How to reduce the stress of moving house
While moving house can be an exciting time and the start of a new chapter in your life, it can also be a stressful time. From packing up your belongings to organising removalists, there are many things to be considered to make sure that your moving day goes smoothly.
Here’s our top 10 tips on reducing the stress of moving house.
1. Be organised (and give yourself time)
Planning everything that needs to be done ahead of moving day will save you unnecessary stress. Having a checklist in place will mean that you’re across what and when everything needs to happen. If something doesn’t go according to plan, you’ll have your checklist so you know what else is coming up and you can take steps to make sure that you stop any other unplanned mishaps on moving day.
2. Clear out clutter
What better time than moving to clear out all your unwanted or unused things. Whether it’s the clothes hanging in your closet that you haven’t worn in over a year, or those CDs that have been sitting at the back of your shelf gathering dust. Moving house is the perfect time for a spring clean. Once you’ve finished clearing out the clutter, take stock and evaluate the value of your possessions.
3. Pack your essentials so you still have access to them
An easy thing to forget is packing the items you’ll need access to straight away in a separate box, so you don’t need to dig through boxes as soon as you arrive at your new home. Think about things like the clothes you want to wear in the days after moving, toiletries and food etc, really anything you’ll need access to right after you move.
4. Label boxes clearly
Labels can be a lifesaver! Especially when it comes to loading up the moving van or truck and then unpacking. A good rule of thumb when labelling is to include the contents of the box, what room it belongs in and if the item is breakable. An example of a useful label is “Wine glasses, Kitchen, Breakable”. That way you’ll know not to stack things on them when packing and also where to deliver the box to when you arrive at your new home.
5. Do a walk through of your new home with your removalists
This will save you a lot of time, energy and stress. Doing a walk through of your new home with whoever is moving your belongings means that you can let them know exactly where you want your things taken to. When your boxes are taken to the correct rooms, all you need to do is unpack them, and there’ll be no unnecessary dragging boxes from room to room.
6. Take note of valuable items
Whether it’s a family heirloom or an expensive piece of jewellery, there are special items that we need to make sure are kept safe throughout the moving process. Make sure you’ve packed and labelled these safely so you can keep yourself aware of where they are at all times. If possible you can make sure you keep them with you and are responsible for making sure they stay safe and arrive at your new home with you.