoid it
Be aware of different packing methods for different household items and get the following items in the right amount.
- Bubble wraps
- Cushioning wraps
- Plastic wraps
- Paper.
You can check how to pack certain items online before you begin the packing and moving process. It is important that you don’t overdo the packing as it may lead to damage to your items. Consider hiring packers and movers specifically for the packing process if you are still not sure of how to pack your belongings.
Forgetting to label the packed boxes
Never forget to label the boxes after or before packing them. This will save you the hassle of scrounging through each and every box looking for what you need.
Here is how you can avoid it
Label all the boxes based on which rooms they belong to and what they contain. This is sure to make your packing process go a lot smoother than it would go otherwise.
Not choosing the right-sized truck for your move
If you don’t pick the right-sized truck for your move, it will prove to be one of the major roadblocks for your move. If you book a truck that is too small for your move, you will have to make multiple trips. This will make the transit charges significantly more than what they need to be. If you book a truck that is too large for your move, it will result in you paying for unused space. This is also a waste of money.
Here is how you can avoid it
Here is how you can determine the right sized truck for your goods
- Look for a transport company who can accurately suggest the best fit vehicle for your goods.
- You must consider the quantity and volume of your posessions.
- Try to rent a truck that is 10 to 15 % larger than your estimate.
Conclusion
DIY packing and moving is not the easiest project to undertake. While making a DIY move, avoid the above-mentioned mistakes. House shifting is an elaborate process with many things to consider especially while doing it yourself. With the help of the above-mentioned mistakes and tips, the possibility of your house shifting process going south becomes quite low.
Keep yourself Hydrated and have a wonderful and productive day ahead of you.
