Last Minute Moving Tips: Moving on a Time Crunch

Last Minute Moving Tips

In an ideal world, you would have ample time and plenty of notice before you have to up and relocate. Whether you’re moving for work or your lease is going to be up soon, you’re usually presented with months to prepare and pack up your life. Unfortunately, this isn’t always the case. Sometimes you’re only given a month’s notice, or even a couple weeks, to vacate your current residence and find a new one. Not to mention, the massive task of getting all of your belongings moved over to the new place.

The larger your home, the more difficult a last-minute relocation is going to be. Generally speaking, it takes an average of seven 8-hour days to pack up a four-bedroom house. This leaves you with very little time to plan out the logistics of your move, or even search for a new home.

If you’ve found yourself faced with a last-minute relocation, we’re here to help! We’ve condensed the conventional moving checklist into a list that is much more manageable under your current time constraint. Continue reading for our last-minute moving tips to help you pack up your home and get into your new one as quickly as possible.

Gather Moving Estimates Immediately

If you know that you need to move in a hurry, you’re likely already aware of a quickly approaching deadline that you either need to be out of your current residence or into your new one. As soon as you find out about your relocation, you’ll want to start contacting professional same day moving companies right away. It’s not uncommon for moving company’s schedules to become full weeks, if not months, in advance. Therefore, hiring last minute movers will depend on their availability and the sooner you start collecting quotes, the better your chances.

If you’re moving in the summer time, you’ll likely have more trouble finding a moving company that’s available last minute. However, if you do find a couple movers to choose from, try to resist the temptation to hire the one that offers you the cheapest price. Ask around for recommendations, check online reviews, and do your research to ensure that you’re going to be working with a reputable moving company. Low costs simply aren’t worth your prized possessions getting lost, broken, or stolen.

Leave the House Hunting for Later

When moving last minute, you don’t want to waste your valuable time looking for your dream home. It’s very likely that you’ll end up rushing through the process and end up stuck with a home that you don’t like. Instead, leave the house hunting for later and secure a rental! Choose one that has a close commute to your job and is conveniently located near enough amenities that you can enjoy for at least a year. During that year, you can be casually searching your new area for something that’s a bit more permanent. There’s no need to rush this process.

Leave the Decluttering for Later

We usually say that moving is the best time for taking stock of your belongings, tossing what you don’t need, and decluttering. However, all of that decision-making and organization requires a lot of time – which you don’t have much of during a last-minute move. Of course, trash or donate only the things you absolutely know you won’t need, but pack everything else. Don’t waste your valuable time trying to decide whether or not something still sparks joy for you. After all, you can always get rid of some items after the move has already been successfully completed.

Pack Your Overnight Bag First

When you’re scrambling to get everything done during a last-minute move, it’s easy to become disorganized, misplace things, or miss crucial steps. Unorganized packing could actually leave you struggling to find your deodorant, toothbrush, or even your glasses when you arrive to your new place.

Therefore, you can eliminate a significant amount of last-minute moving stress by packing a box or bag of all the essentials that you might need on the first night in your new home, including:

• Personal hygiene products such as deodorant, toothbrushes, toothpaste, soap.
• A change of clothes for yourself and all the members of your household, as well as pajamas.
• Sheets, blankets, pillows.
• Sleeping bags or air mattress, in case your bed isn’t assembled yet.
• Cleaning supplies, paper towels, and other items to do a quick cleaning as you’re unpacking.
• Toilet paper!
• Coffee, coffeemaker, and other essential supplies for that quick jolt of energy.

Once you’ve made it into your new home, you’re probably going to spend a few weeks unpacking. Having all of your essentials be easily accessible will make this time much easier.

Collect Moving Supplies

When it comes to last-minute moves, the notion of “cheap” simply doesn’t pair well. You’ll likely have to pay full price for moving boxes and supplies from a store, rather than collecting used ones throughout your community. Since you’re severely limited on time, the focus should be on collecting your moving supplies quickly rather than trying to save money.

However, keep in mind that you probably own a bunch of quality containers that can be used to pack in a pinch. Laundry baskets, plastic tubs, suitcases, and other related items can come in handy when packing last minute! As far as moving your clothes goes, leave them on the hangers, drape a garbage bag over, and tie it tightly. Clothing in your drawers can also stay right where they are as well!

Don’t Forget Safety!

While you certainly want to pack quickly during a last-minute move, this does not mean that you should sacrifice safety. Instead, you’ll want to take the time to protect your breakable, valuable, and precious items from damage. Use bubble wrap, newspaper, and pack your items strategically to ensure safety.

Another thing you should consider when packing quickly is that the boxes need to be moved equally as fast. Therefore, if you’re overstuffing boxes with weighty items, you and your movers are going to waste a lot of time lifting, carrying, and maybe even re-packing them. Here’s a good rule of thumb to keep in mind: pack heavy items in small boxes, and light items in larger boxes.

Seek Out Some Help

If you take anything away from this list at all, let this be the one. One of the best things you can do for yourself when moving last-minute is to get some moving helpers. Ask around to see if your friends would be willing to help you load up the moving truck. Check if your parents are available to watch your kids or pets, keeping them out of your hair during the move.

And, if possible, hiring local movers to handle all of the packing and other moving logistics for you will make your last-minute move a breeze! Since the best movers are skilled in efficient and safe packing strategies, it will be done much quicker than if you were to do it yourself.

Regardless of how quickly you need to move, reach out to Three Movers to receive your free, no-obligation moving quote. Our team of experienced and highly-trained movers will get you and your family across town, across the state, or even to the other side of the country with ease.