You might be moving to a new home for personal reasons. Or it could be because of work. In both cases, it can be exciting, especially if you are moving to the place you have always dreamed of. However, moving preparations are never easy. And preparations will be even harder if you are leaving Texas around the holidays. Namely, during the holiday season, many businesses have shorter working hours. So, you will have to start with preparations as soon as possible. Before all, contact State to State Move, to consult about the moving date. Unless you have to move on short notice, give yourself enough time to prepare for relocation. To help, we have prepared some advice on how to efficiently move around the holidays.
Moving during holidays is not so convenient
The holiday season is not the most convenient time for moving, and that is so due to several reasons. We have all heard that moving during off-season time is generally cheaper. However, moving during holidays time can come with unexpected costs. Also, finding packing material might be a problem. Many shops will be closed due to the holidays. Or they will have shorter working hours. So, you should get all packing materials well in advance. If you didn’t buy enough materials, you’d have difficulty finishing the packing on time.
More people are moving during the holidays with the interstate movers Texas, than you realize. So, searching for a reliable moving company, you might find that they are fully booked. Therefore, you will have to plan well in advance to ensure smooth moving. It is better to move after Christmas/ New Year. That is because, right after the holidays, movers have more available dates.
It is essential to make a detailed moving plan when leaving Texas around the holidays
This is a step in the moving process that people are usually avoiding. Most of them consider it unimportant. And a pure waste of time. However, they couldn’t be more wrong. And, if you ask the Houston out of state movers they will strongly recommend it. Especially in such hectic times as the holiday season. First of all, creating a moving plan is easy. You will need to list all the tasks you have to complete before moving. Having them written down, you won’t forget anything.
So, the moving plan will lead you through your preparations, reminding you to:
- check and hire reliable movers and get a moving date
- knowing a moving date, you will be able to plan your moving preparations
- use the mover’s cost estimation to draft the moving budget
- sort out the utility issues at the present and future home
- take care of administrative issues
- prepare essential bags
- and, since it is a holiday time, to organize a small party
Additional benefits of making a moving plan when leaving Texas around the holidays
You will have to complete many tasks. And a lot of offices and businesses will be closed during the holidays. So, you will have to complete most of them ahead of time.
Sorting out the utilities
Most of the utility offices will be closed during holidays. So, check your outstanding utility bills well ahead of the moving time. Also, make arrangements with the utility providers:
- when to disconnect the supplies to your present home
- will you pay the costs for the remaining period in advance
- when the providers in your new place should start with supply delivery
It wouldn’t be fun to come to a new home and find it without heating and running water. Especially not during the winter time. So, it is crucial to complete this step timely.
Administrative tasks
After Austin interstate movers bring you away from Texas, it wouldn’t be very convenient if you have to come back to complete missed tasks. First of all, if you have kids, you will have to organize the transfer of their school records. And enroll them in the new school. And it is important to do it well before the move. Once the holidays are over, the kids should start attending the new school immediately.
You will also need to organize the transfer of the medical records for the whole family. And that is just part of the job. You will also have to:
- apply for address change
- apply for the driving licenses of the state that the long distance movers Columbus are moving you to
- visit your bank and change your account data
- inform the IRS and other state bodies about the move
Draft a moving budget
This is one more task that people are avoiding. However, having a well-calculated and defined budget will help you to secure enough money for the move. And you will be able to follow expenditures. That way, you won’t spend money non-purposeful. And thus, run out of funds before the move with long distance movers Lockhart TX is completed.
Give yourself at least a month for preparation
Once you agree on a moving day, check your possessions. As with any other move, starting with decluttering is a good idea. That way, you will get rid of surplus things. And you can make an inventory of the things you are taking with you. This is important for several reasons:
- you will know how many packing supplies to buy
- it will influence the cost of your move
- you will know how much time you will need for preparation
So, after assessing the time needed for packing, you should work backward on your calendar. Give yourself, if possible, at least a month for packing. That way, you will be able to do it without rushing. And, you will also be able to enjoy a festivity time. At least to some extent. Besides, bringing some holiday spirit during the tedious packing time will help everyone. You may also realize that you won’t have enough time to pack. If so, hiring professional packers could be a wise decision.
