How To Move Like A Pro In 8 Easy Steps

Moving tip: do any and all shopping (grocery, plants, toiletries, etc.) AFTER your move

Over the years, I’ve moved my fair share. If I’m being honest, I think moving is one of the most daunting tasks around, yet I seem to find myself in the same stressful predicament. 

I relocated to Houston in 2006 for a job with the Houston Astros and have since bounced all around the Houston area, but I definitely have to say that Montrose is my absolute favorite. I’ll get more into why I love living in Montrose, but for now, I wanted to share 8 tips on how to move like a pro. 

Tips for moving like a pro in 8 easy steps: 

1. Use an Apartment Locator

Growing up, my mom always said, “let your fingers do the walking.” Now as an adult, I totally get it. Sure you could jump in your car and visit 10 different apartments in your desired part of Houston, but many of them may not have one bedrooms available at the time of your move in (or whatever your needs may be), may not be pet-friendly, may not offer any move-in concessions, etc. In my experience, using a knowledgeable apartment locator will help weed out any properties that don’t fit your specific needs and they’ll be able to set appointments for tours, find out about leasing incentives (which is something I strongly recommend). When I chose to move into Encore Montrose, they were offering two months free, which prorated my rent to a much more manageable amount. So basically I got a nicer apartment (bigger than I needed) for an even lower rate. 

2. Think of Moving as an Advantage/Positive

I knew I wasn’t going to renew my lease at my old apartment months before I began looking for a new one. The thought of moving all my stuff (I may or may not be a hoarder) was completely consuming. About 60 days before I was scheduled to move out, I pulled out all my half-used bottles of face cream, facial masks, samples from Kiehls and more and kept them on my bathroom counter so I would remember to use them. It was glorious because it was like self care had become part of my daily routine now – imagine that. I also took the time to merge bottles (travel bottles of shampoo that had accumulated, etc.) so not only was it more manageable to go through, but it was a little less stuff to move. Same goes for all those 3-wick, super expensive candles I was using for a “special occasion” – I started using it all and felt like a pampered princess.

3. Get Drunk

Totally kidding (sort of), but being a hoarder doesn’t discriminate what you stock up on, and wine (particularly rosé) was in abundance in my home. Stop waiting for the perfect time to savor that $20 bottle of wine (hey, I ball on a budget, don’t judge and to be totally honest, I think a $12 bottle is a bit pricey) and drink up (wearing your face masks and burning all those fancy candles, see tip #2). Also, do you know how heavy bottles of wine (in bulk) are? It isn’t fun to move, plus they are breakable, so drink up and restock when you move into your next spot. Invite friends over, especially for the next tip.  

4. Declutter

Once again, as a hoarder, I realize I have way too much for one person. I used moving as an excuse to get rid of stuff I didn’t wear anymore, stuff that had holes or looked too worn and even duplicates of things. The best part about getting ahead of the game for this one is you’ll have time to post your stuff on Craigslist or Facebook in hopes of selling it. I actually posted a few Instagram stories of my Texans stuff and sold about 70% of it within 24hrs. This gives you time to post multiple times (I’ve had success on Craigslist renewing my posts so it shows at the top), meet up to drop off stuff and get at least a few bucks for it. Also, I donated about 20 bags worth of stuff to Goodwill Houston. (I love learning about worthy organizations to donate stuff, so leave a comment below if you have any you recommend.)

5. Transfer Prescriptions and Forward Mail (Tip: BEFORE)

The sooner the better, because I don’t have a lot of faith in USPS. It’s obviously much easier to stay with the same pharmacy (i.e. moving from one HEB to another where it’s a seamless process), but the easiest way if you’re transferring to a completely different pharmacy is to get the business card/contact info of the old place and give it to the new one. Again, they will do all the work for you (they want your business, so don’t stress trying to do it on your own). 

6. Get FREE Boxes

A little known fact about me – I’m pretty cheap. Unless it’s an alcoholic beverage or coffee, I think spending money on iced tea or a soda at a restaurant/fast food is a waste of money. I hoard all the travel sized beauty products at the nicer hotels I stay at to avoid buying more. And when it comes to buying boxes that you’re just going to rip up and throw away – no thank you. So many people told me to buy boxes and I just wasn’t having it. I learned a few tricks when it comes to locating boxes, which was clutch during my move. For places like HEB, Kroger and Target, if you call the night before (around 10-11p) and ask them to hold boxes, they usually will. Someone told me this little tip and I thought they were lying or the manager would forget to put them to the side, but I can verify as it worked a few times and I didn’t have to pay for any of them. (The manager at Target had them loaded up in a shopping cart with a post-it with my name on it and they were quality boxes.)

7. Transfer Utilities (When Possible)

Courtesy Photo, Encore Montrose

Instead of signing up for all new service (and getting your credit reran, etc.), I’ve found that transferring utility services usually is the way to go. They already have your billing and credit info on file and it usually saves you a connection fee, which can be up to $150 for electricity sometimes. Pro tip: when transferring services, ask for any loyalty rewards (my electricity provider is sending me a $50 Visa gift card as a thank you, but if I hadn’t asked, they wouldn’t). Another benefit for this is that my electric provider knew my estimated usage each month and was able to recommend a less expensive plan. 

8. WiFi 

Working from home, this is a big one for me and it’s never an easy process. Luckily, Encore Montrose has complimentary WiFi in common areas and it reached to my apartment, so I wasn’t completely out of the loop, and their Resident Lounge area is so posh and comfortable, I didn’t mind working from down there one bit. Also, my boyfriend was kind enough to give me his DIRECTV password so I was able to watch my favorite shows on my iPad (but I needed the apartment WiFi). I also downloaded a bunch of Netflix shows before my actual move, so I had that too. Even if you don’t have Netflix, ask a friend to borrow their password and head to a Starbucks and download some shows so you have stuff to watch. 

This is part of a sponsored blog series with Encore Montrose. I am sharing what I love about living in Houston, and specifically Montrose, plus all the tips, tricks and amenities along the way. These luxury Montrose apartments are currently offering two months free and the best part is that we get to be neighbors. Drop a comment or email if you’re interested in touring or stop by Encore Montrose and tell them Jayme (or The Blonde Side) sent you! Or you can call them at 281.843.1578.