So you’re moving house soon and feeling totally overwhelmed at the thought of it all. Fear not! Here are some ways to make moving house totally and completely stress free! Well.. significantly less stressful anyway 😉

De-clutter!

Moving is a great opportunity to really take stock of your belongings. Room by room, go through your things and make keep, donate and throw out piles. When you do this, you ensure that you only take with you what you actually want and need, which saves any double handling of unpacking something you don’t even want or need anymore!

Bonus tip: Some things you may even be able to sell second hand for some extra money!

Plan ahead!

Take the time to write down what things you might need right up until the moving truck leaves and also first thing at your new house and organize your house accordingly. Make yourself a ‘do not pack’ space in a bathroom or spare bedroom and if you are using a removalist, make a sign on the door so they know not to pack anything inside. This might include your luggage for your journey, sentimental and important items such as keepsakes, jewellery, birth certificates and passports. Smaller essential items that you will need at the other end can be packed into a ‘priority box’. Ensure that this box is loaded onto the truck last if you’re flying to your new location, or in the car with you if you’re driving. This way, when you are surrounded by a house full of moving boxes, you can easily access the things you need on day 1.

Here are some ideas of things that might go in your priority box:

• Hardware and a screwdriver/allen key for building furniture
• Bedding and a couple of towels
• Toilet paper, hand soap and hand towel
• TV remote and cables, phone chargers
• Ipad or games to entertain the kids
• Nappies and wipes if you have a little one
• Dog food and lead

Pack smarter!

If you are packing yourself, there a few simple tips to ensure that there are no headaches. Starting with quality and sturdy boxes – where possible, get some double wall boxes for your heaviest items such as books and kitchenware. No amount of tape will make up for flimsy and used boxes when it comes to your breakables. Bed linen? Sure! Your Grandma’s vase? Not so much. Use larger boxes for lighter items and smaller boxes with extra tape for heavier and/or fragile items. Bubble wrap is your friend when it comes to fragile items, but you can also use bed linen, pillows and towels in between your breakables! Try and pack ‘by room’ as much as possible, and label your boxes by which room they came from – this makes it super easy when unloading the truck to put the boxes exactly where you need them.

Bonus tips! Anything really lightweight should be packed inside of something bigger that you won’t accidentally throw out with the wrapping paper/bubble wrap. RIP missing fridge magnets – gone but never forgotten.

Checklists!

When it comes to all of the admin involved with moving house, it can be helpful to work off a checklist… or four! To-do list, cleaning checklist, what to pack for the journey – All of these can help you to feel more organized and less overwhelmed when it comes to moving house. There is one checklist however that proves to be the most useful when it comes to moving house – the address change checklist! Make yourself a list of all of your accounts and providers that need updating (google has some great free downloads to get you started). Many gas, electricity and other providers now let you update your accounts to cancel or commence services on a future date (which is so handy when you have enough on your plate to do once you arrive). So make the most of this feature where possible and organize/update as many accounts as you can in advance of your move. As for the remainder? You guessed it! Make a list of the accounts you need to come back to, to cancel or set up at a later date.

Bonus tip: When changing your address, see if the account can have an email listed instead of a physical address, this saves you from needing to update again for future moves.

Lower your expectations!

You might have high hopes for maintaining your meal schedule and wearing clean clothes each day but if you go into move week prepared to eat pizza two nights in a row wearing the same stained pjs, you’ll be happier for it. Some people like to unpack slowly, others feel that it is best done like a military operation, with the aim of settling in sooner. Find what works for you and your family and don’t put too much pressure on yourself.

Bonus tip: If you run out of time to build the beds on day 1 then throw the mattresses down in the lounge room and have a family sleepover to celebrate the new house!

Moving can be overwhelming there is no doubt about it! But it can also be really fun and memorable if you plan ahead, don’t sweat the small stuff and enjoy it for what it really is… totally exhaust... exciting! 😉