Stacy Talks & Reviews: 5 Dumb Mistakes Smart People Make When Moving Locally

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5 Dumb Mistakes Smart People Make When Moving Locally


Many people live in apartments and move more often than people with homes. However, when it comes to moving tips, you can find a lot of good advice on moving a household from one city to another, but not much guidance on moving from one apartment to another within a city. The logistics are different: less stuff, tighter deadlines and shorter distances.
The first thing you have to do is figure out how to move. Fortunately, it’s easy to download a moving truck app on your smart phone for services like Pikkup. It’s also easy to figure out how to pack your stuff. The challenge comes when it's time to pack the truck.
When bad things happen to good people during a move, it’s often because they didn’t think things through.

5 Mistakes to Avoid
The following are 5 dumb mistakes people make when moving. These mistakes are a result of feeling overwhelmed and stressed out when packing a moving truck.

Mistake # 1: Not packing things before the truck arrives

You should pack and box as much as you can before the truck arrives. The more prepared you are the faster the whole process will go. Otherwise, a lot of time is spent in looking for loose, miscellaneous things at the last minute. Everything should be neatly packed, boxed up, and ready to go well ahead of time, ideally completed by the day before. This will reduce fatigue and overwhelm on moving day.

Use small boxes for small things. Pack all your small things in small boxes. For instance, your office stationary, bathroom toiletries, or cutlery. This will make it easier to pack in the truck.

The best way to pack books is to put them in boxes. Ideally, find small boxes so that the books are tightly packed. Many people think of books as space fillers and stuff them in the open spaces available in the truck. Books can get damaged or lost in this way.

Mistake # 2: Not packing the truck in an efficient way.

The best way to pack efficiently is by getting the right tools and materials for moving.

• Use a dolly to move the heaviest furniture and boxes. This will save a lot of effort carrying things back and forth.
• Use protective materials. Have plenty of furniture pads, blankets, tarps, paper padding, and plastic stretch wrap for appliances.
• Use packing tape to keep things from moving around in the truck. You can use straps as well.

Mistake #3: Not disassembling the furniture

If you disassemble your furniture into manageable pieces, it will be easier to carry and pack in the truck. Be sure to keep track of the parts and the tools as you take things apart. It’s only too easy to lose screws and Allan wrenches.

Here are some suggestions:
• Strip cushions from furniture.
• Take your beds apart and tape the frames together.
• Remove light bulbs from lamps and disassemble halogen lamps. Pack delicate things in plenty of padding.
• Strip dressers and filing cabinets of their drawers.
• Put screws, bolts, hinges and other parts in a bag and put this in the same box with the furniture you have disassembled.

Mistake #4: Not loading up the truck by weight

The first thing you should do is put everything out in front of the truck so that you can sort between size and weight at a glance.

The general rule of thumb for loading trucks is that the heaviest items go in first and the heaviest things should go at the bottom. Frontloading the weight in this way will make it easier to drive the truck.

Two loaders should stand in the truck while others bring the appliances, furniture, and boxes to them. Put heavy appliances in first, then heavy furniture, and then boxes.
Put the things you will need the most in the cab. This might include tools for reassembling furniture, overnight clothes and toiletries, and your smartphone, tablets, or laptops. Essentially, things that you will need to access quickly or that will get lost or damaged in the back of the truck.

Mistake #5: Not protecting furniture properly

Use a tarp to cover the floor and add paper padding above that. Then put the furniture on this insulated bottom and cover the furniture with padding and tape. Finally hold everything in place with straps.

Why Bother?
After reading this list, it might be tempting to dismiss it. After all, you’re only moving a few blocks away. How hard can it be to pack a truck and just go?
However, by not packing the truck properly the first time, you are creating a lot of unnecessary trouble for yourself.

Here is a short list of some of the problems you might have.
• You are doubling how many trips you need to make.
• You are increasing the amount of time, money, and effort the whole move makes.
• You are exhausting yourself and all your helpers, causing accidents, sprains, strains, and injuries that could have been easily avoided.
• You are liable to break and damage expensive things.
• You are likely to lose things important to you.
• You are at greater risk of having things fly off on to the road and cause a traffic accident.

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