If you’ve ever moved to a new house, and chances are very good that you have, you’ll know that it can be a stressful time. Here, we give you some tips to help ease that stress and allow you to move into your new home knowing that you’ve done everything that you need to.
- Use a notebook to get organised
One thing that we can’t stress enough is to start planning the move early. It pays to have a notebook handy, so you can begin writing things down as soon as you think of them or open the notes function on your mobile phone and as things pop into your head, you’ll have a centralised place that you can record things. Closer to moving day you can start putting some order and priority around the notes and then you can use our tips below to gain some more structure.
- Choose hired help, or helping hands
So, first things first — will you be using a moving company, or do you intend moving household items yourself? This will depend largely on how far you’re moving, how much help you have and how much time you can afford. Moving companies do take away a huge burden but that service doesn’t come free. If you’re moving across town and budget is an issue, try and recruit as many friends and family as you can but make sure you give them plenty of advance warning to increase your chances of securing those extra pairs of hands.
- Purge the clutter to lighten the load
Secondly, most people are guilty of having cupboards full of household items that never get used and are there ‘just in case we need them, one day’. To reduce the amount of items that you move from one house to another, that will very likely never be used again, think about clearing out cupboards a few weeks before you go and consider donating goods to charity shops or selling items online — some of the money you make can offset your overall moving costs so it’s a good idea to plan ahead like this if you can.
- Prep the new house and label boxes when packing
Next, if you happen to have access to your new house prior to moving it’s a really good idea to start thinking about where items in your current house might live in the next. That way, when you pack you can assign boxes to specific rooms in the new house to make the unpacking process much easier. Also, if you do have prior access it’s a great idea to try and get in and clean the new house before you move in. Trust us, you don’t want to be cleaning and moving at the same time! It’s a good opportunity, if you’re renting, to also check for and photograph any particularly unclean areas or parts of the new house that need attention prior to starting a tenancy. Bring these items up with your new landlord so they can address them before your move.
- Clean and repair current house before moving day
On the subject of cleaning and repairing, we’d recommend you give your current house a really good clean prior to moving out so that, again, you’re not faced with that chore on moving day. And if you’re renting, taking photos to show the state of the property when you moved out will help when it comes to refunding/transferring your bond. - Take care of admin, animals and adolescents
And finally, contact your insurance company, switch utility companies (take final gas/electricity readings on the day you move and record readings at the new property), set up mail redirection, change your address with key organisations, make sure little kids are taken care of on moving day (ask friends/family for help or schedule your move for a school/child care day) and consider putting your four-legged friends into the kennel/cattery for a few days so as not to disrupt them or risk runaways.
Images:
‘Mail Newsletter Home Mailbox Hiring’ by Pixabay
