Moving house is an incredibly exciting time, but the physical moving can be something that a lot of people don’t look forward to. It’s a long day with a lot of heavy lifting and is often stressful, especially if boxes start to break or you’re struggling to fit everything in the moving van, so We Buy Any House have put together a helpful guide for you to follow and have the best moving day possible!
1. Don’t Leave It Until The Last Minute
Everything is more stressful when it’s rushed, so as soon as you’ve got your moving date you should start your packing. Most of us underestimate the amount of time that it will take to box up all of our belongings, so starting early will mean you can adjust your expectations without causing yourself any difficulty.
A good way to make progress with packing is to pack a few boxes a day – this is a favoured method for people who tend to get distracted during these tasks. It ensures that you get a good amount packed without leaving you fed up and looking for other things to do, which we’re all guilty of now and again. Taking the steps to pack everything in stages before you move will make it much easier on yourself, and result in a much calmer process.
2. Be Strategic
Even if you pack in advance, if you’re not thinking about how you’re packing you’re still going to end up making life more difficult for yourself. Start in rooms that you don’t use very often, and pack things that aren’t a part of your everyday routine. This will mean you can avoid packing items you need before the move and have to search through sealed boxes for them, undoing the work you’ve already put in.
As you pack, make sure that you’re packing things in the same box that belong together; to help with this, you should label boxes as you go to know which room the things inside need to go in when you reach your new place. This not only makes packing easier, but it will help when you come to unpack on the other end when you know which boxes need to go in each room. As well as this, don’t overpack your boxes. There will be more than enough lifting and carrying on the day, and packing boxes that are comfortable to carry will make it much easier and prevent anyone getting hurt.
3. Declutter As You Go
Even if you haven’t lived in your current home for a long time, you’ll likely still have collected a fair amount of stuff that you don’t really need. Moving house is a great time to declutter and cut down on your things, and doing it as you pack will mean you can do both jobs in one. You’ll also have less items to pack at the end of it!
As you pack, ask yourself if you really need everything that you’ve got. If you’re planning to get new things when you’ve settled after the move, you can get rid of the old versions before you go and save yourself carrying things that you don’t want anymore. Depending on the condition of them, you can either throw them out, give them to charity, or even sell them to make a bit of extra money.
4. Don’t Skimp On Packing Materials
Generally, moving day brings with it some costs that we don’t always want to pay a lot for, from hiring a moving van to needing to buy boxes and tape. It’s great to try and save money where you can by getting the help of some friends or using boxes from your last move if it was relatively recent, but don’t buy incredibly cheap boxes as you’ll end up paying for it down the line. Another option is to source free boxes and other packing materials from supermarkets, and shops and post what you need on social media.
Getting low-quality boxes means a higher risk of them breaking during the move, which will slow you down and waste time when you have to repack them. Cheap tape is also a problem, as it will likely result in boxes popping open and could mean your things get broken if you lift a box and they fall through. Opting for the cheapest possible moving men could also end up in your furniture getting scuffed and scratched if you don’t do your research and check their reviews, so make sure that you’re not short-changing yourself to try and save a bit of money and end up paying for it afterwards.
5. Pack An Essentials Bag
When it comes to moving morning, you want to be ready to go as soon as possible to get started and make the most of the day that you’ve got. When you pack, put things to one side that you know you’ll need on the morning of your move – a phone charger, your toiletries, clean clothes, and any paperwork or keys. Having all of these in one safe place will keep you from panicking as you’re about to leave that you can’t find them.
A good option is to leave one box open in your final day or two before you move, so you can add anything that you find around the house to it easily without having to open and reseal your other boxes. You’ll likely realise there’s little bits and bobs that you’ve forgotten to pack, so having an open box provides an easy solution. You can then seal this box when you’re ready to go.
Moving can be very stressful, but taking these steps beforehand will help make things much easier and give you the best day to start fresh in your new home!
This blog was written by Holly Herbert from We Buy Any House
If you require more information or would like to book a house or office removal, please feel free to contact us today.
Disclaimer – This blog should only be viewed as a guide. We cannot be held responsible for any injuries, loss of earnings, and death as a result of following this guide.
