Usually, being a single parent is tough. Of course, practically anyone will agree that, in the end, it is worth it. Having and raising a child is one of the biggest gifts that one can be bestowed on. Still, raising your kids alone, while working at the same time, is far from being easy. And if you’re moving as a single parent to NYC, then you have two very difficult situations mixing to create one super-tough ordeal. Still, it’s not all that bleak. There are ways to more easily handle this situation.
Moving as a single parent in relation to hiring a moving company
Whenever one is moving, the first question to consider involves a moving company. Namely, should you hire experienced moving professionals, such as Best Cross Country Movers, or not? This question is rather subjective, but when you’re moving with a single parent, there are some universal guidelines. Namely, single parents who are supporting multiple kids generally don’t operate with large budgets. This makes any expenditure that isn’t completely necessary unwelcome.
However, being a single parent also means that you probably have little (if any) free time. During the day (or night) you’ll be working, and the rest of the time you’ll spend taking care of your kids. Moving to NYC, unfortunately, takes a lot of time. Packing, organizing the logistics of the move, and simply handling all the myriad of little details will drain anyone of his/her precious time. And if you already don’t have any extra time, what should you do then? In this situation, hiring NY’s best long distance relocation professionals seems like the right thing to do. Sure, you’ll lose some money, but you’ll preserve your mental health. Not to mention that, sometimes, moving as a single parent would otherwise be impossible.
Hiring experienced movers when moving as a single parent is usually a necessity.
How to save money when moving
Luckily, there are ways to save money when moving to NYC. Here are a few ideas:
- Get free moving boxes. You can find such boxes at a lot of places. A local liquor store (they have medium-sized boxes that are great for transporting books or Bluray discs), grocery stores (apple boxes are especially useful), or even schools can be great sources of free moving boxes.
- If you can, try moving during the off-season. In other words, move when the weather is cold. People tend to choose to move during the summer or spring, as the weather is pleasant. Nobody likes to haul their belongings while freezing to death. However, if you’ll be moving as a single parent, you may have to do just that. Hopefully, neither you nor your kids will get sick, and you’ll save some money as moving companies charge less during the off-season.
- Declutter your home and earn some money while doing so. We all have some things lying around the home that we’ve forgotten about. We’re sorry to get rid of them, because there’s a slight chance that we’ll need them some day. Deep inside, however, we know that that won’t be the case. So, either organize a yard sale or donate or recycle these belongings. Whatever you do, less items to transport means less moving expenses.
- Organize your moving budget properly. We recommend using a digital chart or a spreadsheet, such as the one you can make in Microsoft Excel. Of course, you can do it on a piece of paper as well, but a digital spreadsheet is easier to update. It is also easier to fix any mistakes. This chart should include all of your moving costs. If you keep all of these costs neatly organized, you’ll be able to realize how to save some money (there’s always a way).
There’s no way you’ll save this much money, but even some money is better than nothing.
Focus on your children’s emotions
Depending on their age, your kids may have a hard time accepting that soon, they’ll inevitably be moving. Very young children will accept this easily, however, the older they are, the harder it will be, both for them and for you.
Luckily, whatever their age is, there are a few things that you can do. The first rule is that you should always be completely honest. For some parents, knowing that their kids won’t react to this news favorably, the idea of not informing their kids until just before the move to NYC will be very tempting. Of course, not everything that’s tempting is actually good. Tell them right away! This will give them more time to process the news, and thus accept the inevitable more easily.
Also, you can throw a farewell party, especially if you’ll be moving with teenagers. Symbolically, your kids will be able to say goodbye both to their surroundings and to their friends. You can also drive them around their soon-to-be old neighborhood. Take them to see their favorite places in the neighborhood and give them the chance to say goodbye. Let them know that as much as they’ve loved those places, they’ll grow to love their new surroundings in NYC as well.
At first, your kids will probably be sad and/or angry, but there are ways to fix this.
Staying positive will have a great effect
Moving as a single parent is definitely tricky (and then some), but try to stay positive. Being the only parent, you are the person that your kids are looking up to. Whatever your energy is, your kids are likely to feel it too and even adopt it. So, if you’re feeling frustrated and negative, you’ll soon feel even worse, as your kids will feel the same and, thus, won’t give you any peace. On the other hand, if you’re feeling good, the chances are high that your kids will soon accept that soon they’ll be living somewhere else.
A good way to stay positive is to be social. Even if you’re generally not that sociable, if you’ll be moving as a single parent to NYC, getting to know some new people can do wonders for your mental well-being. You can start by meeting your colleagues at your new workplace, or attending interesting events, where you’re bound to meet someone if you try. Also, you can always stay in touch with your old friends and family. Social media, Skype, or plain old telephone are just some of the viable methods to stay in touch with the people from your “old life”.