Moving is exciting, but it can be stressful, too—especially if you have a pet. Whether you’re moving within the country or internationally, it’s important to prepare for your transition in advance. This guide from J Sutton and Company Moving Services outlines some steps to take to help your pet get settled and offers some resources to make the process easier.

Make Sure Your New Home Is Pet-Friendly

The right home will ensure your and your pet’s comfort.

• When deciding where to move, consider pet-friendliness. For example, TopDogTips has a roundup of the most dog-friendly cities in the U.S. or worldwide.
• Try to find a home in a pedestrian-friendly neighborhood with a high walk score. You’ll want to be able to enjoy local walks with your fur kid.
• Look for pet-friendly features when buying your house, like a fenced-in yard.
• Consider renovations to make the property more pet-friendly, like adding a built-in pet bed or washing station.
• Check the neighborhood for dog parks and pet-friendly restaurants, bars, and shops.

Prepare for the Transition In Advance

Check these items off your to-do list before you move to avoid headaches later.

• Look up and book moving services. Make sure movers offer the services you need—for example, local versus long distance—and read reviews before hiring them.
• If you’re moving internationally and will fly, look into airline pet policies and figure out how to best transport your animal pal.
• If your pet isn’t already crate trained, invest in one and start getting them used to it. You can use this free resource for pet lovers to find a highly rated crate and to ensure it’s the right size.
• If your pet isn’t already microchipped, consider doing this now. In case they get lost or run off in the move—for example, because they’re stressed by the new surroundings—a microchip will make it easier to find them.

Help Your Pet Adapt to Their New Home

Try these hacks to get them settled in.

• Try to take time off work after the move to help your pet get used to their new surroundings. Your work stress can rub off on them and make the transition slower.
• Continue feeding your dog the same great quality food before and after the move. If you’re looking for a new, organic, grain-free option, use this resource to help with searching. You’ll find there are even options that can be delivered straight to your new home.
• If your furry pal is having behavioral issues, consult a qualified dog trainer.
• Build your support network of pet care professionals in your new area, such as dog walkers and groomers.
• Find a qualified veterinarian in your area and have your pet’s medical records transferred to them.

Take Steps to Make for an Easy Move

A new home can mean a bright new beginning for both you and your pet. However, first, you have to get there. These hacks can simplify the moving process, ensuring you and your pup are happy in your new home. Start by crate training your pet so they are safe and relaxed during the move. And get them started on high quality food they’ll love. It will feel more like home when they get their favorite kibble in their brand new kitchen.

Moving is stressful, and if you forget one tiny detail, the whole day can unravel. Obviously, no one can predict everything that will happen, but preparing for some common moving day mishaps can keep you one step ahead. If you have a solid plan, you will probably avoid any major catastrophes and make it to your new home with all of your belongings and sanity intact. The following tips can make moving day simpler.

Take Your Time

Maybe this goes without saying, but so many times, people put off packing until the last possible minute and end up throwing everything into boxes without organizing. This leads to kitchenware in the same box as toothbrushes and tennis shoes, and socks and hairspray sharing crates with the family china. Then when you arrive at your new home, you end up having to unpack everything all at once just to find what you need.

 

Instead, take the time to organize your packing. Pack one room at a time and carefully label each box so you know where everything is. If you’re packing up your home office, labeling boxes becomes absolutely essential. Even if you don’t have as much time as you’d like to pack, you can still use the time you do have to streamline the process.

 

The Spruce notes that you can also take this time to host a garage sale for any items that you don’t plan on taking with you to your new home. You should get rid of items you don’t use or need to make the moving process smoother.

 

Lastly, practice techniques that can help you keep your stress levels under control during this time. For example, learning breathing techniques that can calm anxiety can help, as can learning to identify and stop stress trains in their tracks. What’s more, once you learn these techniques, you can apply them to other areas of your life.

Ask for Help

One mistake a lot of people make is assuming they can do all the packing and moving on their own. Or they want help, but they don’t want to trouble their friends. Don’t try to tackle this big step without some help. If you have trouble asking, find some nice ways to recruit your friends and family, like baking them some cookies or offering to help them with one of their projects. You might be surprised by how many people will say yes, so don’t feel like you have to do all the work yourself.

Do Your Research

Depending on where you live, there are probably at least a half a dozen moving companies to choose from. But not all of them are legitimate. With the rising number of scams out there, it’s important to know who you’re giving money to. Consumer Reports warns that you should be wary of moving companies that require large deposits. Check their references to make sure they have satisfied customers; you can often find very helpful customer reviews online.

 

Of course, for those living in the Bronx, J Sutton & Co. can make moving day a breeze. In  addition to providing container delivery, they can assist you with delivery and loading, driving, and clean-up. Get in touch to discuss your schedule.

Don’t Pack Essentials

You should make a list of essentials you will need during the move and right after you arrive. Designate an essentials box you can get to easily anytime you need it. Some things to include might be medication, pet items, phone chargers, toiletries, important papers and contact information. Keep the box in your vehicle with you or pack it in a place where you can easily access it.

Check the Weather

If you have some flexibility when choosing your moving day, try to choose the day with the best weather. The weather isn’t always predictable, but if there’s a 99.9% chance of snow on Thursday, maybe pick Wednesday instead. If you absolutely have to move in inclement weather, take some precautions to stay warm and safe. Board your pets in a local kennel while you pack up the van, and shovel and salt the driveway and walkways a couple of hours before you begin. Make it as easy on yourself and the people helping you as you possibly can.

