Moving house. Whether it’s just down the street or across the country, moving can be stressful for everyone involved. While it’s tempting to leave the organising until the last minute, a proactive approach is best if you’re wondering how to handle the stress of moving.
Keep on top of moving house stress by following these expert tips. You’ll be left with time to relax and actually enjoy the exciting changes ahead.
1. Start Packing Early
Are you the type of person who packs for an overseas holiday the night before? This tactic won’t do so well when it comes to a big house move. Ideally, you should begin packing as soon as the move is confirmed. 6-8 weeks before moving day is a good time to begin packing preparations, starting with non-necessities and storage items.
If you have less time than this, it can still be a smooth process – as long as you don’t leave it to the day before.
2. Sort Through Your Belongings
A move is the perfect opportunity to sort through your stuff and determine what you really want to keep. There’s no point lugging stuff with you to the new home that’s just going to sit in a corner collecting dust.
Go room by room and decide whether to keep, donate or throw out various belongings. This will make setting up the new place an easier and quicker process.
3. Make Lists and Label Your Boxes
A great way of dealing with moving stress is tackling problems before they arise. It’s essential to label every single one of your boxes so it’s easy to find everything when you reach the new home. Put the label on the side of the box for easy viewing and consider colour-coding boxes by room.
Bonus tip: You should also make a list of inventory tracking how many boxes you have and what’s in each one. Trust us. Future you will thank you for it.
4. Get the Kids out of the House
If your kids aren’t old enough to help out, it’s likely they’ll add to your moving house stress and take your attention away from the tasks at hand. This includes fur-kids too!
Arrange for your kids and/or pets to stay at a friend’s house, or hire a babysitter to watch them on moving day.
5. Be Flexible
No matter how much planning or organisation you put in, you can’t guarantee everything will go accordingly. To maintain sanity, it’s important to be flexible when problems arise and change plans when and if you need to. For example, keeping your daily essentials in an overnight bag (see tip #9) means you’ll be able to get by if the keys for the new place aren’t available as early as expected.
6. Create a Document Box
This is a great idea to implement even if you’re not moving. Store all your important documents – passports, birth certificates, insurance papers, wills, etc. – in the one file or box so you can find them with ease. Keep your document box in a safe place during the move.
Bonus tip: Create digital copies of all your important documents by scanning them onto your computer for safekeeping.
7. Use a Moving Checklist
Make use of a comprehensive moving checklist as a way of dealing with moving stress. This will work as a guide for you, detailing what you need to do and at what stage of the move it should be done.
8. Visit Your New Area
Change can be scary. If you’re moving to an area you’re unfamiliar with, take the time to visit the new neighbourhood and familiarise yourself with what’s around so it’s not as big a shock come moving day.
Check out the nearest shops and restaurants so you know where to go for the necessities once you’ve settled in. (Let’s face it: nobody wants to cook dinner the first night in a new place… even if you have somehow managed to unpack all the kitchen boxes.)
9. Pack a Moving Day Survival Kit
This is one tip you won’t want to forget. Pack a bag containing all the essentials needed to get you and your family through moving day. This might include phone chargers, water bottles, snacks, toiletries, a change of clothes, and some towels (at the end of the day, you’re going to want to take a shower without digging through all the boxes).
10. Hire a Professional Removalist
Using a professional removalist is the best way to alleviate your stress and ensure your move runs as smoothly as possible. It’s best to organise a removalist company prior to moving day to ensure the movers are aware of what’s required and have a rough estimate of how long it will take.
It’s important to go with a reliable removalist you can trust with the packing up and transportation of your belongings.
All Purpose Removals is a professional Brisbane removalist company. We offer a range of transportation and furniture storage services tailored to suit your needs. Contact us today for a quote!