Moving house soon? We’ve got you covered with these proven tips and tricks
Moving house can be a tremendously stressful process, especially if you haven’t put in the groundwork. On top of all of the legal considerations, you’ll also need to think about how you’re going to physically go about moving everything on the day itself.
The good news is that this is a very well-trodden path, and that there are a number of proven tricks for making the move that little bit easier to contend with.
Create a timeline
If you have a timeline down on paper, then you’ll find it much easier to move through the tasks you need to perform. Devise the timeline in two stages. First, make a big list of all the things you need to do. Then, organise the list according to when you need to do each task.
Decluttering
There is no sense in taking items with you that you no longer wish to keep. As such, it’s a good idea to go through your stuff and dispense with the clutter. Sort everything into piles. The stuff you no longer want can be either donated, sold, or binned.
Organise Packing Supplies
Once the clutter is gone, you can begin the packing process. Get all of the boxes, tape, paper and other packing materials you need. Ideally, you’ll have a bit left over at the end; it’s better to have more than you end up using than to have to go and pick up extras along the way. You can buy this stuff in bulk from online retailers and office supply shops.
Pack Room by Room
You can move from room to room as you pack. This is advantageous for two reasons. First, it will allow you to confine the packing (and the stress) to just one part of the house at a time. Second, it will make things easier when you come to unpack, since the contents of every box will already belong together.
Hire a van
You can either pay for a professional moving company, or hire a van and a driver, or just hire the van. If you’re friends with a local tradesperson, then you might even arrange to borrow a van for the day. You can look at insurance for the day and save considerably.
Take Inventory
If you have a list of your possessions, then you’ll be able to confirm that everything is present and accounted for at the other end of the move. This will help to provide you with peace of mind, and help you to make an insurance claim promptly. Of course, you don’t necessarily need to inventory every single item that you own – but it is worth doing it for the very valuable items, like jewellery, laptops and televisions.
