You’ve sold your home to a wonderful buyer and are ready to experience a stress-free lifestyle at your new senior living community. But there’s one last step to complete before you can move on to your new adventure: preparing to move!
It may feel overwhelming to decide what to pack, donate or take with you. These six essential moving tips can help mitigate your anxiety, so you can focus on the excitement ahead.
The Benefits of Downsizing
It’s important to remember that you are most likely moving from a large family home to a cozier living space, such as the ones we have here at Friendship Village of South Hills. Not all the items that currently fit in your home can go with you. This is why downsizing is vital. You’ll need to organize and prioritize what to take and what to give away.
Change can be hard, but keep in mind that you are making this move to accommodate a more leisurely, yet stimulating lifestyle. Downsizing can help ease that transition by reducing the number of items that need to be packed, unpacked, stored and cared for.
The process of downsizing can also help you determine which of your possessions are truly essential to your physical and emotional well-being. As organization consultant Maire Kondo says, any non-essential items that do not spark joy can be discarded or donated. Once you’ve determined what to take with you and what can be donated or given to a friend or family member, you’re ready to complete the preparation for your move!
How to Prepare Ahead of Your Move
1. Save Important Documents
Store important documents in a folder, document safe, or clearly labeled filing box so they don’t get misplaced. You don’t want these papers to get thrown away or shredded during the moving process. For additional security, keep the folder or box locked in your car’s trunk or another secure location.
2. Change Mailing Address & Forward Mail
An important step, often forgotten in the stress of moving, is updating your new address. Change your address to the address at your senior living community so your mail doesn’t get rerouted, delayed or missed.
3. Organize Your Medications
If you are on a daily medication schedule, you don’t want to forget to take medications during the moving process. Organize your medications in a pillbox for up to the next 30 days. This will help you stay consistent should the move-out and move-in process be delayed or take longer than originally planned.
4. Set Deadlines
Setting deadlines is vital to getting moved out (and in!) on time. Finalize deadlines for packing items in each room. Coordinate dates with your moving service and your senior living community. If your adult children still have items in your home that they want to take, have them pick them up by a specific date. The more you adhere to your timelines and deadlines, the more likely your move will be a smooth one.
5. Optimize Your Packing
An essential packing tip for you or your moving service is to pack items in layers. This means heavy items should be packed at the bottom while lighter items are nestled on top. Fragile items should be individually wrapped and packed in a separate box. Additional ways to optimize your packing include paying special attention to expensive art pieces, which may require custom crating services, and individually wrapping curios, fragile keepsakes or collectibles and separating them with a cardboard divider.
6. Stay Positive
If you feel emotionally drained during the moving process, give yourself some grace. This is a big change in your life. It’s natural to feel overwhelmed, sad or even fearful. Some positives you can focus on instead include: looking forward to living in a socially exciting community of like-minded peers, having more time to indulge in your hobbies and experience new activities. Best of all, in your new home, you won’t have to worry about home maintenance, cooking or essential housekeeping tasks.
The Move-In Process at Friendship Village of South Hills
Our team at Friendship Village of South Hills understands that moving can be stressful. That’s why we strive to make the move to our community seamless and stress-free. We’ll coordinate moving boxes and fragile items into your new apartment. Are you ready to learn more about the sophisticated living options at Friendship Village of South Hills? Contact us today to schedule a tour.
