Moving house is no one’s idea of fun. Even if you love organising and tidying, there’s still the stress of the move itself to get through. Then there’s days or weeks of living with boxes you haven’t had time to unpack.
The good news is there are some things you can do to the make the whole thing easier. We shared some of our pro moving tips on our Facebook page, and were inundated with amazing hacks from our community.
We’ve written out a ‘basics’ guide, then selected the best of the best to go along with it.
Create a plan that will ensure you keep your move on track. This will include a list of tasks you need to get done by moving day. Think about this as a timeline, with tasks scheduled each week – you can plan to pack all your ornaments quite far in advance, for example, but keep your kitchen essentials out until the last minute.
It’s not necessary to hire movers, but it can often make the world of difference. There are degrees of help you can get too – if money is tight, a couple of hours with some burly muscle can make short work of your large items, and you can put your own grunt behind the smaller boxes. The super luxe version is to hand your house keys over to a full-service moving company. They’ll pack, label and move everything – you can have a holiday.
Even if you’re doing it all yourself, there will be additional costs. You might need to hire a truck or trailer, buy convenience foods while you unpack your kitchen stuff, or pay for temporary accommodation if you’re moving further afield. Think about the costs now, so you don’t get stung!
Moving is the perfect time to ask yourself if you really need all your stuff. Rather than cart it all to your new home, ask yourself, do I really want or need this? If neither, put it in one of three piles – sell, donate, or chuck. Who knows – your sell pile might end up paying for your moving costs!
Boxes are an obvious one, but have you really got everything? You’ll need things to wrap precious items in, multiples of markers, rolls of tape (and dispenser) and scissors – they will get lost, so the more the better!
Call your utilities companies ahead of time, so they know when the change-over is happening. This should mean you turn up, turn on the lights, plug in the fridge and the modem and get back to normal life.
When you’re moving house, there’s plenty of potential for stress. Help smooth the move by making an action plan – organise hired help if you need it, establish a contingency fund for incidental expenses like take-aways, and sift through your belongings. Before you actually start packing, get in the essential supplies – boxes, packing material, tape, markers and scissors.
Mark your boxes clearly so at the other end you can find things right away, and as soon as you know your possession or move-in date, let your utilities companies know too. That way, you can walk into the new place with your go bag, and everything will be ready for you to switch on, and lay back.
Let’s get together for a free, no-pressure meeting with one of our team, at your place or ours.
We can't wait to hear your ideas!
