As we’re starting to think about moving house, memories of chaos and cardboard box mountains fill my mind and remind me of the stress it brings! Instead of repeating the same mistakes as I have in the past, this time I’m going to make sure I keep stress levels down and focus on the excitement of the move. I’m sure I’m not the only one to be guilty of some of these things, so here is my list to help any soon-to-move readers out there to avoid these classic moving faux-pas.
Don’t mix up boxes
Shoving everything into boxes in no logical order is not a good idea. You’ll end up spend far too much time at the other end sorting all the bits and bobs when you’d rather have everything completed as soon as possible. Use a big pen to label boxes with the name of the room they’re intended for and you’ll be able to sort them quicker at the new place.
Don’t break your back trying to lift everything
Be realistic about your capabilities and if you think you’ll need help, ask for it. If you can see yourself really struggling, consider using a site like Shiply to find a professional, whether it’s just an extra pair of hands or a whole removals service. We have often hired a self drive but would also be tempted to use a ‘Man with a Van’ such as this Basingstoke moving service. If you do decide to move yourself be careful when moving large appliances or furniture – it’s easy to cause yourself an injury!
Don’t pack the essentials first
Start with the things you rarely use. Leave packing the essentials until as late as you can and keep your day-to-day items separate so you know where to find them during the chaos of moving. This will save you rifling through tons of boxes trying to find things like your toothbrush or a phone charger.
Don’t forget to declutter
The last thing you want is to be moving things you don’t even want now, let alone in the new house. Use moving as an opportunity to clear out unwanted items so you’ll have less to carry on moving day and preventing your new storage space filling up straight away!
If you have not yet decided on which items you want to dispose of, or perhaps you still want to keep certain items, consider renting a storage unit. There are a lot of storage units available in the UK. Henfield gives you the privilege of finding self storage units in your desired location. Even outside London, you can find storage in Southampton, Portsmouth, Winchester, etc.
Don’t leave the kids out of it
If it’s a big move, it could be a huge upheaval for them. That said, even the smaller moves are still a big change for everyone. If you can arrange for them to see the house with you before moving in, they’ll feel less like they’re going into the unknown and can get to know their new area or what their new bedroom will look like. If they’re moving away from friends or moving to a new school, give them the opportunity to say goodbye.
Don’t do everything in one day!
Once you know your moving date, make a plan of when to pack and make time to get this done gradually in the lead up to the big day. Doing big packing close to moving day could put unnecessary pressure on you and leave you feeling overwhelmed or anxious.
Don’t forget to enjoy it!
Moving house is an exciting time and it’s easy to forget that when you’re sweaty from moving boxes up and down the stairs all day (I don’t remember it having this many stairs!). Good luck in your new home!
This is a collaborative post
Hi Jennie,
After having moved several times, I have some tips to share. We assigned different color electrical tape for each room (yellow for the kitchen, red for the bedroom, etc.) and used it on the boxes in that room. We then drew the floor plan of our new home and color coded each of the rooms on the drawing with the appropriate colored tape. At our new home, we stuck the appropriate color on each of the room doorways so that we, our friends, and the professional movers knew exactly where to place things as they were carried in. We enlisted family and friends to each take charge of a certain room and they were responsible for setting up the bed, a light, and hanging clothes tagged for that room. Setting up the beds ensures that no matter how far along you get on moving day, when you drop from exhaustion you’ll have a place to lay your head! Best of luck.
This advice is awesome! Colour coding is such a simple idea that allows everyone to get involved and need relatively little direction. Love the link to the floor plan. Going to remember this when we move x Thank you x
Awesome tips!! I agree with what you have said that we don’t everything in a day because it could cause stress to us. Thank you for sharing the tips on what not to do when moving into a house or another house. 🙂