If you are about to travel another rung of the housing ladder and you’re keen to get all of your home moving ducks in a row, you might be having horrific flashbacks of your previous move. Boxes were still being packed the night before; you weren’t sure if you were even going to complete on time and your little darlings were running around like possessed banshees when they should have been sorting out their bedrooms. Don’t worry. It needn’t be like that again. This time, you can learn from your mistakes and go into this house move with a calmer, less stressed you.
When chatting with pals over coffee, you may have had to endure a sympathetic look or two, a knowing glance telling you that you’re in for a world of hurt and even offers of refuge should the moving day become too much to bear. Just because other people’s experiences of moving home have been hellish doesn’t mean yours has to be. Take a look at these three simple ways you can banish the stress from moving home.
Timing Is Everything
When buying or selling a property, or both at the same time, it’s always a good idea to catch up with your lawyer once a week just to check how things are going. As you approach your exchange date, you can get more of a feel for when you will be completing. While you don’t have to book the removals firm for that day, if someone is purchasing your house, you need to have all of your belongings out ready for the new homeowners to ship in.
This is why timing is everything. If you know that you are heading into rented accommodation before taking your next plunge into the housing market, you need to ensure that the boxes are packed, secure and out of your current pad in plenty of time. If your full-time job isn’t giving you enough time to whip out the brown tape and bubble wrap, secure the services of a professional packing firm to do all of the hard work for you. You might want to look into self-storage especially if your rented accommodation is fully furnished already or you want to hunker down with mates for a few weeks before your new home purchase is ready to complete.
The Miracle Box
Every seasoned home mover swears by the ‘miracle’ box. This simple, relatively small box should have everything you need as soon as you land at your new pad. Instead of the added stress of hunting for the kettle and tea bags for a cup of tea, or rifling through every box you have, looking for your little cherub’s favourite teddy, everything you could possibly need will be in this miracle box. On the journey to your new humble abode, you might be able to whip it open to reveal healthy snacks for the kids, wet wipes to cover every eventuality and a first aid kit should the worst happen. This is essentially your moving day survival kit so personalise it for your family’s needs. Oh and don’t forget everyone’s medications and the toilet paper.
The Night Before
Use the night before to make sure everything is organised for the big day. Call the removals company and make sure that they’re turning up, check that all of the boxes you have packed are labelled and ensure that everything is still on track with your lawyer. Prepare to feel a little sad about leaving your current home, even if you are super excited about reaching your new one. Say goodbye to the four walls that have treated you so well for the past few years and treat yourself to an easy takeaway with the family. You don’t want to be enduring washing up before moving day only to have to pack another box of crockery and cutlery. Pizza is ideal. No washing up and merely a box to throw out.
Spend some quality time with your family, and share memories of your home. This is a massive moment in the memory making of your little unit so treasure it. Also, make use of the time by ensuring that every member of the household knows precisely what’s going on the following day. Having your teenager sleep in doesn’t bode well for a stress-free moving day.
Moving home is often thought of as one of the most stressful experiences you can endure as an adult. However, if you remain organised, utilise the professional services of others if you need it, and ensure that everyone in the family is singing from the same hymn sheet, you can banish the worry and stress from your next home move.
