It's the New Year, and some of us may have recently graduated or are looking to move as a fresh start in 2015. These tricks will help you on your journey to your new place.
Be ahead of the game with these hacks that will give you piece of mind and less stress during your moving process.
1. Just bring the necessities
Don’t pack your car to the brim with every single item to your name. Make sure the things you are bringing have value to you, and they are things you will USE.
Being a minimalist in this situation will make your life a heck of a lot easier when moving because you are not lugging around tons of unnecessary crap.
2. Pack light with clothes
This also goes hand in hand with the minimalist life. Pack light on the clothes. I know, I know, it’s hard to part with your extensive and well-thought-out wardrobe, but please, only bring your favorite clothes/the clothes you wear the most. No need to lug tons of skirts and shirts you will never wear.
Also, when you settle into the area, you can buy new clothes, fit in with the style of your current city and adapt to the weather.
3. Get in contact with people in the area
If you are moving somewhere you have never been to in your entire life and you don’t know anyone in the area, it would be good to connect on social media.
Couch Surfing on Facebook is a great tool to use to find a place to stay or get in touch with locals or newbies in the area. They also have gatherings, events and hangouts. Locals also know the best places for food and to hang out.
So, if you are looking to get in touch and make some friends before you move, I suggest you get connected now through almost any social network.
4. Save some money
You never know when something will happen. It is essential to save some money for unknown events as a cushion so you don’t go broke, or be unable to make a car or cell phone payment.
Plus, you may want to go on a random trip with your new friends in the area, and having some cushion with funds is essential with your move to a new place.
5. Organize and label belongings
You know how, sometimes, we get so fed up with moving and packing we decide to just "throw it all in the car"? Well, yeah, I don’t think anyone enjoys packing and unpacking.
So, to remedy this, you should label and organize your belongings when you put them in the car.
I always used bins to separate my clothes and belongings so I don’t have loose items flying around my car. Plus, the clean up and transportation of my belongings is very easy! I just carry my bins in, and when I’m ready to move out, I put everything back in. Simple.
6. Make sure your car is in tip-top shape
This is another necessity. Who wants to have their car break down on the way, or as soon as they get to their destinations? No one.
This is where that extra money would come in handy, but it is best to get this settled before you take off to your new home. Get the full inspection, new tires, an alignment, oil change, everything you can afford to get done to make sure you are safe on your journey.
No ones wants to be the one stuck on the side of the road with a steaming car.
7. Buy your favorite local snacks
You may encounter a bout of home sickness (it happens to even the strongest of us). If you do, just cook or pop open a bag of [insert favorite food here]. This will instantly bring you back to the comfort of home. Also, these snacks may fair very well on the road trip to your new abode!
8. Map out the whole trip and locations ahead of time
Drop that pin! You don’t want to get lost on the way there. So, make sure you map out your destination and surrounding locations you may visit frequently.
This will give you a general idea of the area before you get there. This will make your life so much easier, give you piece of mind and reduce the stress of being lost.
9. Have an open mind
This is, hands down, the most important hack of the list. You never know what to expect when moving to a new place, so throw away all of your expectations and go with the flow. Wander and get lost in the right direction.
Setting standards for how things are supposed to be may lead to discontent, so having an open mind is absolutely key to embracing the new world around you.
It may no longer be a big, scary, unknown place, but a place of new opportunities, excitement and spontaneity.
