We know that moving day inspires about as much excitement as a visit to the dentist does, but with a few simple hacks you can take the stress out of moving day and turn it into an exciting event that the whole family can take part in – including the kids. It’s a big decision buying a new home and moving home is no different.
We have unpacked 3 moving day hacks to make your moving day as hassle-free as possible.
FAILING TO PLAN, IS PLANNING TO FAIL
This adage is as true for moving days as it is for anything else in life. Creating a plan well in advance of moving day will make everyone’s life a lot easier. Start with all the time-sensitive things like moving your fiber or cable services, add on your utility planning and budgeting. Then take a walk through every room in the house and create a schedule for that room. Start with the rooms you use the least and schedule these for packing first. It’s also a good idea to start decluttering your home long before packing is due to start. When you do it this way you’ll quickly discover how much “stuff” you’ve accumulated that you don’t need or use and if there’s anything of worth, make some piles for your local goodwill or charity store. There are many free checklists that you can download that will make your life a little easier.
MONEY MATTERS
If you start planning well in advance, you’ll also be able to plan according to your financial commitments too. Set aside some money for take-out on that last night too but also remember that your bills still need to be paid in the meantime and you’ll need to make sure that all utilities are connected at your new property before you move in. Nothing will deflate you faster than an ice-cold bath on your first night. If you’ve planned and budgeted properly, there will also be sufficient money to bring in the local movers. This is not an “extravagance” it will take away so much stress and so much hassle and believe us when we say, it’s worth every penny. Remember to set aside some money for those “unforeseen” expenses and keep this separate from your other accounts.
TEAMWORK MAKES THE DREAMWORK
In the last run-up to moving day, you’re going to discover that there are a lot of “nitty-gritty” type things that appear out of nowhere. This is where you can involve your kids too and give them tasks to complete as well. Let them pack up their rooms and help out with the living areas. This will give them a chance to be invested in the idea and as moving day arrives, they’ll feel as if they were part of the decision making to leave, this should make the transition into your new home smoother and less emotional. It’s tempting to want to “do it all” but this is no doubt going to lead to oversights, forgotten tasks, and lost items. Having your whole family involved also gives you extra eyes for things like electronic cables etc.