The moving process can keep you awake at night. The stress and pressure build up, leaving you with insomnia. For some, moving is an actual, waking nightmare. The worst-possible scenario plays out in real time, leaving them utterly helpless. The worst part? These situations can happen to anybody — including you. With preparation, however, your move can go smoothly.
Nightmare 1: Your Lease Runs Out
The Nightmare: You’re currently leasing an apartment before moving into your dream home. However, the house isn’t quite ready yet and is a few days behind. Unfortunately, you were banking on it being ready by a certain date. Now the lease on your apartment is up and you have nowhere to live.
The Solution: Talk to your landlord about staying and paying a prorated amount, which means paying the cost of each day individually rather than a month at a time. For example, a $1,500-per-month apartment would be prorated at about $50 per day (depending upon the month). If this isn’t possible, try keeping your stuff in a rental truck or a PODS unit. It’s less of a hassle than moving it between garages or storage units.
Nightmare 2: The Movers Bail
The Nightmare: You have set a moving date and hired a moving company. The movers have offered you a fair rate and agreed to show up at a certain time — except that time was two hours ago and there’s been no sign of them. Have they simply forgotten, or have they double-booked? Or, even worse, have you been scammed?
The Solution: Always have a contingency plan. Whether this is calling up friends with large vehicles or renting a truck yourself, make sure you have a Plan B. Additionally, schedule your move well in advance. Waiting until the last minute makes you more likely to get lost in the shuffle.
Nightmare 3: You Get Injured
The Nightmare: Moving can be back-breaking work — literally. It’s easy to accidentally injure yourself while preparing to move. It may be a minor wound, like a cut or bruised toe, but it could also be debilitating. Torn rotator cuffs, thrown-out backs, and broken bones can all occur while moving.
The Solution: Stretch your arms, legs, and back before you lift anything. Then, lift with your legs, not your back. If the item is too heavy, ask for assistance from a friend or use a dolly. Take breaks and drink plenty of water to avoid dehydration. If you’re concerned, you can hire a moving company with trained professionals for these situations.
Nightmare 4: Your Pet Goes Missing
The Nightmare: Everything is at your new home, safe and sound. You’re unpacking your dog’s toys and food when you realize that you haven’t seen him since you arrived. The family searches every room, but the dog remains missing. Did you leave him at the old house, or did he manage to escape?
The Solution: Board your pet at a kennel or pet daycare on moving day. If there’s no daycare service available, see if a friend can watch them at their home for a few hours. Ideally, you’d want to have the pet under someone else’s care before the movers arrive. It’s easy for pets, especially smaller critters, to get lost or hurt when everything’s moving.
Nightmare 5: Your Furniture Is Damaged
The Nightmare: You’ve packed all your items securely and left them in the capable and careful hands of the moving company. Or at least they seemed to be. You’re unpacking at the new place and you find that your grandmother’s china broke during the move — an irreplaceable family heirloom gone.
The Solution: If you have moving insurance, you’re already covered for this situation. If you didn’t purchase insurance, go over your contract with the moving company. There should be a clause or statement of what to do if something gets damaged. Make sure you report the damage as soon as you find it, as many contracts accept damage claims only within a certain amount of time.
Nightmare 6: You Haven’t Prepared an Essentials Box
The Nightmare: The move went off without a hitch. You have dealt with a good number of boxes, so you decide to take a break for dinner. Except, where are the plates? And the napkins and paper towels? Now you have to drive to the store to buy utensils even though you know you packed them.
The Solution: Pack an essentials box and ensure it’s one of the first things you bring inside the house. This box should contain items like towels, soap, paper products, and maybe a first aid kit. Basically, if it’s an everyday object you can’t do without, include it. The essentials box will make your first night in your new home far less stressful.
Nightmare 7: You Have Too Much Stuff
The Nightmare: You’ve just returned from the store with boxes to begin packing. Everything is going well, except you’re starting to run low on boxes. But how? You’ve already had an estimate done, and you have far more stuff than you imagined. Where did all this extra stuff even come from?
The Solution: Go through all your stuff again and sort it. Get rid of anything that you no longer use or care for. This can range from throwing it away to donating it to a charity or the local Goodwill. Alternatively, if you have time to set one up, try having a garage sale. It’ll lessen your burden and add a little cash to your pocket. Or you can try selling it on an online marketplace or app.
Nightmare 8: Your Furniture Doesn’t Fit
The Nightmare: Less than a year ago, you bought a lovely new couch. It’s the perfect color and firmness, with plenty of room to stretch out. You’re excited to use it in your new home, but the movers deliver heartbreaking news: The couch doesn’t fit through the front door.
The Solution: As frustrating as it can be, you’ll need to disassemble and re-assemble the furniture once it’s inside. Luckily, many beds and couches have removable legs or headboards. Removing these larger parts may be enough to get the furniture inside without fully disassembling it. (Unfortunately, not much can be done if the furniture is still too large to fit inside your new place.)