Months before moving, nobody really notices how many belongings they own until it is time to move them. Hiring interprovincial moving companies can help make the process easier, from packing a kitchen drawer in twenty minutes to organising a garage that takes extra time.
Then you end up with big pieces of furniture that seemed just right when you bought them but now look really large when you try to get them through a door on moving day.
Moving to a province brings another level of difficulty and stress because the truck, the dates, and the distance all have to line up perfectly. But manageable and enjoyable with calmer planning and the help of interprovincial moving companies. Here is a calmer way to deal with the task.
Eight Weeks Before: Get Quotes from interprovincial moving companies
This is the first week’s plan. Find a company that has a reputation. Get quotes from several interprovincial moving companies and choose the ones that match your budget and the services you want.
Tell the moving company about the stairs, elevators, basements, garages, big furniture, and any other items that need to be moved.
Even after the final one, ask some more questions for certainty. Such as:
- Pickup and delivery dates.
- What the estimate includes.
- Bulky or fragile artworks.
- Stairs and elevators.
- Packing services.
- Storage, if required.
- Possible extra charges.
Seven Weeks Before: Stop Paying to Move Things You Do Not Want
This week is mostly about getting rid of stuff. Start somewhere that has been bothering you for a while. The basement is a good candidate. So is the garage.
If you realize you have a couple of large, valuable pieces you want to send to family members elsewhere rather than taking them to your new province, consider hiring specialized single item furniture movers.
Put everything into four groups:
- Keep.
- Sell.
- Donate.
- Discard.
Be realistic about the selling pile. If you have been planning to sell an old table “sometime,” moving day is not going to make that table more valuable.
Six Weeks Before: Boxes Can Finally Come Out
Start packing, but pack only the things you never used daily. Things like books, decorations, seasonal clothing, and special dishes. These are the items that you don’t need every day, so they can go into the boxes first. Choose carefully. Only pack what you truly don’t use often. Don’t overpack. Just the used stuff. That’s what matters.
There is no prize for packing the kitchen six weeks early. You still have to cook. One thing that saves a lot of frustration later is writing proper labels. Do not just write “Bedroom.” Add something that tells you what is actually inside.
For example:
Bedroom — winter clothes is much more useful than: Bedroom — boxes
Five Weeks Before: Look at the Kitchen
The freezer has probably been sitting there unnoticed. Open it. Use the fruit and vegetables that are already sitting there. Check the pantry too. If there are ingredients nobody has touched for months, this is a good opportunity to use them rather than carrying them across the country.
Do the same thing with household supplies. Paint, chemicals, and some cleaning products may need to be disposed of instead of transported. This week can also be used for address changes. A few calls or online changes each evening are much easier to handle.
Four Weeks Before: Think About the Gap
Some moves are wonderfully simple. You leave one home in the morning and arrive at the next one later. Others are not.
Perhaps your closing date is earlier than your possession date. Maybe the new house needs repairs. You could even be staying somewhere temporary for a short period.
If your belongings need somewhere to go in between, look into moving companies with storage now. Do not ask only, “How much is storage?”
Ask how the whole arrangement works.
- Where are the belongings kept?
- How long can they remain there?
- Can you access them?
- Is transportation to the new home charged separately?
Three Weeks Before: Attack the Annoying Jobs
This is the week for things that are easy to postpone.
- Take pictures off the walls.
- Clear the last storage cupboard.
- Empty the garage.
Dismantle furniture that genuinely demands extra time and effort. A small labelled bag attached to the furniture is much better for a handful of screws and hinges than sitting anywhere in any drawer.
There are a few other jobs that fit nicely here:
- Finish donation drop-offs.
- Arrange disposal of unwanted items.
- Photograph valuable furniture.
- Check appliances.
- Make arrangements for pets.
- Clear outdoor storage.
- Finish the basement.
Two Weeks Before: Check Everything Against the Actual Move
By now, the original plan may have changed. Maybe the old sofa was sold. Maybe you decided to take the cabinet after all. And there are more boxes than calculation. Tell to the team removals if something important has changed.
People who live in apartments should be contact the building management. Enquire when the lift can be reserved and about an available parking slot for trucks. Some buildings have limited moving hours, so check the time availability of moving and arrange moving according to the that way.
Put the final information somewhere easy to reach:
- Moving date.
- Pickup address.
- Delivery address.
- Contact number.
- Elevator details.
- Parking instructions.
- Large items.
- Storage information.
- Payment details.
It is a boring little job. It can save a very un-boring morning.
One Week Before: Keep the Essentials Out
The final week is not the time to pack every item into the bag. Such as:
- You still need clothes.
- You still need paperwork for office meetings.
- You may need urgent documents in an emergency situation.
Keep the basics out when packing everything around them. Prepare a personal bag as well, according to your requirements. Which probably may include:
- A change of clothes.
- medication.
- Phone and laptop chargers.
- Identification.
- Important documents.
- Towels.
- Snacks.
The real advantage of starting eight weeks early is not that the move becomes effortless. It is that you have already made most of the irritating decisions before the interprovincial moving companies arrive. The unwanted furniture is gone. The freezer is mostly empty. The important paperwork is together. The elevator is booked.
When moving day finally comes, there is still plenty to do. At least you are not trying to do everything at once.