How to get inexpensive moving supplies
There are several ways how you can get various moving supplies. For example, you can check several websites. People who moved recently often sell their leftover moving supplies at affordable prices. However, you will need to live close by to avoid shipping costs. You can also ask family and friends if they know anyone who has moved recently. That way, you can find some very good boxes and leftover wrappings. Another way is to get moving supplies during holiday sales. That way, you will get excellent material at low costs.
Create your holiday plan
Leaving Texas around the holidays doesn’t mean you must cancel the Christmas or New Year celebration entirely. Moreover, a small celebration will help you to relax. The festivity mood will also help you to avoid preparation burnout. Since you are moving, you won’t be able to invite all your relatives. But don’t worry. Be sure that they will understand your position. And that they won’t hold it against you. Also, you can invite them to celebrate the next holiday in your new home.
So, invite fewer people. For example, invite relatives and friends already helping you with the move. Maybe you already have most of your kitchen packed. If so, you won’t be able to cook. So, you can host potlucks, where guests will bring dishes. Or you can consider having a caterer.
Plan your packing carefully when leaving Texas around the holidays
After you have planned your small holiday celebration, you can start packing. If you want to be ready for cross country movers Dallas on time and skip the mess, it is important to make a good packing plan. For example, you can plan which room to pack first. You will not have guests in the house during the holidays. So, you could start packing the guest bedrooms first.
After that, you can pack things from your storage areas. The next could be the items you are not using at the time. For example, all your summer clothes and footwear can go into moving boxes. You will be delighted to find that such an organized approach makes your packing faster.
Assign the rooms for moving boxes
After you fill up a moving box, make sure to seal it well. Also, don’t forget to put a label on it. That way, you will know exactly what is packed in what box. And that will be a great help once you start unpacking in your new home. The entire unpacking process will go much faster.
However, you can’t just let the boxes lying around the house. So, assign a room or two where you will keep the ready boxes until the moving day. The empty guest bedrooms are the ideal solution. Or, you might have some good storage space. So, you can keep the boxes there until the San Antonio out of state movers come to pick them up. This way, you will get rid of the clutter and have a better vision of things that need to be packed.
Order gifts ahead of time
Being engaged with moving preparations, you will not have time to go around and do shopping. This is one more thing that you can do in advance. While you are resting, you can quickly scroll through some online shops. That way, you will get all the gifts that you need. Of course, the delivery will take some time, especially during the holiday period. So, it is important to make orders on time.
When ordering, asks for the gifts to be delivered already packed in boxes. At the same time, you can order gift wrappings. So, once you get them, you just need to use the proper wrapping. And add the right name on each box. One good news is that the gift boxes are usually hard. So, you can use them after the holiday to pack your household items.
Packing holiday decorations
When it comes to moving decorations, check all of them well. You might get surprised by how many you have collected over the years. Moving them all to your new home can add considerably to your costs. So, seeing some of them broken or damaged, you should get rid of them. Also, some of the decorations can be large. For example, some yard decorations, like Santa sled with deer. Moving such items across the county might be costly. So, you can sell them and add some money to your moving budget. Or, you can present them to friends or relatives.
The same you can do with other decorations. In general, they are very fragile. So, you will need much more wrapping materials than for other things. And that costs. Besides, they might take up a lot of space inside the moving thack. So, moving them long distance could show as a very impractical decision. It will be wise to leave the decorations behind. And keep only those that are very dear to you. Or to some of your family members.
Ways to celebrate Christmas in the USA
Being a multi-cultural state, the USA has many traditions when it comes to Christmas celebrations. Since you are leaving Texas around the holidays this year, you will still celebrate it the way the Texans do. The next one, you might celebrate differently. It will largely depend on the state you have moved to. Still, we are sure you will enjoy spending time with your family, regardless of where your new home will be.
