No Stress Home Moving Checklist
It has been scientifically proven that home moving is one of the most stressful experiences through which you can go. The buying or renting of a new home, if done over a period of time, should not be that stressful. But the actual moving from your current home to a new one will cause some anxiety no matter how you approach it. Still, you can minimize this anxiety and avoid frustration by doing things systematically, one at a time.
– Get rid of things that you don’t plan to take with you to the new home. It’s up to you whether you sell them at an auction, give them to your friends, or simply donate them, but you should clear them from your house before starting packing.
– Hire in advance a moving van for your belongings or a removals company. Though more expensive, a removals company can help you move your stuff faster and with less hassle. Whether you hire a van or a removals company, do it at least three or four weeks in advance.
– Collect sturdy boxes of all sizes that you need for packing. Grab plenty of them – it’s better to have more than you think you need, just in case. Don’t use large boxes. Stick to small and medium ones, even if this means more boxes to look after.
– Gather newspapers, scrap paper, and bubble wrap. You need all these to pack your items so that they won’t be damaged during transport.
– Use blankets and pillows to wrap fragile items.
– Pack at least one week in advance, leaving unpacked only essential items needed on a daily basis (like your toothbrush).
– Pack items according to priority, and do it systematically. After having assigned a colour to each room of your new home, start packing the items in your old home one room at a time, and put them in boxes labelled with corresponding colours. For example, if you assign yellow to your new home’s kitchen, put the items that you take along from your old kitchen in boxes with the yellow label. This will make unpacking and arranging items in your new home easier.
– If you have small children it’s better to send them to a friend or relative during the moving.
– On the day of the moving carry all essential documents on you, as well as any small belonging that you are likely to need.
– Once you and your belongings are in the new house take a pause for half an hour before starting to unpack. You should eat and drink the food you wisely brought along.
– Do not try to unpack all boxes in one day because you won’t make it. Instead, focus on one or two essential rooms, such as the living room and kitchen.
