Moving during the holiday doesn’t need to be any more difficult than moving at any other time of the year. Sure, it may take some additional planning and extra time, but with the right tips, you can easily pull off an end-of-the-year move.

Need to know how? Keep reading for four tips on moving during the holidays.

#1 Start Planning Early

The secret to moving during the holiday is planning. The weeks from early November through the end of the year are filled with events, gatherings, and celebrations that fill your calendar.

Fortunately, planning your move out well in advance of the moving day gives you time to account for all of those holiday commitments that aren’t related to your move and make necessary accommodations.1

Keep the following pointers in mind when you’re devising your moving schedule:

  • Leverage the holidays – It’s not likely that you’re going to move on Thanksgiving, Christmas Day, or any other holiday celebration. But you should keep those dates in mind when planning your move. Congested highways on the days before and after Thanksgiving are likely to affect your move. On the other hand, you may want to avoid moving during the sleepy days post-Christmas that most reserve for delicious leftovers and cozy pajamas.
  • Schedule around special events – If you have any seasonal events like school programs, company parties, or family gatherings, mark them on your calendar and factor them into your planning. If they can’t be rescheduled, you’ll need to work around them.
  • Have a backup plan – Remember, the holidays happen during the winter months. Be sure to come up with a plan B in the event that forces outside of your control alter plan A. When you have a backup plan, you can easily navigate around weather changes and last-minute commitments.

#2 Start Packing Early

Moving during the holidays means making special allowances for your busy schedule. With so much going on, you probably won’t be able to block out large swaths of time to devote to the many tasks that moving requires, like packing.

Fortunately, packing early is a wise decision no matter when you’re moving. 

Packing is easily one of the biggest projects of the entire moving process. But when you spread it out over the weeks and even months leading up to your move, you can break packing down into smaller, more manageable projects you can accomplish in an afternoon or evening. 

When you give yourself ample time to pack before the holiday move to your new home, you can tackle the project one piece at a time.2 As an order of operations for packing, consider:

  • Taking an inventory and decluttering – Go through all of your belongings to decide what will be moving with you and what won’t. If you have items you’ve been meaning to store in a self-storage unit, now is a great time to do it.
  • Start with out-of-season stuff – Moving during the holidays? You can go ahead and start packing up your summer clothes and other items for warm weather. 
  • Pack up the least-used rooms – The rooms in your home that don’t get much use are next on the list. Getting them out of the way now will make things easier later on.
  • Move on to densely packed rooms – If you have rooms that are filled with many belongings, it’s a good idea to tackle them early in the process. When you have the time required, it won’t seem like such a big project.

Once you get those larger areas out of the way, you can move on to things like shoes, jewelry, books, and decor as you get closer to your move. To clear space from your home, consider renting a self-storage unit to store non-essential items leading up to your move. 

#3 Make a Separate Budget

The holiday season requires budgeting—whether you’re planning for a move or a deluge of presents.

That said, you must budget your move separately from other holiday expenses to ensure that everything is accounted for.1

A simple spreadsheet is all you need to devise a workable budget, but mobile apps and other digital tools can also be helpful.

#4 Don’t Underestimate the Weather 

Moving during the holidays? Factoring in the chance of inclement weather is necessary if you want to avoid snow storms or other wintry weather phenomena from affecting your move.

Unless there’s the threat of danger, you’ll probably have to go through with your move regardless of what’s happening with the weather. But that only means you need to pay special attention to those belongings that may be affected by bad weather.

In the cold, wet winter weather, be sure to protect:3

  • Appliances that use water
  • Electronics
  • Furniture
  • Musical instruments
  • Art
  • Holiday decorations
  • Holiday gifts (if you’ve already purchased them ahead of time)

Waterproofing materials like tarps and plastic wraps are always good to have on hand. For extra weather protection, consider packing your most sensitive items in plastic tubs instead of cardboard boxes.

Price Self Storage: For Storage With Peace of Mind 

When moving during the holidays, it’s critical to plan early, account for festivities and family events, and factor a separate moving budget into your seasonal financial plan.

Whether you’re moving during the holidays or any other time of year, a self-storage unit can help keep your belongings organized while you move. Price Self Storage offers climate-controlled storage units sized to fit all of your personal storage needs in several locations in California. 

Reserve your unit today.

 

Sources: 

  1. MyMove. 8 Must-Know Tips for Moving During the Holidays. https://www.mymove.com/moving/planning/moving-during-holidays/ 
  2. On the Go Moving. What to Pack First When Moving. https://onthegomoving.com/what-to-pack-first-moving/ 
  3. Moving. How to keep your items safe when moving in cold weather. https://moving.tips/bonus-tips-and-tricks/protect-items-when-moving-in-cold-weather/