Do your best to take some of the stress out of moving by preparing for common moving day mishaps. Give yourself as much time as possible to prepare for the move, stay organized, and gather help. If you start out with a solid plan, you might even find moving days can be fun.

How To Plan a DIY Move Without Losing Your Mind

Written by: GregCreates

Getting ready to move, maybe from an apartment into your new home or from your current home into a new one? If yes, one of the biggest decisions you’ll make is this; do you move everything on your own (a so-called DIY move), or do you hire a moving and storage company to take care of everything for you?

The decision you make could have a real, and raw, effect on your move, as well as your finances and mental well-being. That’s because, as stressful situations go, moving from one place to another is right up there with the death of a family member, a wedding or a divorce, and can sometimes feel like all 3 rolled up into one! In this blog post, we’re going to assume that you’ve made the decision to move yourself and give you the advice and tips you’ll need to do it right and come out the other end smelling like the proverbial rose.

Packing Tips

Unless you’re moving very close and can take everything in your car or truck, all of your worldly possessions are going to need to be packed into boxes. This will protect them from damage and from getting lost or stolen and, frankly, it’s one of the most tiring parts of any move, especially if you have a lot of fragile or valuable items. Packing takes a lot of time and energy, not only to wrap and pack but also to find and purchase all of the materials you’ll need like boxes, wrapping paper, tape and bubble wrap.

Tip – Start as early as possible. Packing takes time and if you wait until the last few days (or even the day before) to get started, you’re going to regret it.

Tip – Boxes made for moving are the best. Random, mismatched boxes you get for free from the store are weaker, sometimes dirty and, since they’re mismatched, harder to load on the truck correctly.

Tip – You can sometimes find used moving boxes for free (or very, very cheap) on Craigslist.

Tip – Movers will sometimes sell you used boxes. If you buy them, make sure to ask for any brochures or handouts they have with packing tips. (You’ll need them, trust us.)

Tip – Don’t overpack. If, for example, you fill up a large box with books, you’ll spend years dealing with the hernia you get when you try to lift and load that box(es). Better to have more small, lighter boxes than fewer boxes that are bigger and much heavier.

Tip – Use paper instead of bubble wrap except on the most fragile items. Bubble wrap costs more and takes up much more space, meaning you’ll need more boxes. If you pack correctly you should need very little, if any, bubble wrap.

Renting a Truck Tips

While this might seem like the easiest chore on your list, renting the right truck is vital to a less stressful move, especially if you’re moving far away. If you rent a truck that’s too small, for example, you might find yourself with a loaded truck and some (or a lot) of your stuff that doesn’t fit, meaning you’ll have to make a 2nd trip to go back and get it, and spend that much extra on truck rentals and gas.

Tip– Estimate that every room in your home (except bathrooms) is approximately 1200 pounds or about 180 square feet of space. If you have a 3 bedroom home with a living room, dining room, and garage, you’ll have 7200 pounds of household goods and need approximately 1000 cubic feet of truck space to move it all.

Tip– Get insurance on your moving truck. Once you hit the road you never know what will happen but, if Murphy’s Law is to be believed, it will happen. If you don’t have insurance and your truck crashes and burns, you’ll be very sorry you didn’t spend the few extra bucks on insurance so that you can replace everything.

Tip– Get a truck that’s 25% bigger than you need. You’re not a professional loader so having the extra room will likely come in very handy.

Tip– Reserve your truck early. On weekends (and especially at the beginning and end of every month) rental truck companies sell out and, if you haven’t reserved a truck, you might be stuck.

Loading Tips

Like packing, loading is an art that very few people outside the moving industry will master. If done well your stuff will make it to your new place in great shape and, if not, well, you could end up with a bunch of broken, busted furniture and household goods.

Tip – Do not load all of your boxes first, or together. You’ll need them to mix and match with your furniture as you load and, if you load them all right away, you’ll be stuck trying to figure out how to load all your pieces of furniture on top of each other. (Hint: it’s very difficult.)

Tip – Load in tiers or rows, loading up to the ceiling before you start again with the next tier. Start with heavy boxes or furniture and load lighter and lighter boxes and furniture on top until you reach the truck’s ceiling. 1 tier done, now start again.

Tip – Load large sofas standing on their side with padding underneath the arms. Then, after wrapping it well with moving pads, strap it to the wall so it stays in place during the drive to your new home. Load other furniture and boxes around it like above, tier style.

Tip – Designate one person as the loader and let them do that while the others bring furniture and boxes. If you have someone with experience this can be a big plus.

Is a portable storage container a good idea?

If you’re moving out of one place on, say, the 1st of the month, but your new place won’t be ready until the 10th, a portable storage container might be a good idea. That way, your stuff can stay in the container until the day comes that you can move into your new home and you’ll save money and time, Plus, the less handling, the less chance of damage and breakage.

Should you use a service that packs, loads and unloads your truck for you?
By all means, if financially possible, yes! If you haven’t guessed by now, moving is a very stressful task. Yes, if you’re young, strong and have plenty of friends (and beer), you can make a DIY project out of this, especially if your furniture is all hand-me-downs and 2nd-hand used stuff. On the other hand, if you’re a busy professional with a life, children, nice things (and enough on your plate already) hiring a company to pack your things, load them onto the truck you’ve rented and unload them at your new place isn’t just a luxury, it’s darn near a necessity.

Hiring a crew who knows what they’re doing will make a world of difference and, as we mentioned at the beginning of this article, could have a real, and raw, effect on your move, as well as your finances and mental well-being. If you have more questions or need advice about your DIY move, please contact us using the form, below, and we’ll get back to you ASAP.