I consider myself a master at moving; given that I’ve moved almost 5 times in a period of 18 months!
The first thing you need to know about moving is that it’s utterly exhausting. Both physically and emotionally. However, it might become inevitable to move when conditions like “changing jobs” happen!
So, congrats, you signed the contract and you set a date for moving. Now, start packing 3-7 days ahead (depending on how much stuff you have).
Few tips to help you pack
(I’ll suppose that you’re not very financially comfortable and will suggest the cheapest option, you can upgrade or better, hire a professional moving company if you can afford to):
- Buy 2 packs of black bag rolls.
- Collect the shopping bags that you have in your house.
- Either you buy Cartons or use your blanket bags. If you have luggage bags even better!
- Buy tape (3 or so)
- Buy a marker.
- Buy some wrapping paper (better the bubble wrapping one)
Now, start packing! Easy peasy!
Things I wished someone told me before I started moving:
- Forgetting things: leaving stuff behind. When you’re living alone (or with flatmates), every single thing counts. Forgetting your shampoo or your dishwashing soap can be irritating. You can avoid that by preparing for the move for at least 3-4 days. Start by taking a tour around the house and creating a checklist of everything you own. You can use this checklist to cross out every item you pack.
- Choose one corner in your room and pile all of your packed things there. This will make it easy for you to move
- Things breaking in the way: wrap your precious mugs, perfumes, and glass stuff in a newspaper (or normal papers) and normal grocery store bags. Put them all in a box/plastic container and mark: “Careful! breakable item”
- Things getting lost. Gather your valuables (passport, certificates, important documents, jewelry, cash…etc.) into a handbag/ a small bag and keep it attached to you throughout the whole moving process.
- Your stuff is taking up too much space while packaging. This will result in you having to rent a pick-up truck instead of a taxi (or a bigger truck instead of a smaller one); reflecting on your moving costs.
- To get a better deal on moving, negotiate a few days before, service providers sense the urgency in your voice and the price goes up. Also, have a backup moving vehicle (taxi/truck/car) just in case.
- Inform your building guard about your moving day to help you get the stuff to your moving vehicle and ensure someone will be waiting for you on the other side; to help you get your stuff to your new home (I’ve had some kind flatmates help me before) or you can even pay the driver a bit extra to do that as well.
- Forgetting food in the fridge/freezer.
- The food melts during the moving. Use an icebox or something similar to a lunch box. This is absolutely a must-have for basically anyone living alone.
I want you to keep this in mind while you’re shopping/at the mall from now on: “Every single item I’ll buy, I’ll have to carry when I move”!
How much does it cost to move?
If you live alone/with flatmates, you’d not need a full truck (which costs between 150-250 JD). A small pickup truck (15-25 JD) or a taxi (10-15 JD) will do. You can always find cheaper than that or (even a bit more expensive) depending on the distance between the 2 locations.
You can add a small fee (2-5 JD) for the person who will help you pack the stuff in the (or from the) truck/car or it could be included in the vehicle’s fee.
*P.S.: If you/your friend/ family have a car, then awesome, if not, you’ll have to do one of the above options.
I use the services of these guys and they’ve proved reliable every single time to be honest: ِAhmad & Hamza Taxi transportation & delivery +962 79917 3937
Hope this helps in your next move and hopefully, you can find a place you can call home…
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