Moving Tips For Single Parents

​Moving to a new home is already difficult, but when you're a single parent, it might seem impossible. You'll have one fewer set of hands available for packing and lifting, and you'll be on your own to make crucial decisions like whether to hire full-service movers or simply rent a truck and enlist the help of family and friends. Fortunately, with a little bit of planning and a few pointers, you can make the process flow smoothly from beginning to end. To preserve your sanity on moving day, we created the following guidelines for single parents.

Plan Your Move Thoroughly

​It's time to get organized once you've decided to relocate. Moving preparation begins long before the boxes are packed. There's a big list of things you'll need to take care of, from arranging your stuff and selling what you don't need to turning off the utilities and other services before you leave. Changing schools is one of the most difficult aspects of moving with children. Moving away from familiar surroundings might make some children feel overwhelmed.
Traveling to the new town and allowing them to see the new house or apartment, if possible, is one method to calm their nerves. Allow them to stroll around the neighborhood even if you are unable to tour the property. Find out where your child's school will be, but also search for restaurants, parks, shopping malls, movie theaters, and anything else that may thrill your child and help them see the move as an opportunity instead of a stressful event.

Organize and Downsize

​Traveling light is the simplest way to move to another home. Making sure to sort through all your items will save you time and money. Keep the items that you and your children can't live without and sell the things you no longer need at a yard sale or online at craigslist or eBay. Allow the children to sort their own things or earn some spending money during the yard sale by setting up a lemonade or a coffee-and-cookies kiosk. Any remaining things that don't sell should be donated to a salvation army.

Hire Moving Help

​There will be a lot going on when your moving day arrives. See if a friend or family member can assist in keeping little children engaged and out of the way. (Make those lazy teenagers do something!)  An injury could happen if children are running around while people are carrying fragile boxes and lifting heavy furniture. If you're renting and driving your own moving truck, consider hiring moving helpers to help with the heavy lifting.
Hiring movers or helpers will allow you to concentrate on your child while making the transition as painless as possible for both of you. When you consider the time you spend packing, loading, and unloading, hiring movers is often not much more expensive than simply renting a truck.

Conclusion

Moving from one home to another can be a difficult task. You can make the entire process less stressful for everyone involved by taking the time to plan and get organized, doing a little bit of downsizing, and by hiring moving helpers.