Moving into the home of your dreams should be something to celebrate, but is often a stressful process. Making this move during the busy holiday season can definitely turn anyone into the Grinch. There will be ups and downs during a holiday move, but the end result will be worth it. You can look forward to celebrating in your beautiful home for years to come! Check out our expert tips below to make sure your holiday moving process goes off without a hitch.
Plan Your Festivities
As you’re moving from one house to another, odds are you’re going to be unpacking a lot, and that takes time. Your home most likely won’t be in the ideal condition for hosting, so you’ll want to find an alternate location for celebrating. Just because you’re moving during the holidays doesn’t mean you should skip out on this year’s festivities. It’ll be a good break in the moving process to get together with loved ones and be present.
Make New Traditions
If attending an event or party sounds too draining after your move, consider using this unique year to make new traditions. You can stay in with your partner or kids, or invite a few close friends to share the evening in your home. Consider looking into ways to have holiday fun at home to break in your new space and create traditions for years to come.
Since the Covid-19 pandemic, we’ve found many people are still opting for more intimate, less conventional ways of celebrating. Try changing things up with a smaller gathering, homemade gifts, or getting a small, fake tree instead of a messy, real one.
Dedicate a Holiday Room
Along with putting yourself first when it comes to low-stress celebrating, you may also want to consider scaling back on this year’s decorations. This can be a difficult feat for holiday lovers, but it’ll help you when you’re ready to move out. By putting fewer decorations up, you’re saving yourself the time of taking them all down.
We recommend starting by sorting through all of your holiday decorations and deciding what’s a keeper, and what can go. This will help immensely with your move, as you won’t be bringing a ton of unnecessary clutter along to your fresh, new home. Decorate with the rest in the meantime, but remember to keep it minimalistic as it’ll make moving day easier.
Chances are your holiday this year will be a little different than years before, but it’s for a good cause. Don’t let the change of traditions or location get you down. Keep your end goal in mind that you’ll have years of holiday festivities in your new home customized just for you.
Have Backup Finances
If you’re a little strapped for money during your move this year, you’re not alone. Buying a new house is a huge financial investment. You’ll need to account for closing costs, hiring movers and trucks, and any last-minute pop-ups. On top of moving expenses, you’ll already be spending extra because of the holiday gift-giving and get-togethers.
These financial responsibilities will have anyone feeling the weight of that burden. If your finances are extra tight this year with moving, looking into an FHA loan may be a smart option. This type of loan has low credit score and down payment requirements, so it’s a perfect fit for those who may have had some financial bumps in the past. Sticking to a pre-set budget for holiday expenses will be especially important this year.
Budget for the Holidays
Moving around the holidays has its pros and cons. Not only are you making a big move with all of your valuables, but it’s Christmas time so you already have more expenses than usual! You’ll need to set a budget including holiday costs and separate money in case of emergencies. If you’re a parent, you’ll probably be spending a good chunk on gifts for your kids, along with gifts for your loved ones.
You’ll want to be sure to set some extra money aside in case unexpected expenses pop up! Damages to your items or home during the move are unfortunately possible, so you’ll want to have some funds set aside in case of an accident. Keep these extra factors in mind when planning your holiday budget.
Luckily for you, a huge pro of moving houses during the holiday season are the crazy deals and sales. Get to looking online, on TV, and in the papers for holiday markdowns. To keep your spending down while moving, utilize the holiday deals and promotions during this time. You’ll be able to find your gifts, furniture, kitchen appliances, bedding, carpets, interior decor, and more at a low-low price!
Make the Big Move
When move-in day finally rolls around, leave your main room for last. This way, you can keep the holiday decorations up and have at least one room with a homey feel in both houses. Pack this room last, and transfer it right to the new house where you can set it back up first there.
Your setup doesn’t need to be perfect, but it’ll help keep the holiday feel alive in your home despite not being fully moved in. This way, you’ll have a decorated room to open presents, set up decorations, and gather as a family together.
Plan Around Busy Days
We recommend making your big move in between the big holidays. You’ll definitely want to take experts’ advice and avoid moving on the days just before Christmas. The weekend and days before big holidays are always the busiest days of the year for travel and last-minute shopping. You can expect most places along with the roads, to be booked and busy. If you plan correctly, December 26th should be an extremely quiet day for traffic on the roads and around town, so it’ll be easy to transport your things.
If you want your day-of-move jitters to be at ease, get your estimate for your move with Chicago’s best. We’re here to help you with our expert knowledge to get your move done during this hectic time of year.
Make sure you keep in mind that this stretch of holiday time usually has most people busy with family plans and travel. Chances are your friends and family will be occupied with holiday affairs, or even out of town, so you’ll need to prepare for transportation and labor.
Be sure to start moving in the morning, and work throughout the day because it does get dark outside earlier come late December.
Are you or a friend moving this holiday season? Save yourself the stress and reach out to Chicago’s favorite movers for a Move-Tastic! experience!