Collaborative Post¦ Wow, I can’t believe it has already been a year since we moved house. I still refer to this as our ‘new house’. Largely because we haven’t put our mark on it yet, I think. We haven’t done any decorating yet, everything we’ve done has been practical. I’ve recently written about home improvements we’ve made so far. Also, I gave birth to baby Reuben in January so time has just flown looking after two children. I still can’t quite believe that I was crazy enough to move house during a pandemic, lockdown and at 34 weeks pregnant! In hindsight, there are a few things I’d have done differently to have made things go smoother as moving house was very stressful!
1. Pack early
The earlier you start packing the better. Both times I’ve moved house I’ve thought I started early, but it still wasn’t early enough. Sorting through things, packing them in boxes and labelling them seems to take longer than you would expect!
2. Declutter
It really pays off to sort out and get rid of any clutter you have before you move house. Hauling stuff you don’t need around costs you extra time and money. Plus, it’ll cause additional stress when you’re unpacking. Decluttering also makes it easier to clean your house before handing over the keys. You don’t want to be hoovering and sweeping up dust bunnies from behind things at the last moment like we were! Using self storage like Now Storage self storage in Basingstoke can really help with this, allowing you to store larger items and things you don’t need around, then they’re all in the same place for moving day. If things don’t quite work out that day for some reason, you also have a plan B!
3. Use a professional removal service
There are different levels of service you can use. I was amazed to find out that you can hire companies to literally wrap up your furniture with the things inside them still and transport them like that. If you can’t afford to use a professional removal company, try to get as many people on board to help you as you can!
4. Keep essentials handy
Make sure you have things that you’ll need during the day close to hand. You’ll need things like soap, a towel, toilet roll, tea and a kettle. Don’t forget the mugs, milk and sugar! Nobody wants to have to go rummaging through boxes when they’ve been working hard and are gasping for a cuppa!
5. Keep it adults only
If you have children, try to move house when they’re at school or in childcare. Alternatively, ask someone to look after them. Children aren’t able to help practically and will only hinder progress by asking for snacks and people to play with them etc. Ideally don’t move when pregnant either, as from my experience you feel a bit of a spare part and it only increases the stress. If you like sitting back and taking a managerial role, you might enjoy not having to do the lifting and directing people though!
6. Plan ahead
Measure up and plan ahead where you’re going to put furniture and bulky items. Either draw a plan of rooms with a pencil and paper or use software to do so. This well ensure that you don’t waste time stressing about where to put the furniture in the room. We tried a couple of configurations before we got our sofa in the right place. It didn’t take long, but added to all the rest of the stress of the day it was just another thing we didn’t need!
7. Get your bed set up first
You might think the kitchen is the most important thing to unpack first, but it’s not the top priority. You can always get a takeaway – and that’s probably what you’ll do on the first night in your new home! Getting your bed put together and your sheet, duvet and pillows on gives you the comfort that at the end of this long day you can get a good night’s sleep in your own bed.
Disclosure: This is a collaborative post.