The last thing on people’s minds right now is moving house, or is it? People are stuck at home and are thinking about the four walls that they are living with. For some people, they are choosing to decorate. Other people are getting itchy feet and want some place new. If you are one of those people, I have the top tips that you need to make your next house move easy. And how am I blessed with such knowledge? My husband was the manager of a removal company for three years.
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Get organised
Getting organised is one of the toughest things to do at the best of time but when you are moving house it seems to be even harder. It might take you a week or two to get properly organised. This means clearing out cupboards and boxing up what you can. Anything that you aren’t taking with you, skip it or donate it. Some items need to be disposed of carefully, such as paints and electrics. Can you put a mattress in a skip or do you need to have someone remove it? Some things need to be taken to your local council centre, for other things you could hire a skip so you don’t have to make loads of trips to the dump. Doing this will make the move so much easier and I can’t stress this enough. If you want to take it to the next level, make sure that everything is labeled, including the rooms in your new house (slap a post-it note on each door when you get there) and everyone will know where you want stuff to go. Don’t leave it to the last minute or expect the removal men to do it.
Choose your team
This is the one that people seem to hate the most, choosing a removal team. Sure you could move house using only your best friend and her tiny Ford Ka. I’ve done it, it’s great fun driving down a hill with a goldfish between your knees. But you probably want something a bit easier than having to shove a kingsized mattress into a hatchback. The best thing to do is look into an affordable removal service. These types of services can have different sized vans for different sized budgets. Just, don’t order a cheap service and expect star treatment, or for them to box up your stuff.
The Moving Box
If you have ever moved house, you will know that it takes time, and 9 times out of 10 you will lose the kettle. Who wants to wait three days for a cuppa while you look for the kettle and teabags? Nobody. Enter “The Moving Box”. This is a box of stuff that you will need while you have everything else in boxes and it should travel with you in your car. Inside, there should be-
- a selection of cups
- the kettle
- tea, coffee, and sugar
- a pint of milk
- biscuits
- your toothbrushes and a washbag (including a hand towel)
- a small baggy of clothes (including fresh underwear, socks, and a lightweight t-shirt)
This might seem like overkill but it is worth its weight in gold for how easy it will make the next day. You might get moved in, throw the stuff on the bed and fall asleep, but the next day you will have to get cracking. You can get up, have a cuppa, have a quick freshen up, and then start poking about in boxes for the rest of your life.
Eating out
By the time moving day has rolled around, everything should be in boxes. And I mean everything! Yes, the kettle will be in the Moving Box, so don’t be afraid of making a few brews for the workers. But, for the love of all that is pretty, do not decide to make lunch in the middle of a move and pulling things out of boxes! Buy sandwich platters (it’s nice to share) and be prepared to order a takeaway when you get to your new place. For this day, you have no kitchen, so act accordingly.
And there you have it, my top tips on how to move house with no fuss. If you can think of any other ideas that can make the move easier, share it with me in the comments below.