5 Tips For A Stress-Free House Move

Moving house can be one of the most stressful jobs you might ever have to do. With countless tasks on your to-do list and seemingly not enough time to do everything, it’s easy to fall into a typhoon of stress.

Here at Giffen Furniture Removals, we want to make sure any moving homeowner can move stress-free, so here are our 5 best tips for a stress-free house move.

1. Create Your Master “To-Do” List 

The biggest mistake that homeowners make when moving house is underestimating exactly how many things have to be done. This leaves many homeowners scrambling all over the house (and all over town) on the day before their move, getting all their important responsibilities done on the last minute.

The worst thing you can do is let everything pile up, and try to remember all your responsibilities in your head every single morning. Make things easier for yourself and create a master moving house to-do list.

Sit down with your partner or the entire family and think: what are all the things that need to be done, from now until the day that you move? List everything down, from the widest and most general tasks to the smallest and most meaningless tasks, and set a date for when each task needs to be done. By giving yourself a physical, actionable schedule you can refer to every time you start to feel stressed, you can minimise your stress and anxiety by ten-fold.

2. Extinguish Your Inner-Hoarder: Throw Out Everything You Don’t Need  

The longer we live in a house, the more we tend to… gunk it up. Years’ worth of memorabilia, mementos, and cherished items can weigh a house down, and only until you are finally moving house do you realise how much stuff you and your family actually have.

It’s time to give your home a real spring cleaning. Instead of bringing all your junk with you, why not give everything you own a good, long look and ask yourself: Do I really need this? In most cases, you’ll find that the answer is no.

If you have trouble doing this, you can begin by categorising your items. Books, clothing, mementos, and more. Afterwards, go through everything one by one and see which items aren’t really as important as you once thought. Now it’s time for you to get rid of them: sell them, donate them, or just throw them out. One way or another, just make sure they don’t come with you to your new home.

3. Let Everyone Know Before You Move   

You wouldn’t believe how many homeowners make the mistake of forgetting to inform anyone that they’re going to move house. More than just your neighbours and friends, but also your utility companies, banks, and more. Addresses need to be changed, utilities need to be cancelled (or registered for your new home), and workplaces need to be informed.

Make sure to do all this ahead of time, so that you aren’t standing in your new home with no water, Internet or electricity, or you aren’t paying an extra month of utilities in a home you no longer own. And if you need help with your move, you might also want to ask your friends or family for help beforehand or schedule an appointment with moving professionals.

4. Prepare “Everyday Life” In Your New Home  

There are many cases of homeowners spending all their energy preparing to leave their current home, but making no preparations for everyday life in their new home. Here are a few overall tips you need to remember to make sure that you and your family will have no trouble with your first night in your new home:

• Prepare your utilities. Internet, electricity, and water all need to be ready on the day you move in.
• Defrost your fridge before you leave. You don’t want to end up unpacking your refrigerator and finding it smelly and mouldy.
• Prepare some meals. Unpacking all your kitchenware won’t be easy, and you might not be able to finish it in one day. Prepare and pack some meals the night or morning before your move to make sure you and your family can eat when you arrive.
• Prepare a toiletry kit. This includes toilet paper, towels, toothbrushes, and more, ensuring that everyone’s got exactly what they need to feel fresh without unpacking anything.
• Research your new community. Know where the important places are, find out the important phone numbers, and make sure that you and your family know who to contact or where to go in case of any emergency.

5. Label Everything Clearly  

There’s nothing worse than sloppy labelling, or no labelling at all. Think up a labelling system that works for you and your family, and stick to it. While a simple labelling system may just consist of writing “Kitchen” or “Bathroom” on your boxes, you can take it up a notch and prepare a spreadsheet or list of your items, which boxes they went into, and what numbers have been assigned to those boxes.

Remember: your labelling can be as simple or as complicated as you want, as long as it works for you.

Our Biggest Stress-Free Tip: Work With Professional Movers!  

As you can tell, uprooting an entire home and family involves a ton of work, so why not let us take some of the load off your back? With Giffen Furniture Removals, we can guarantee that all your moving furniture needs are taken care of in a single package – from prepacking to handling to storage and more.

Contact us today and find out exactly why we’re the ideal movers of choice for you. Request a free quote for all your moving and storage needs!