Moving house? Getting a stress headache yet? Feeling overwhelmed at the millions of things that keep getting added to your ‘to do’ list?
Here’s some advice for those tempted to just take the house off the market and put their feet up: Don’t do it!
Moving house is easy if you get yourself organised, don’t kid yourself, you can do it alone and prepare as much as possible in advance. If you aren’t convinced, read on further for ways to smooth the path out of your current home and into your new place…hassle free and happy…
Lighten the Load
We accumulate so much clutter as we go through life, most of which we never use or even look at from one day to the next. Why move unwanted junk from one address to another? A few weeks before moving day, assess all your belongings and do a massive sort out. Split things up between charity donations, car boot stuff and recycling. If you have a lot of stuff to shift it’s worthwhile using a specialist firm to take it away. If you need a house clearance London has a brilliant company who collects all your rubbish quickly and efficiently. No skips, no issues over what you are throwing out – all you do is ring them up and book a slot and they turn up with a lorry and take it off your hands. How simple and stress free is that? So for the rubbish pick ups and house clearance London dwellers should make the most of this time and cost efficient service – turn a miserable moving experience into a positive relocation story.
Focus on Details
Because you are in such a blur, it’s easy to forget crucial details when moving out. Things you really must not overlook are meter readings for all the utilities, cancel your broadband supplier and look into transferring service to the new address, arrange to forward mail (the Post Office will charge for this service). Other important stuff to take care of include changing your address with the bank and arranging new direct debits/standing orders and cancelling old ones, notifying delivery people such as milkmen and newsagents that you are moving out.
If you have small children and pets it is advisable to arrange for them to stay somewhere else for a couple of days whilst you get settled in. Small children may be put at risk by the moving chaos and pets may get frightened and run off.
Be a Packing Ninja
Be super organised about your packing. Have different boxes and crates for separate rooms. Have a folder or notebook that details numbered boxes and their contents – even better, knock up a computer list that does the same thing. Some people use colour-coordinated systems – for example, bedroom 1 is green, the kitchen is red etc. Whatever works for you – just remember that the more organised you are, the easier it gets at the other end. You may be living out of boxes for a while once you move in, and you don’t want to have to search high and low in the wrong boxes for important items. Go to the stationers and buy marker pens, labels, tape and other useful things you’ll need when stowing stuff away. Order more boxes than you need because people always under-estimate their requirements. Think about using smart packing solutions such as wardrobe boxes which transport clothes efficiently and hopefully without too much crushing – you won’t feel like ironing once you arrive at your new home.
Pretend it’s a Vacation
Yeah, well, this may be a bit of a stretch, but if you pack a small suitcase as if you are going on a week’s holiday – all the clothes, toiletries and essentials you may need – this will make functioning in a normal way much easier. Perhaps go easy on the bikinis and sun lotion and pack extra scruffy jeans and T shirts, practical clothing that is ideal for shifting boxes and generally getting your hands dirty. All members of the family should have a personal bag with their own emergency essentials – kids might pack teddy bears, dads might pack beer, mums might pack migraine tablets – whatever. You get the idea.
Moving house is one of life’s adventures and if you embrace the significance of the event and engage with the details, there’s no reason it can’t be a huge success. Forget the rough, let’s have a smooth house move by following these super sensible suggestions.