Moving house is a strange combination of stress and excitement. It’s often stressful because of the sheer enormity of the task and the looming deadline but it’s usually exciting because of new beginnings.
If you’re about to move, here are our 6 steps for taking the stress out of moving.
- Pack 2 boxes and put them in your car
The first box will be your “first night box”. It will have pyjamas, a change of clothes for everyone, toothbrush, toothpaste, other toiletries used daily, toilet paper, bed linen, towels plus kettle and tea bags or a coffee plunger and coffee. This will have all the things you can’t live without on your first night and morning before all the other boxes are unpacked.
The second box will be your unpacking box. It will have screwdrivers, allen keys, scissors, glue, tape, labelled zip lock bags containing screws and parts from any furniture you’ve dismantled plus assembly instructions. Whilst you’re at it, you might also want to put some light bulbs and a step ladder in the back of your car. - Sort out the kids and the pets
Whilst moving is often exciting for kids and the activity can be unsettling for pets, it’s good to send the kids and pets on an adventure for moving day. Call in friends or family to help out because there’s nothing worse than negotiating with a hungry child or chasing a dog after the side fence has been left open, when you’re trying to pack up your home. - Connect the internet and energy
As soon as you have a moving date, contact your internet service provider (ISP) and energy supplier to arrange for disconnection of previous resident and re-connection for yourself on the allocated date. Sometimes it can take weeks to connect the internet, so you might like to talk to your ISP or phone company to see if you can get some additional data options to take the pain out of the wait. - Change your address
Let family and friends know your new contact details but also update your bank, your superannuation company, your insurance company, update your driver’s licence and car registration details – anyone who has your address needs to be updated. And just to be sure, it’s a good idea to arrange forwarding of your mail with the post office. - Organise insurance
Whilst you’re changing your address details with your insurance company, it’s a good idea to get your new home covered for building and contents insurance. If you haven’t had insurance before, you’ll need to estimate the value of all (and I mean ALL) of your possessions. If you’ve had insurance, just check that the amounts you’re insured for are still correct or make any required adjustments. - Get it cleaned
There’s nothing worse than walking into your new home and finding that it’s dirty. Rolling up your sleeves and doing it yourself is often the last thing you feel like doing. If it’s possible, and if time allows, arrange for a professional cleaning company to go in before you arrive and give it a good scrub.
Enjoy your move and your new home!
