Editor’s Note: The following is a guest blog post by Maria Gatea, a creative writer for STORAGECafé with a background in Journalism and Communication. After covering business and finance-related topics as a freelance writer for 15 years, she is now focusing on researching and writing about the self-storage industry.
The 70-million-strong Millennial generation in the United States, now between the ages of 23 and 38, are starting to reach their full potential. The latter half of Millennials are well into their careers, and the youngest are finishing their education and starting to search for new opportunities around the country.
Millennials make up about 32 percent of the 31 million Americans who moved around the country in 2018, according to the US Census Bureau, and they show a strong preference for moving to large metro areas. If you’re one of the Millennials looking to relocate to a new place, here are some ideas on how to make the entire moving process easier.
1. Do Your Research Thoroughly
The most common reasons why people move are housing and quality of living, as per American Housing Survey data. Almost 17% of people moving are looking for larger or better-quality homes, while 15% of them want a better neighborhood. Good quality of living is essential for most people, and for a successful relocation, you need to pay a lot of attention to this aspect of the process.
Begin by researching the neighborhoods of the cities in which you are considering moving to. You’ll want to learn about each city’s advantages, disadvantages, and the median rent. Once you’ve completed all your research, you’ll ideally wan to pick the one that doesn’t break your budget and suits your lifestyle.
Even in expensive cities like San Francisco, where the average rent surpasses $3,700 per month according to the Yardi Matrix data, you can still find solutions for living comfortably and within your means. For example, renting a self-storage unit in San Francisco will cost you an average of $181 per month, but you’ll be able to live uncluttered in even the smallest of apartments, especially if you share your apartment with a roommate.
2. Start Sorting and Packing ASAP
Millennials have a bit of a reputation for being master procrastinators, but that’s not a winning strategy when dealing with a move. Sorting through your items, deciding what’s worth keeping and what you should leave behind, then packing everything up takes a lot of time. You should start the process a few weeks in advance of the move to have time to organize and label your items properly, which will make unpacking a piece of cake.
To earn extra income and reduce environmental waste, you can put unwanted furniture, electronics and appliances up for sale on a site like Facebook Marketplace. For anything you want to get rid of which is not suitable to be sold, you can donate or recycle the items to local thrift shops or Goodwill. If you already rented a self-storage unit in your destination city, you can eve start moving some of your boxes into the unit.
3. Decide on the Type of Move
Hiring a reputable and trustworthy moving company will make things a lot easier. A do-it-yourself move might be cheaper up front, but it comes with its own set of risks: unreliable friends who forget to show up when promised, things destroyed during transportation, or people hurting themselves while handling heavy items.
Proceed with a DIY move only if you’re confident you can manage the entire process properly, otherwise you’ll end up wasting money instead of saving it. To avoid any issues from the start, consider hiring a professional moving company such as Gentle Giant Moving Company so you don’t need to worry about any of the logistics.
4. Do the Paperwork
Moving comes with a lot of tasks, including changing address, setting up contracts with the new utility providers, and finding new doctors for yourself and your family. Depending on your circumstances, you might also have to enroll yourself or your children in a new school, open a new bank account, and so on.
Many of these errands are tedious and time-consuming, so give yourself a head-start by doing as much as you can online and as early as possible, and then complete the rest as soon as possible after the move.
5. Don’t Forget about the Selfies!
Are you even a Millennial if you don’t take selfies and post them on social media? The stress of moving shouldn’t keep you from having fun – take a lot of selfies and keep your friends and family updated on your progress. Once you have completed the move, it’s time to start exploring and enjoying your new city!
The process of moving is daunting, but it is all worth it in the end. Keep these tips in mind the next time you are preparing for a move to make the process seamless.