How To Recruit Friends To Help With Your Move Without Destroying Friendships

When you think of asking friends to help you move, you probably think of college days, when all it took was a pickup truck, a few pizzas and a few cases of beers. Times have changed. Your furniture is now worth more money and your friends have bad backs and not much time on their hands.   If you’re over the age of 30, don’t ask your friends to help you load and unload trucks. That’s a good way to lose friends, but if you do play your cards right, they can help.

Ask for food

One of the last things you want to think about when you’re packing and moving is cooking. That’s where your friends could come in. If they offer help, ask them to cook a little extra for you and bring it over. In exchange, feed them with takeout one night.

Ask for help packing

Besides the fact that extra hands are always a big help, a neutral eye can help you cut down on your moving costs. A friend can help you purge by taking the emotions out of packing. Do you really want to pack those two sizes too small pants? A good friend might tell you that while you might one day fit into them again, they are long out of style.

Ask for help cleaning

This one might be a little tricky. No one (well, almost no one) likes to clean. Friends can be a good discerning eye, though. If you have lived with spots and stains for a while, you may have gone blind to them. Ask your friends to inspect your work. Odds are, they’ll pitch in, but even if they don’t, they’ll keep you company.

Regardless of what your friends do to help, thank them with a nice dinner (not just pizza) and perhaps some flowers. Be sure to reciprocate once it’s their turn to move.

8 Things to Consider When Moving to A New City

You’ve got a new job, or maybe you are dating someone and your relationship has progressed to the next level and you find yourself moving to a new city. Your emotions are a mixed bag of nervousness, excitement, and apprehension, but you are ready to make the big move.  There are many things to consider when moving to a new city. We want you to be prepared and ready to take on this big change in your life and know all the possible costs so that you will find it a joyful experience and not one that you are dreading.

Job Selection

If you are moving to a new city for a significant other, this is something that may impact your decision. If your career requires that you teach people how to ski but where you plan to move stays warm throughout the year with no snow, you may have to re-evaluate your career path.
Before you take the big jump, check out some online job listings and see if any of them would be a good fit for you. You may also want to get a local phone number to remove any questions about where you live.

If you are already relocating for the sake of a job, be sure that you are making the correct move and that there is room for progression in your chosen career. Your significant other may want to stay back for a while until you have had a chance to get through the probationary period and your job is more secure and appears to be long-term.

The Cost of Living

The cost of living varies quite considerably from one city to another, let alone one state to another. Will you be paying double the rent? Will food or utility costs be increased? Or perhaps your rent will be significantly cheaper, but maybe your salary will reflect that, how will you handle making less money?

The way to be successful with this sort of change is to make sure that you budget your money well. Not just in relation to the money you will need once you get there, but also to cover moving costs, even possibly long-distance movers, sending over your belongings and having to do without until everything arrives (for example, no pots and pans means lots of take-out food.)

Do I Know Anyone?

You may or may not be moving with a companion, but even if you are, if they are the only other person you know, this will be a challenge. Leaving family and friends and then moving to a new city where you will have to make friends again takes time, and not everyone finds that easy to do.

Add in costs of traveling back and forth to see family and friends, and you may find this quite stressful. Try to build new connections quickly by going out for a drink with coworkers after work or by joining a group activity that will include meeting people with similar interests to yours.

If you are planning on making the big move by yourself, finding an apartment to rent that comes with a roommate may also be a great way to make some friends and meet some new people. This will also be a great way to save the cost of having to cover a place all by yourself.

How Will I Get Around?

Moving from a city that is known for its great public transit system to a new city where everyone drives may come as a surprise. It will also directly affect your commute to work as well as how you get around the city; you may not even currently own a car.

Taking a taxi everywhere or having to buy or even lease a car would be another added expense, plus, another change to the routine you have done for a long time. Do a test run to see if this is something you could handle on a daily basis and be sure to do your research before calling any committing to the move.

What Will I Take with Me?

You may already have a 12-piece dish set, two couches, and the comfiest bed in the whole world, but that doesn’t mean you will be able to take it all with you when you move to a new city. You will have to make some sacrifices and some tough decisions; a detailed list will help with this.

Think of this move like the beginning of a new relationship, when you first start dating someone you may leave a few of your favorite things over at their place; your move to a new city will be the same. Take the most important stuff, and if the move becomes more serious, that is more permanent, you can consider having someone send your comfy bed.

Selecting a Storage Unit

And while we are on the subject of leaving some personal possessions behind, you will need to set yourself up with a storage unit to hold onto the things that you cannot take just yet. Be realistic with the size, if you have a lot of large pieces of furniture you will need a larger unit, if however, it is mainly boxes of knickknacks and smaller items, a smaller unit will be in order. Your mover can help you decide what size storage unit you need and most can even store your items.

Learn About the City

Moving to a new city and not being prepared with what to expect is the fastest way to hate it the moment you get there. Do some research into the city and find out what it has to offer. If you really like museums, visit the city’s museums. If you love microbreweries see if there are any in the area and perhaps select your new apartment to be close to some popular ones.

