There comes a time in everyone’s life when you must face the music and do the almost unthinkable, MOVE HOUSE… With so much to do, it’s no wonder that even the most diligent and thorough of movers forgets at least 1 or 2 seemingly insignificant but (apparently) crucially important activities! Now ranked as one of the most stressful life events that one can undertake, we understand that not too many people would say moving house is fun. In light of that we have here 14 fantastic moving tips, to make your move a bit more bearable in 2018.
1. Early Start:
Although it is probable that the majority of the activity will take place over a day or a weekend, this doesn’t mean you can’t prepare. You will make the actual moving day run a whole lot smoother if you start preparing and packaging everything as much as 4-6 weeks out, in particular things which you don’t use as often and are therefore less likely to miss.
2. Make a List:
Write everything down, and then come back to that list the next day and write everything else down that you forgot! Among the chaos of moving day, you can hardly expect yourself to remember everything. Having a master list with all your ‘things to do’ will assist you in making sure the day runs smoothly and (hopefully) with as little disruption as possible.
3. Supplies:
You are going to need a lot of supplies, or in other words boxes, boxes and more boxes. And even when you think you have enough boxes, you still probably don’t! Make sure you have a good number of stack-able, appropriately sized cartons which will make packing and unpacking a breeze. Household items like laundry baskets, toy chests and suitcases also make for great packaging, and as long as you label appropriately will save you time and space as well. Also consider the environment and your wallet when looking for moving supplies, supermarkets and other retailers can be a great source of free, good sized cartons to suit your needs.
4. One room at a Time:
When packing up and packing down, try to focus on one room at a time. It can be touchy if you have a number of rooms with different people who all have their own set of valuable or private items, however if you can get past that the job will seem considerably easier. It effectively means that you can break up the work, and once a room is completed it can be removed from thought. Similar to running a marathon, break up the job into stages and you’ll finish with flying colors.
5. Bag em’ and tag em’:
There may be items of furniture which due to their size or shape, have to be disassembled before you move, i.e. desks, tables, cabinets and the like. These items will undoubtedly come with a set of small, specialized and hard to replace nuts and bolts, which are easy to lose and difficult to find! A great moving tip is to put these items into a small zip lock bag and tape them to the underside of the piece of furniture to which they belong. That way you can keep them together and there will be no hunting through boxes when you want to reassemble.
6. Color Coordinate:
It is a great idea to use different colors for each room in the house, yellow for kitchen, red for laundry, blue for bathroom etc. Buy colored labels from any stationary store and make sure they are in a visible place, and that will make sure you don’t end up moving the same box 2 or 3 times.
7. Re-evaluate your treasures:
It is never easy to let things go, but will you really need that 10 year old half broken VCR at your new place? Is that multi-colored, slightly small pair of shoes really going to get a revival anytime soon? When moving it is inevitable there is going to be rubbish, and truth be told it is a lot easier to simply throw things away than pack them up, move them and then unpack them again, where they will just be space thieves in your new home. Moving is a great time to really consider what you do or don’t want and need. This is especially true for the kitchen, check expiration dates! Don’t pack anything which is expired or has been sitting there for a couple of years. It’s a great feeling to be able to start from (close to) scratch in the kitchen.
8. DIY: its in our DNA:
Kiwi’s love to DIY, and remember what might be classed as a priceless valuable to you, may only be seen as ‘miscellaneous’ to your hired moving company. No one knows more about how valuable your treasures are than YOU do, and by giving yourself plenty of preparation time before moving day, you can make sure they get the care and respect they deserve.
9. No time – Use Moving Companies:
If DIY is simply impossible due to time, work, family or other constraints, fear not as there are plenty of moving options available to suit all budgets. Certain companies will be more appropriate depending on the type of move taking place (i.e. across town, across country or internationally), so it is highly advisable to do some research and get quotes from different companies before making a commitment. For larger volume, longer distance moves, we recommend www.movingcostscalculator.co.uk. They are a highly regarded UK moving company who specialize in this type of move. You can calculate average cost using moving calculator available on their site which can give you estimates from several different companies.
10. Utilities:
There isn’t a much bigger pain in your backside than moving into your fabulous new home, ready to settle in on a Sunday evening, to find that you have no power. Despite this, it seems that if there is one thing that will slip your mind when moving, it is your utility connections. Get your power, gas and everything else sorted BEFORE you move in, the more notice you give the safer you will be. What’s more there are fantastic services such as Fast Connect who will connect your services to all providers (power, gas, telephone, internet, and sky) for free! And give you great deals to save you money as well.
11. Changing Address:
You should get all of this out of the way at once, more people than you realize need to be notified and its always best to get one thing organised at a time. Essentially any person or organisation from whom you receive mail on a regular basis needs to be notified. A list of most important parties is as follows: Accountant, banks, doctors and dentists, cell phone provider, courts, credit card issuer, family members and friends, house cleaner, insurance provider, inland revenue, land transport, magazine and newspaper subscription, schools and university.
12. Moving with Kids:
Where possible- don’t! At least on moving day. Make sure your little ones know what is happening and why they are moving to a new home, give them some input into the packing up of their room and have a box of their favorite toys ready to keep them occupied when they first move in. However on moving day your full attention will be needed for the task at hand, so hire a babysitter and ensure you get the job done.
13. Unpacking – Essentials First:
Despite the number 7 tip, many movers will still go and pack up every last item they see, which will unfortunately mean a transfer of clutter. However fortunately there is still hope! When unpacking, start with the things which are most important i.e. used on a day to day or weekly basis. Make sure these go into the best places where they can be located and used easily, i.e. cutlery in the top draw. Once you have unpacked your essentials, you can again re-evaluate the space you have left and determine what you really need. A simple example is any kitchen utensils you haven’t used in 2+ years. The easiest thing to do is say goodbye! You don’t necessarily need to throw them away; if they are in good condition you could donate them to a hospice shops who rely on public contributions, or even re-gift them! This way everybody wins, especially you because more space translates to a happier home.
14. Get to know your Neighbors:
When handled correctly, a good relationship with your neighbors can be an extremely valuable commodity for your new home. Make a genuine effort to have all members of your flat or household introduce themselves to the closest neighbors on all sides. The simple reason is that friendly neighbors look out for each other! Your next holiday may be a little less stressful if you can rest assured that you have trustworthy neighbors keeping an eye on your property.
Think we have missed a valuable tip? Let us know!