Winter is Coming: Tips on Moving During the Winter

The last thing anyone wants to do during the winter is move! If anything, our bodies want to settle down and hibernate for the winter. Unfortunately, the modern world doesn't allow us time to take it easy, and sometime we find ourselves changing residences during the winter.

Important- If at all possible, we encourage you to keep an eye on the weather before a move. The weather can be unpredictable, but do not schedule a move during inclement weather. Even if it means moving a little early or a little late, ask the buyer, sellers and or realtors if accommodations on moving dates can be made during the inclement weather. Most people will be willing to delay if a major storm is on the way.

It is dangerous to move during bad weather on top of just being particularly traumatizing. Moving boxes and furniture is bad enough without thinking you should have invested in a pair of snow shoes for the move.

Switch Utilities Before You Move- Make absolutely sure that the heat will be functional when you get to your new home. If you can't check yourself, double or even triple check with the moving company. The worst thing is to arrive in a new home to it being freezing cold. Also, items left in cold temperatures can get damaged or broken.

Prepare for Power Outages- Snow, ice, sleet and even rain can cause major power outages in most areas. This means you should have your flashlights and candles ready to use, and not packed away in some mystery box. If they are already packed, try to find them before you start the move. Also, if you have a generator, you may want to make sure you have it somewhere you can access easily.

Consider Cold-Resistant Boxes- This may be necessary for long-distance moves when your items will be kept in a cold moving van. Damage to items, especially electronics and appliance, can happen if they are left out in really cold temperatures.

Insure Yourself- Insurance is always important, but especially important if you are moving during the winter. If you are using a moving truck company or renting one, make sure that you are covered on angles. Winter is the time with most moving-related accidents, so it is not the time to take any chances.

Warm-Up For Your Move- This means two things: dressing appropriately and stretching. Make sure that you have plenty of layers that you can shed on and off. You may get hot while you are moving, but cool down while you are preforming more light-weight tasks. Before you start moving anything make sure to stretch. Cold makes the muscles more tense, so they are more prone to injury.

Hire Someone- If you are renting a movie van, you may want to consider hiring on a driver. Driving a large moving truck during the winter can be extremely hazardous to you and all your belongings. Wrecks can be bad enough, but if you wreck in a moving van you can do some very serious damage to your items and other vehicles. If you can't afford to hire a professional, consider looking on Craigslist. Or ask around on Facebook to see if anyone knows someone who is competent at driving large vans. In the midst of a snow-storm is not a good time to experiment with how well you can handle an over-sized vehicle.

1-800-Pack-Rat Warehouses

Several different companies offer storage services, but few can claim to have the state of the art buildings that 1-800-Pack-Rat uses. Each building was created with storage in mind, resulting in some of the safest locations where your valued items can be kept. These storage facilities have some the best security measures to keep your belongings not only safe from intruders, but also from heat and other elements. 

For starters, all locations have 24/7 video surveillance to ensure the security of all units. There are no shared hallways, unloading ramps, elevators, or dollies, making these buildings some of the most secure. Each unit is locked with your own lock so that there is no possible chance of any unwanted guests in your portable unit. Automated sprinkler systems have also been added to prevent any fires from damaging any units.

At the same time, these buildings are kept between 55 and 80 degrees to keep all units safe from any type of heat damage. Humidity is also maintained below 65% so that all types of items are safe. 

No matter what you want to have stored with 1-800-Pack-Rat, it is bound to be safe and just the way you left in when you load it into the unit. Don’t risk having your possessions damaged with anyone else.

Use a PackRat coupon to save 5% off local storage or one-way moving costs.

Moving with 1-800-Pack-Rat

While 1-800-Pack-Rat provides people with a great way to store their items and personal belongings, it’s not the only service that they provide. Those that are considering moving should be aware of the fact that 1-800-Pack-Rat has moving services as well. Regardless of if you are moving in the city or across the country, they can help you with all of your moving needs.

Simply request a unit be brought to your home and fill it as you please. Once you are ready, have 1-800-Pack-Rat come and pick up the unit and transfer it where you need. After that, just move to your new home and have the unit delivered back to you. You don’t even have to move when the unit is in their possession, just let them know when you want the transfer to happen and they’ll take care of the rest. It’s that easy!

If you really want to get rid of the pains of moving 1-800-Pack-Rat also provides loading and unloading services at an additional cost. This is great for people that aren’t able to move on their own or have too much going on to properly pack their things. No matter what the reason for moving is, 1-800-Pack-Rat makes it as simple and painless as possible.

Save 5% off local storage and one-way moves by using a Pack Rat promo code.

Can I Have a Minute of Your Time? (Moving Deals Inside)

Currently our website is collecting data about our users and readers. We want to know how long our browsers are looking to use storage, so we can write more useful blog entries for you. The more we know about you, the better we can serve you through our blog.

If you could visit our homepage and fill out the poll on the right-hand side, you'd really be helping us out. All you have to do is answer how long you will be using self storage. No personal data required at all! Just one click of the mouse to say how long you need to use storage.

In exchange, you can take advantage of some of the great deals on the websites now or in the future. In fact, you can take advantage of these deals even if you don't feel like taking the poll. We just like you that much!

Following are some great deals to help you save money while you are moving or putting stuff in storage.

•  Pack-Rat Coupon for 5% off your monthly storage fees
• $10 Off Junk Removal Service
• 10% off Budget Truck Rental
• Pods: 5% Off Long-Distance Move or First Month Storage Rent
• Save 15% with Public Storage

As usual, we wish you a happy (or at least low-stress) move! 

Things to Do the Night Before You Move!

Moving day is approaching fast, the hours are ticking down. Chances are you are worried about one aspect of the move or tons of different things that could go wrong. When will the moving truck arrive? Did I forget something? Did they really turn the utilities on at my new place?

We wish you could tell you not to worry, but chances are at least one thing will go wrong in a move. The best you can do is prepare yourself for the worst.

To avoid disaster, we suggest creating a check-list that you can go over the night before you move. The more you plan and think ahead for anything, the more likely things will go smoothly. Here are some items you could put on a check-list to go over before you move. 

1. Call the movers and/or storage company. You will want to confirm that everything is all set tomorrow. Make sure that you have an understanding of arrival and departure times. 
2. Make sure you are ready for the movers. Have all of the payment and/or money ready to deal with the movers. If you are just renting a truck, it is important that you have payment for that. If you are paying your friends with food/beer to help you move, go ahead and get the items the night before. 
3. Check your fridge and freezer. If you are moving these two items you will need to defrost the freezer 24 hours in advance. If you haven't cleared out all your food already you can try saving it in a cooler or you could just prepare a pre-moving feast. 
4. Switch Utilities. If you have not done this already, you should do it now. If you already have then you should contact to double check that everything is in order. Here are guidelines that make it easy to switch utilities. 
5. Confirm any hotel or lodging reservations. If you are planning to stop on a long-distance move it is always good to double check reservations. The last thing you want to deal with after a long drive is a reservation gone wrong! 
6. Relax! By now you hopefully have most of the preparations done. Take some time to get good rest to prepare yourself for the remainder of the move.