By putting in the time to get to know a city before you make the big move you will find yourself feeling excited to experience all that it has to offer. And be sure to find a similar place to your current city that will make it feel more like home.

If, for example, you like to go for a walk in the woods, see if you can find a nearby park or wooded area in your new city to help ease the transition. Don’t be too quick to compare your old city with the new one either, learn to appreciate the differences.

Embrace Your Homesickness with Some Comfort from Home

Maybe there is a bakery just around the corner from your current home that always makes the most delicious scones or a café that makes the best coffee in all of the city. Get a friend or loved one to make a care package with the missed items and get them to send it to you.

Moving to a new city can be scary, but it doesn’t have to be. By being prepared and therefore helping to eliminate any unexpected negative surprises, you will find that you will experience a smoother transition to your new place of residence.

If you have made the decision to move but haven’t found a place to rent yet, then be sure to check out some great listings here.

Author’s Bio

Danielle thrives on researching and writing on all aspects of life. Further to writing for Zumper blog and personal finance, she is an advocate of self-improvement and living a life that is both financially responsible and knowledgeable. When she is not on her computer, she can be found spending time with her husband and two sons.

9 Smart Things to Do Before You Move

You've just signed the paperwork on a new home (congrats!). But soon the excitement of getting settled at your new place will wear off, and the panic of packing up boxes will set it. We've rounded up expert-approved tips to keep you sane and totally prepared during the move.

1. Manage packing smartly. 
"For my recent move, I gave myself a daily box quota to prevent a draining weekend of non-stop packing," says Amy Azzarito, design writer and author of Past & Present. Avoid boxing up your old place in one fell swoop, if you have the time. Remember, you'lll need some energy left to unpack, too.

2. Skip the cardboard boxes. 
Target Home Style expert and blogger Emily Henderson used California-based company rentagreenbox.com for her most recent move. "A week before I moved, they dropped off sturdy boxes with attachable lids and came back to collect them once I unpacked," she says. "No cardboard boxes, taping, or bubble wrap. Plus, its eco-friendly and can be cheaper than buying pricy moving boxes." If you're not in Los Angeles, companies with similar business models are popping up around the country and are just a Google search away.

Getty

3. Don't pack your closet. 
"If you use professional movers, ask them to bring several wardrobe boxes on the day of the move," suggests Emily Schuman, author of the blog Cupcakes and Cashmere. "The movers take clothing right on the hangers and, woosh, your clothes will be in and out." Bonus: You can skip a full day of ironing once you're settled.

4. Switch your utilities.
This one may seem like a no-brainer, but Brendon DeSimone, author of Next Generation Real Estate, says the timing is key: "As soon as you have a closing date, call the utility companies and set up a service switch." This is especially important if you're moving into a home that is newly built or previously vacant: Arranging a maintenance call to reestablish service might be necessary.

Getty

5. Make saying goodbye easier.
Moving from a home with sentimental value (your kids' growth-mark notches in the doorframe!) can be gut wrenching. To ease the pain, Azzarito suggests creating a Pinterest board with things you're excited to do in the new home, like dream decorating or new things to do in that part of town. If you have young kids, personal organizing guru Barbara Reich suggests taking a video of each child talking about their favorite part of the house to preserve the memories.

6. Haul the basics before the moving truck comes. 
If your new place is within driving distance of your current home, plan to take basic supplies over the day before, says Reich. "Unpacking the bathrooms in advance and having pajamas and clothes for the next two days set aside will bring some normalcy to the chaos of the boxes," she says.

7. Visualize life in your new home. 
"Confession: I've been known to hang pictures while the movers have been unrolling rugs," says interior designer Nate Berkus. While Berkus attributes his hyper-organization to his Virgo star sign, we think he has a pretty good point: "The sooner you get unpacked and organized, the sooner it feels like home." If you move at a slower pace than Nate, plan out spots for your favoriate pieces of art and décor in advance. You'll feel more accomplished and settled if you do.

Getty

8. Meet your neighbors the fun way.
Sure, baked goods and a friendly hello will do the trick, but if you're going to be painting the interior walls, Henderson has a fun party idea: "It's called a graffiti party and guests are given paint samples or markers to scribble games and notes on the wall." Don't be shy about hosting a gig sans furniture; this relaxed party theme is built around pizza and folding chairs.

9. Discover the local resources. 
Take a walk around your new neighborhood and be sure to introduce yourself to people you pass by. DeSimone says this is the best way to get a recommendation for a handy man, neighborhood favorite babysitter and get to know the lay of the land. If your life was an ABC Sunday night drama, these meet-and-greets would be peppered with salacious gossip on the community's comings and goings (ha!).

TELL US: What made your last move easier?

More Home Ideas:
• 10 Cheap and Cheerful Ways to Update Your Kitchen
• Make Every Single Spot in Your Home Smell Better
• 10 Things Every Bedroom Needs