Everyone knows that moving home can be incredibly stressful for both parents and children alike, which tends to mean the process is approached with an attitude of “as quickly as possible”. After all, it’s natural to want to speed through an experience that is inherently disconcerting and get to the point where you’re relaxing in your new home in the shortest possible time.
However, as with most things in life, moving home tends to be significantly improved by time investment. This applies to the packing of your existing home and the moving day itself, of course, but it also refers to the weeks before the move. Whenever possible, try to find the time to go through the following list of actions before you even begin to contemplate assembling a cardboard box…
Call your service providers
The sooner you can inform the service providers for your essential home services – such as your phone line, broadband, and electricity – the smoother the transfer process will be. It can be helpful to call these providers before you have even confirmed when you are going to move in, just so that you have an idea of how long the process will take.
Buy additional cell phone data
Even if you inform your broadband provider of your move months in advance, the chances of a completely neat switch with minimal service interruption are still rather unlikely. You’re almost guaranteed to experience a lag period, when the broadband is disconnected at your current property but is yet to be connected in the new property. Buying additional cell phone data can help to bridge the gap and ensure you’ll still have access to essential internet services during the move.
Declutter every room in your house
There is little point packing items that you don’t need, so a thorough declutter of your home is essential before you begin packing. This is definitely the time to be ruthless, as every item that you transport to the new property will cost you money to move, so make sure you’re 100 percent certain every item that makes the trip is worth it. Not only does decluttering ensure that you just move the things you need, but you should also find packing easier thanks to the extra space decluttering tends to bring.
Contact your moving company
As with your broadband and utility providers, the more notice your moving company has, the better. If possible, research moving companies even before the sale is confirmed, so you know exactly who to call the moment you receive your move-in date.
Measure everything
It’s often tempting to assume that your existing furniture will fit into a new property, but there’s nothing quite so deceptive as “eye-balling” space. To ensure you’re only moving items that will definitely have a place in your new house, measure everything, and if possible mark out the room’s intended layout using chalk or duct tape – this will make everything far quicker on moving day itself.
Order takeout for the first night in your new home
Finally, it’s well worth using an online service to order takeout for your moving day; most services will allow you to place your order up to a week in advance of the intended delivery. This step ensures that after a long day of moving boxes and driving between properties, you don’t have to worry about finding cooking utensils from the right box and setting about organizing your new kitchen immediately; you can just relax, unwind from the day, and wait for dinner to come to you.
With the preparation steps as listed above, you can ease the often-stressful process of packing and moving your belongings to your new home.