Cutting The Stress From Your House Move

Moving house is always going to be somewhat stressful. Even if you could click your fingers and move from one fully furnished house with all your possessions stored away to another, there would still be an adjustment period involved for you. However, accepting that it will always be somewhat stressful does not mean that you have to accept it will always be as stressful as it usually seems to get. 

It is advisable, in advance of any move, to look at the realities of what you are doing, and strip out as much of the on-the-day stress as you can. The more you can lighten that load, the more serene the move is going to be. Below, we have a list of steps you can take to ease up the strain of a day that doesn’t need to be any harder than it already is.

Make a master list

The moment you know you are moving house is the moment you need to begin planning for the move. You’re going to need to make a list – and in reality, that list is going to give birth to some sub-lists. The initial list needs to take account of every detail: getting dimensions on all of the rooms in the new place, figuring out how much storage space there is, knowing your moving-in date and who will be available to help with the move. Any item you have on the list that threatens to get complicated? Make a sub-list breaking that down into smaller items.

Only take what you need to take

You will have accumulated plenty of stuff during your time in the current house, and sorting through it all may seem like a drag, but remember that everything you pack has to be unpacked. Now is a perfect time to get rid of anything you don’t need. Seek out a promo code for pods moving assistance and load everything you are taking into the storage pod. Then make arrangements for it to be delivered to your new home, and unpack at your leisure when you’re on the other side.

Start early and log everything

This is two points in one, but that’s unavoidable because you need to log things from the start. Essentially, you need to start as early as you can, because packing everything in the 24-48 hours before you move will be chaotic. It will utterly erase any kind of daily routine you have, and it will affect everyone mentally. Inevitably, in that condition, things get missed or done poorly, you will lose or break possessions and you’ll feel miserable as you move into the new home. 

Every time you pack something, note it down in a manifest (it’s best to use Google Sheets, and share the file with everyone who helps to pack) that will become the key document for unpacking. Label every box that is used, and record all of this in the manifest. Later, when you want to find a framed art print, you can go to the manifest and search: “Framed Art Print”; you’ll see it’s in the Green Box or wherever it has been logged; this way, unpacking will be a much less harrowing experience.

Try to allow an overlap period of a few days

It will be helpful if you can have access to the new house for a period of time before you have to vacate the old one. This is for a myriad reasons, but to sum them up quickly: It will allow you to carry across a few items yourself as you shuttle between the properties getting everything finalized; it will allow you to clean the new house before any items are moved in; if you need to get carpets, blinds or anything else installed, you can do it in an empty house; and you can have appliances like fridges and washing machines delivered to and installed, and your WiFi up and running in the new place, ready for use when you land there.

Have an “Essentials” bag

There is going to be a period of activity when you finally move from one house into another – and it can take up a large chunk of the day, between storing away items and installing others. For that reason, it is a good idea to have a small bag of essentials that you can’t ignore. Any medication you might need, a few bottles of water, your phone and anything else you deem essential, can all be kept separate from the rest of the stuff. 

By following all of the above tips, moving-in day will go as smoothly as possible.