As apartment living goes, it seems a year flies by and it’s time to move again. I typically give a place two years before I consider moving. Two years is plenty of time to make your apartment feel like your own. Since the housing market in Los Angeles isn’t the best right now and I still prefer flexibility, moving is a part of my life. The first few times I had to move, I made plenty of mistakes. Now I have learned ways to make the moving process less painful. Here are my tips on moving homes.
Rent Boxes:
One of the pains of moving is getting boxes and packing. Although cardboard boxes are cheaper, I’ve learned they aren’t practical. Cardboard boxes usually make it harder to stack and if not taped correctly can come undone. Now when I move, I rent plastic boxes like those from U-haul. This way I don’t have to waste time taping boxes. Also, make sure to have everything pack the day before the move. Nothing slows the moving process down like stopping to put things in boxes.
Help others move and they will repay when it’s your turn to move:
Although getting movers is a practical way to go, the cost can be close to $1,000. For myself, I hate to spend an extra when moving already comes with tons of cost. In the past, I was to shy to ask for help from friends, which meant that we would have my boyfriend and I doing all the moving. Because of this, I made it a point to offer my help whenever any of my friends were moving. I did this to help ease them from suffering the same fate I did. Now, when it’s time for me to move I usually get some extra hands, which goes a long way.
Moving Timeline:
When the last month of your lease approaches it’s easy to get anxious about finding a new spot. Don’t try to get a head start and start looking for places 4-5 weeks out. Most places prefer that renters move right away, so unless you are willing to pay double rent it’s best not to look. What you should do is start looking at where the market is at and what you can afford. Scout for areas you would like to move to. It’s okay to bookmark places, but don’t make appointments for 2-3 weeks out. This is usually enough time to take a look at a few places, go through the credit check and sign the lease, all before it’s time to move.
Hanging Clothes
This is a trick I learned from an ex-roommate. When moving hanging clothes from one closet to the next, it’s not practical to take the clothes out of the hanger, fold them, and then rehang. The best thing to do is to grab a trash bag and rip a hole at the bottom. Then slide a hole through a group of hangers, with the clothes still on them. Then slide the bag down and secure at the bottom. That way you can transport a group of your clothes without them getting dirty.
Moving Supplies
Sometimes the hardest part about moving is having to make sure your stuff doesn’t get damaged on moving day. The second hardest is having to take three separate trips to the hardware store to get more bubble wrap because you didn’t get enough. This last time I signed up for Amazon Prime, so I can take fewer trips to the store and have everything delivered to my doorstep. Amazon also has those hard to find supplies like moving blankets and stretch wrap film, for furniture that you don’t want to be scratched. Check out Amazon Prime day for great deals; it ends today.