DIY moving can seem like a great way to save some money, but if you don’t do it right it can end up costing a lot of money and adding a lot of unwanted stress to an already stressful time. If you are organized, plan well, and make sure that you plan for contingencies you can pull off a successful DIY move but it takes a real commitment and a lot of preparation to avoid these DIY moving mistakes:
Not Hiring Professionals
Too many people assume that they can save a lot of money when they’re moving by having friends and family help them move instead of paying professional movers. Sure, your friends and family might work for pizza and beer instead of cash but will they know how to safely move your treasured furniture and other items? Probably not. If money is tight you can hire professional movers just to load and unload the truck and you can pack your items yourself. But professional movers with the right equipment can load and unload your items swiftly and load them the right way to make sure that your furniture and other items are protected. Do you really want to trust your high tech electronics to your brother’s college roommate? It’s not a good idea. Spending money to hire professionals and saving money in other areas will ensure that your belongings get to your new home intact.
Not Having A Packing System
If you don’t have a good packing system you could end up surrounded by boxes at your new home without having any idea where the items you need are in the sea of boxes. You need an organizational system for packing. You need to write on each box what room the box goes in for a start, but you should also use colored stickers to color code your boxes so you know what items are in what boxes. You should also keep an inventory list of your items and write down the box number and color of each item on the inventory list.
Losing Important Paperwork
This is a mistake that many people make. There will be a lot of important papers that you need to have with you at all times during the move. Things like your inventory list, your new address, your old address, your pet’s records, your children’s records, your important papers like birth certificate or marriage license, your moving contract, your mortgage paperwork or rental paperwork, utility information, and much more. The best way to make sure that you have everything at your fingertips throughout the move is to get a large 3 ring binder, some dividers, and a box of plastic sleeve protectors. Military spouses, who are experts at moving, have been using this method for decades. Create sections for each type of paperwork using the dividers. Then put each important piece of documentation in a plastic sleeve in the correct section. Everything you need is protected, easy to carry, and at your fingertips constantly.
Not Having A Backup Plan
When you’re moving things will always go wrong. Make sure that you have a backup plan, and a backup plan for your backup plan. Then you will be ready for anything when moving day comes.
