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What do a dentist’s chair and moving house have in common? Research shows that 6 out of 10 people rank moving as the most stressful life event. Even more stressful than a divorce and becoming a parent! And no amount of coffee or lists will alleviate the pain of getting your stuff from your old home to your new one.
We have compiled a list of 9 flatfair hacks to help ease the stress of moving day and ensure it runs as smoothly as possible!
1. Pack in Advance
There’s nothing worse than a last-minute rush around the house to pack your belongings. The sooner you start to pack, the more organised you will be. Put together a plan based on each room in your house, including what you can pack first and what needs to stay until the end – no one wants a moving day that doesn’t involve coffee!
2. New Home Survival Box
These are the things you know you will need on the first day, night and first morning in your new abode. Keep these items separate and labelled up as an ‘open first box’ and keep this box in plain sight – you don’t want to be looking through all those boxes searching for your socks the next morning. Also be sure to include everyday items such as toothbrushes, phone chargers or the blanket which the baby can’t sleep without.
3. Make the utilities switch early
Setting up utilities at your new home such as home insurance, gas and council tax will save you stress and give you more time to relax and settle into your new property without undue hassle. Click here to find a good comparison before moving: https://www.comparethemarket.com/utilities/
4. Take Photographs (Dismantling & Reassembling)
Whether you’re dismantling furniture or electrical items you should take photos of the way that items are put together or set up. This will make it much easier and less stressful to determine what goes where when the time comes to put everything together again. For example, those bunk beds that were a headache the first time around could be a nightmare if you don’t recall how they were put together to start with
5. Take MORE photographs
You might also want to take photographs of the home you are leaving as this could be really useful in the event there are any cleaning or damage charges from your landlord once you have handed back the keys. Take note of any damage and if possible, put it right before you say goodbye for the final time. Quite often, it is more cost-effective to replace the lightbulb than receive an invoice from your agent which includes the parts and labour!
6. Declutter
Quite often, moving home comes with its own ‘spring clean’ allowing you to clear out those boxes under the stairs, or wander down memory lane of newborn baby clothes, family photos and that jumper you should NEVER have purchased. Now is a great time to declutter your cupboards, and perhaps donate those unwanted items to your local charity shop or simply throw away that broken umbrella that has been sitting in the back of your garage…
7. Don’t Stack the Dishes
If you’ve packed up your kitchen before, you know how much packing paper you need to ensure nothing breaks. It’s also important to know how to pack plates to prevent this tragedy. Be sure to individually wrap breakables or use coffee filters in between bowls to prevent scratching, scraping or smashing!
Alternatively, plates can easily stack but don’t place them on top of one another in a box. Instead, place them sideways like records to prevent putting any unnecessary weight on them. You can also wrap sections of plates and bowls with another piece of bubble wrap for additional cushion.
8. Return to sender
Make sure you re-route all of your mail to your new home in advance of moving. You can do this very easily by using the Royal Mail redirection service and, although it comes at a small cost, it’s an easy way for you to help protect yourself from identity fraud when you move. All fraudsters need to piece together your identity is a few pieces of mail that contain personal information sent to an old address.
Action Fraud recommends redirecting your mail for at least a year, to significantly reduce the risk of identity fraud.
9. Last but by no means least
Enjoy your new home experience – plan a special takeaway or have a meal prepared for your first night in, top up the fridge with your favourite drinks, set up your living space and give yourself a pat on the back – you did it!
