Tips for Parents Moving Their Children into a Dorm

Tips for parents moving their children into the dorm

CAM00169 — Our truck in this year’s homecoming parade… Go Gators!!

Parents who are sending a child off to college for the first time may understandably be feeling a mix of emotions. Emotions such as pride, stress and even anxiety and sadness are common. However, these emotions are often mixed with practical concerns, such as how your child will manage living away from you for the first time. One of the best steps that you can take to ensure that your child’s first experience living apart from you is a great one is to help him or her settle in a new dorm room. There are a few parent tips that you can follow to make this transition easier for your child.

Start Shopping Early

Most parents and graduating teens have their college plans established months ahead of time, so there is no point waiting until the last minute to purchase items for the dorm. Some new college students and their parents will wait until moving day to head to the store. While it may sound like a sound plan to purchase bedding, towels, storage bins and more closer to campus and after seeing what items you actually need, everyone else may have this plan to. Stores close to campus may easily run out of supplies when there is a mad dash to get these items by dozens of people all on the same day. You can get a fair idea about what may be needed for the dorm by contacting the college and requesting a list.

Coordinate With a Roommate

In addition, before transitioning into a dorm, consider having your child get in touch with his or her new roommate. Many kids like to coordinate what they will be bringing. After all, you don’t really need to have two microwaves, televisions or other items in the dorm room. If a roommate already has these items, you can save yourself the time and energy associated with purchasing them and moving them into the dorm. Many kids also like to coordinate décor, and selecting comforters and other decorative items with an online purchase makes it easy to ensure that the room looks great.

These parenting tips can help make your child’s move into a new dorm room a pleasant experience. Moving can be stressful for you, but it can also be stressful for your child. Consider helping your child pack several days beforehand, and attempt to take stock of any additional items he or she may need as you pack boxes and suitcases. Preparation and planning are key to making this experience a pleasant one.

Tips to Help You Choose the Best Gainesville Moving Companies

Getting ready to move? If you will be moving to another area of the city, or even to an area outside of Gainesville, you want a professional company that can help you do it. The right company to help with the move can make things much easier on you.

Where to Look for Companies

You can look for these companies in a number of different places, including through referrals and online. Even if you have referrals from friends or family, do your own research into the company’s history. Know how long they’ve been in business, for example.

What Type of Service Does the Company Offer?

Do you need a company to help move your home or are you changing locations for your office? Are you moving out of state? Look for companies that can offer the types of services you need for your move. Some companies can handle any type of move. They may also offer packing service or even storage service if you have items that you will not be taking into your new home. Consider the types of service you need so you can get an accurate quote.

The Reputation

What type of reputation does the company have? It should be easy to find information about Gainesville moving companies online. Look for any issues or complaints customers might have had with the company. Did they damage items? Were they too slow? Did they show up late? Look for positive feedback and testimonials from the company as well. Know the good and bad about a company before you choose them.

Licensed and Insured

Always check to see that the movers you hire are licensed and insured. The company should have this information on their website and in any literature that they offer. This will protect you as well as the company during the move.

How Much Does It Cost?

You always need to know how much the service will cost. Get a quote from at least three different companies. Make sure you understand what the quote encompasses as well. Check to see if they include tax and other service charges. Choose the one with the best price, the best reputation, and the services that you need.

Get in Touch

Once you choose your company, it’s important to get in touch and set a date for the move as soon as possible. Even if the move is more than a month away, set the date early. This ensures they have enough trucks and workers to be there for you. Contact the company the day before the move to make sure that everything is still on schedule. When scheduling your move with Gainesville moving companies, make sure you read your agreement completely. Read the fine print and make sure you agree with everything on the contract before you sign.

When you work with a great company, a move does not have to be overwhelming. Just put in the research and choose the best.

Before Moving to Gainesville

Moving to Gainesville

When you decide to move to Gainesville, FL, make sure your apartment or house is up and running as soon as you arrive. As soon as you know where you will be moving and have the new address, it is time to start looking into hooking up your utilities. The sooner you make arrangements, the sooner they can hook up your service. If you do not get in touch with the utility companies until a week before you move, you could face delays. Call the companies, or arrange services online, at least a month before your Gainesville relocation.

Setting Up Service with Gainesville Regional Utilities

Gainesville Regional Utilities, known as GRU to most of the area locals, offers many different services you will need for your home or apartment. They provide electric, natural gas, water, wastewater, garbage, and Internet services to homes and businesses. When you call to start any services with GRU, make sure you have the address of the new location, your SSN, and driver’s license number on hand. They need to know the date you want to start service too. Start your services at least a day or two before moving into the new property. Instead of calling, consider setting up the service over the web. It’s faster and easier.

In some cases, you may need to provide a security deposit to start service. This may happen if you’re new to the area and if you do not have any history with GRU. The amount of the deposit varies. Visit their website GRU.com to set up the service. Use the same site to pay the bill, check usage, and more.

Getting Cable or Satellite

Cox Cable provides service to the area and is one of the primary choices for those looking for cable, phone, and web service. Satellite companies such as Dish Network are available too. The best way to get service with these companies when moving to the area is with bundles. Bundled service offers a nice discount, and they have many different options that change with some frequency. Since they offer Internet service, they rent and sell modems if you need them. Visit their site to see what bundles are available in Gainesville.

Before choosing cable, make sure the home or apartment has wiring for cable. If choosing a satellite service, make sure you can have a satellite dish in your home. Some apartments and condo units prohibit them.

The Lay of the Land

Check out some online maps of your new neighborhood to get a better feel for it. Using Google Street View is one good option to explore your neighborhood virtually. Find places to shop and dine in the area before you even move there. Having some knowledge of the area’s layout will make getting around quite a bit easier. If you will drive a rental truck to the new place, knowing the look of the streets and the easiest way to get to your new place will be quite a relief.