I am no expert when it comes to moving house, however here are a few tips I picked up along the way which you may find useful!
1) Start Packing Early
Initially I thought I would ‘save’ all my packing for three days before the big move. However, upon putting some items in a box and sorting through my things, I realised it takes a lot longer than you think. It is important to pack in an organised way as this will make unpacking a lot easier.
(Materials needed: boxes / packing tape / scissors / bubble wrap or newspaper / marker pen).
Once you have completed a box, tape it and label it clearly as to where it will be placed in your new house. eg: ‘KITCHEN’. Include a small list of contents of the box.
Each time you finish packing a box, push it to one corner of the house neatly to avoid tripping over it!
2) Get the Children To Help
If you have young children, get them to help you pack. If you don’t you may find that they can get in your way when packing which makes the process a lot slower.
Give them a couple of boxes and ask them to sort out their toys (Eg: Sort the soft toys/ trucks/ dress ups…). They love to do this!
3) Get A Removalist
Ask friends for a recommendation for a good removalist company. I also called up about six different companies from the local paper. I found that most companies charged either a fixed quote (after accessing your items) or a price per hour.
Be careful of finding companies that are too cheap! A friend was stranded on the day as they simply didn’t turn up! We tended to go for the middle range.
Some people also prefer to go for the fixed quote as it gives them more peace of mind. Even though it is a little more expensive, they don’t feel rushed on the day (Eg: poor weather conditions for moving etc.)
4) Don’t Overdo It!
Be careful of overdoing it. Packing can become addictive going from one box to the next, especially when you are in the momentum of things. Make sure you take a break and limit yourself to the number of boxes you pack in one go. For example, three boxes then a break. Otherwise you may find yourself with a very sore back by the end of the day, as you do not realise how much you are bending over.
5) Accept People’s Offer To Help
A few very kind people offered to help us pack. This to me seemed like a more difficult process, as quite a bit of thought needs to go into packing. Hence someone else doing it for you could be tricky.
How I did accept help was by accepting meals. Friends offered frozen meals and this just made it so easy as I could focus on packing during the day and not worry about cooking.
When you are moving, things may initially seem overwhelming. Having to pack up the entire house plus look after the kids…whew! Beginning the process early is important to avoid that last minute stress. When you begin early, you can also continue giving your children that attention they need.
When packing, I like to say to myself, ‘just pack one box at a time, and eventually it will finish!’
Good luck!
Originally posted 2015-09-07 12:00:11.