Long Distance Moving Tips For Single Parents
Are you planning to move to a new home? You might be feeling excited, but at the same time, thinking about all of the things you need to do can be overwhelming. The process proves to be even more challenging as a single parent. How can you plan for the relocation while looking after your kids?
There’s no need to worry. With careful planning and enlisting help from both friends and best long distance moving companies, you can breeze through the moving process and find yourself relaxing in your new home.
1) Plan In Advance
Without a partner, you’re the only parent to take care of your little ones while doing all the necessary prep work. As much as possible, prepare for the relocation at least two to three months in advance. This should give you enough time to cover all your bases and prepare for each aspect of the move. Writing down the different things you need to do, including packing your stuff, getting rid of unnecessary items, and looking for a professional long distance moving companies can go a long way in staying organized throughout the process.
2) De-clutter Your Home
One of the best things you can do to make the move less stressful is to de-clutter your home. Ask yourself: do you want to transfer all of the things in your current home to your new home? The answer is probably no, so you’d want to identify what items to keep and what items to discard. De-cluttering can also help you save a ton of money because there will be fewer things to pack and move. This equates to lower labor costs and even a smaller truck.
3) Let The Kids Join The Fun
Some parents might think that their kids won’t be able to help with the move at all. But as a single parent, you need all the help you can get. Children can help you in more ways than one. For instance, you can ask them to clean their rooms, pick items they can do without, and even teach them about the value of donating to the less fortunate. These small things can save you a ton of time.
4) Ask Friends For Help
Whether you’re moving locally or interstate, you’re bound to stumble upon roadblocks along the way. While you can go through these hurdles by yourself, you can take some burden off your shoulders by enlisting the help of your friends. The truth is that even if you plan on hiring movers, you need to go through a ton of preparation beforehand. Having as many pairs of hands makes the prep work doubly easier. From de-cluttering and cleaning your home to setting up a garage sale and gathering boxes and other packing materials, you can turn to your friends to help you out during this busy time.
5) Donate Old Items
As mentioned earlier, de-cluttering allows you to find the items you wouldn’t want to bring with you to your new home. This proves to be an excellent opportunity to teach your kids about how important it is to donate. You can set up a garage sale to make some money on the side, but if you wish, you can simply donate your unwanted items. It’s nice to think that you’re helping other people out at the same time. The less fortunate will surely appreciate their new toys and clothes.
6) Keep Costs Low
As a single parent, you might be the only one to provide for your family. And moving can cost quite a bit, especially if you have a ton of items to transport. You need to find ways to keep costs low without compromising the overall relocation. Thankfully, there are plenty of ways to be frugal, such as finding free boxes from neighbors and online places like Craigslist, getting rid of items you don’t need, packing things by yourself, moving during the offseason, and using gift cards where possible.
7) Hire A Babysitter On The Day Of The Move
The most stressful moment of any move is the moving day itself. Several things can go wrong, so you need to stay focused to ensure that things go as planned. This gets tricky when you have children to keep an eye on as well. For this reason, you might want to hire a babysitter during the move itself. It’s recommended to have the babysitter and your kids far away from your home. This is to avoid any activity that might slow you down.
8) Hire A Trustworthy Moving Company
Of course, don’t forget to do your research when looking for long distance moving companies. A quick online search will give you a ton of options, but keep in mind that not all of them are created equal. Be sure that you do your due diligence and look for customer reviews, research about the reputation of the company, and check their standing in the Better Business Bureau. Also, make sure that you hire a company that can legally operate in the area of your move.
9) Go Easy On Unpacking
Once you’re done with the move, and it’s time to unpack your stuff, don’t feel like you need to finish the process in one day. You can unpack little by little, giving yourself a few days to go through all of your belongings. You can start by separating the boxes and placing them in their intended rooms. This makes unpacking so much easier as you wouldn’t have to walk back and forth. This is also a great time to enlist the help of your kids again. They’ll probably love it as they organize their new rooms.
10) Take A Break
After all, is said and done, give yourself some much-needed break. You’ve done it! No matter how difficult, laborious, and time-consuming it is, the move is now over. It’s time to relax with your kids, enjoy your new home, and explore your surroundings. Take a look back at everything you and your kids have done over the past few weeks, and you’ll find it much more rewarding.
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