Introduction
I’ve moved houses six times now. Each time I learned a lesson and improved my methods. This is important because moving house is more stressful than any other kind of moving you might do in life. Right up there with job interviews, divorce, and the death of a loved one. If it goes badly, it can ruin your life. So you have to do everything possible to ensure that it goes well. The following tips are the result of my personal experiences, plus years of research on the Internet and in books about stress management, happiness and how to make yourself smarter.
Emptying the house
- Make a list of what you have in each room and take photos before you start.
- Empty the room into boxes, writing the name of the room on each box.
- Put the boxes in your garage (or storage space) until you’re ready to pack them up for delivery or storage.
Setting a budget and booking a moving company
When you’re moving, it’s important to set a budget and book a removal company before you start packing. Knowing exactly how much your move will cost will help you plan for the future, as well as give you peace of mind that everything is taken care of.
- How much does hiring a removal company cost?
It depends on where you’re moving and how far away your new place is from the old one (and vice versa). For example, if you’re moving within Cape Town city limits, then an hourly rate might be more appropriate than if you were going from Cape Town to Johannesburg.
Packing boxes, clothes, shoes, and toys
Packing is the most time-consuming part of moving house. To make it easier, you should pack at least one box per room, and label them with their contents so that you can unpack them quickly.
The best way to pack a box is by writing on the outside of the box what is inside it. This makes unpacking much easier when you get to your new home. It also helps if you write down where each item came from; this means that if something goes missing, then it will be easier for someone else to return it where they found it (for example: ‘Kitchen utensils – kitchen’). You can use pen or marker pens instead of stickers as they last longer than stickers do, which means that they don’t fall off when handling heavy items like bottles or cans in boxes.
Labelling everything
Labelling everything is the most important step you can take to make moving house less stressful. Labels help you find things and remember where things go, which saves you time and helps prevent confusion. If two people are doing all of this labelling, it’s even more significant to label early so that everyone knows what belongs to whom—and can keep track of their belongings while they’re at it.
Labelling also makes the moving day less stressful because it helps avoid mix-ups and mistakes when packing up your belongings, as well as arguments about who packed some object (or did not pack an object) in a box!
Selecting what to take and what to leave behind
There are a few things to consider when deciding what to take and what to leave behind.
- Only take what you need. If you use something once a year, is it worth taking it with you? Unless it’s antique or valuable to someone else, it might be better off staying at your old house. You probably don’t have room for it anyway!
- Don’t take things that don’t need moving with you. This includes items like furniture or other large décor which will either be too heavy or bulky. It also includes items such as bedding and towels—unless their brand-new purchases have never been used before (which would make them useless if left behind).
Planning for food
Planning to move without stress is all about being prepared. Take the time to plan your meals and snacks so that you can pack them up in advance, and don’t forget to include any perishable items in your first aid kit for the journey.
If you live in a house with a kitchen, you will likely be able to prepare some simple meals once you arrive at your new home. If not, then do some research beforehand into restaurants or cafés near where you are moving, where it may be possible to eat out rather than cook yourself. However tempting it may be when moving house, resist the urge to splurge on takeaway pizza or Chinese food!
Arranging for children and pets to be looked after on moving day.
Moving with children and/or pets can be a stressful experience. To ensure that your children and pets are safe, you will need to make arrangements for them to be looked after on a moving day.
Hiring a professional removal company or storage company if needed
- Get quotes from at least three removal companies
- Choose a removal company that has vehicles and equipment that will be able to carry your belongings without damaging them.
- Consider hiring a company that offers additional services such as packing materials, storage, and insurance (if you’re moving from one province to another).
- If you need to store your belongings while waiting for the new house to be ready, try to find somewhere close by in case something goes wrong with the move itself.
Disassembling the furniture and taking down art
Takedown artwork, paintings, curtains, and blinds. Takedown bookcases and shelving. Remove any furniture that is not easily moved, or replaced if it is damaged during moving day. Also, remove any furniture that cannot be repaired if it gets damaged on moving day as well.
Getting quotes from local cleaners and gardeners
The next step is to get quotes from local cleaners and gardeners. This can be as simple as picking up the phone or emailing them, but you must make sure they are in your area before setting up an appointment.
Once you have done this, it’s time to start getting estimates from different companies. If possible, try to get quotes from at least three cleaning companies so that you can compare prices and services. But don’t stop there! Get quotes from other professionals as well—it may surprise you what kind of work they do in addition to their main business!
Moving house can be very stressful, but these tips help make it easier
Moving house is a stressful process. But you can make things easier by using these tips.
I have used these tips myself, and they have been very effective in helping me move house without stress. They are based on personal experience, research and expert advice, common sense, as well as helpful insights from other people who have moved home recently (in some cases not very recently).
Conclusion
While there are many things to consider when moving house, hopefully, this guide has helped make the process a little less intimidating. Remember that you don’t need to do everything yourself, and if there are parts of the move you don’t enjoy (packing clothes for example) then get someone else to help out. Finally, make sure you’re well-prepared on moving day by packing a bag with essentials such as snacks, drinks, and toiletries so that everything doesn’t have to wait until you’ve settled into your new home.