Is a stress-free move possible?
I’ve moved home more times in the last decade than I’d like to remember. These experiences have taught me a thing or two about getting through a move, interstate and international, without totally losing my mind.
I chalked up stressful, chaotic move experiences early on but now, with everything I’ve learned over the years, my last few moves have been much smoother. While I’m not sure any move is entirely stress-free there are definitely things you can do to make the process easier.
Here are some of my best tips for getting through move day with your sanity intact!
Start packing early
You won’t always have the luxury of months to plan your move but from the moment you know a move is on the horizon, be it a long or short horizon, start packing.
Basically, the sooner you start packing, the less stressful the move will be.
The trick is to prioritize your packing. Start with those spaces like the spare room and garage that are full of stuff you haven’t even looked at since 2003.
Begin with stored items, move onto seasonal items that aren’t in season and then as the move gets closer, begin to tackle the more frequently used items.
This is a great time to declutter too. If you haven’t used something in the last few years, do you really want to make the effort to pack it, pay for it to be transported and unpack it at the other end?
If you’re seriously short on time and budget allows, enlist the help of professional packers or throw a packing party. Invite friends and family around to help with packing and provide finger food, drinks and turn up the tunes! Just make sure you’re prepared with packing supplies and clear instructions on what needs to be done.
You can also give your packing helpers first dibs on anything you planned to donate.
Get specific with packing labels
There is nothing more overwhelming than being surrounded by a sea of unlabeled boxes in your new home and wondering where to start.
It’s not enough to mark ‘Kitchen’ or ‘Bathroom’ on the outside of the box. You really need to get specific about the contents of the boxes.
Labels like “Kitchen – pots, pans and skillet”, “Bathroom – cleaning supplies” are much more helpful and directive when you have what feels like a gazillion of boxes to unpack.
Packing items you will need first in clear, plastic tubs rather than cardboard boxes is also a quick way to identify the essentials you’ll need as soon as you move in.
Have your home professionally cleaned
Moving out of a rental? If the budget allows, hiring vacate cleaning professionals is one of the simplest ways to delegate the hours and hours of work (and stress!) cleaning a rental property.
Take this from a person (me) who’s been up at 1am, cleaning light fittings and window sills before moving out later that day. It’s not fun and if there was ever a time to throw a little money at a problem, I think cleaning your rental property is one of them!
Have everything packed before the movers show up
Whether you’ve hired professional movers for the day or you’ve got a friend showing up with a truck, make sure everything is packed and ready to go.
Running around trying to finish off packing while the moving crew or your friends are waiting on you will add extra stress and frustration to the situation. If you’re paying professionals, it will cost you more to have them waiting around and you’ll end up with a seriously grumpy crew to deal with. Trust me.
Not to mention any packing that’s done in a rush is usually a bit of a disaster, thrown into boxes without proper wrapping and just generally disorganized.
I hope you can learn from some of my mistakes and these tips will help you manage the big move day with less stress!
Elesha Piper is a freelance writer who knows moving home is tough, she’s moved more than 15 times in the last 10 years! With this experience, she’s created these end of lease cleaning tips and guides to help make every aspect of a move as simple as possible.
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