As an adult I have moved house 4 times in 15 years which to some may seem a lot and to others may seem like very few moves. Our last move was 6 years ago which is the longest my husband and I have ever stayed in one house together and hopefully we will be here for a few more years yet. However, over the last 4 house moves I have certainly learnt a lot and feel like I can share a few pointers with you on how to make moving house easier if you are planning a move any time soon.
1.Have a massive de clutter
As soon as you put your house on the market start de cluttering and organising your house. This is not something you want to do once you start packing as it will only make things harder and messier. Pass on items that can be used by others such as books and children’s clothes, sell items that are still of value but not used by your family and try and make some extra cash to help with the move, take items to the charity shop if you want to donate them and finally throw away things that are no longer useful, out dated or broken.
If you do this room by room over a few weeks or months you will see a massive difference and it will make you feel better too and then when it comes to moving you will have less stuff to pack making it much quicker and easier.
Here are some ways you can get rid of old clothes without being wasteful if you are unsure what to do with them.
If you know that you are going to be getting rid of a lot of your old belongings and furniture then it may be better to consider skip hire. This will allow you to simply fill the skip with all your unwanted items and leave it there for the company to collect and dispose of on your behalf meaning less trips to the tips and struggling with large, cumbersome, heavy items.
When having a declutter don’t forget to have a garden waste clearance too. This can be old garden toys, furniture, dead plants or excess soil. No one wants a garden full of other peoples waste when they move yet once the moving process starts to happen the garden is the first place to get forgotten, especially if you are moving in the winter month so try and clear it as best you can as early as you can.
2. Pack slowly and consistently
From the minute you accept an offer on your house and things start moving start packing, not everything, just the things you wont need for a few months. So for example if it’s winter you could pack your summer clothes, if it’s summer the Christmas decorations could be packed, or if you have a large book collection you could pack them. Just make sure you clearly label the boxes in case you need something. The thing with house moves is that one minute everything is going really slowly and it all looks uncertain and the next thing contracts are suddenly being signed and you need to pack up and move quickly. If the bulk of this is already done it will be so much easier.
3.Pack with care
When packing under stress it can be easy to just throw things in to boxes and hope for the best but this is only going to cause more stress when you arrive at your new home. Make sure you wrap all valuables carefully and securely so they don’t break, don’t over fill boxes so they become too heavy to lift, label the boxes with the rooms they need to go to and even list what is in it in case you need to find something quickly. If you do not want to pack yourself you can even hire removal companies that will also do the packing for you.
4.Hire a removal van
If you are going to be moving lots of stuff or large pieces of furniture then removal van hire is a must. Research “removal van hire near me” to find your local companies and compare their prices and what they offer. There is no harm in speaking to them in advance and letting them know a rough idea of when you want to move and getting a quote so when the time comes you know which removal company you want to use. Always read the reviews and listen out for recommendations too as you don’t want your beautiful furniture to get lost on route or for your family heirlooms to be smashed in the back of a van. If you’re tackling an interstate move, you can use sites like Muval to find interstate removalists near you.
5. Arrange for childcare on moving day
If you have children and it is at all possible then arrange for child care on moving day, even if it is just a play date for a few hours, as the last thing you need to worry about is a child wandering out of an open door in a new area and getting lost, or getting under the feet of the removal company as they lift and move heavy pieces of furniture. Even if you have older children see if they can go to a friends for a few hours or they will drive you mad with cries of boredom and complaints that the wifi isn’t instantly set up! Either that of give them very specific jobs to do to keep them busy.
If you are planning on moving house soon then I hope these 5 points help to make it easier for you. If this is the first time you are moving in with someone or are going to be living with someone new then maybe these tips for moving in together can also be of help.
Happy Moving Day.
(This is a collaborative post)