Top Stressor? Moving House.
They say moving is one of the top 3 most stressful things a person will do multiple times in their lifetime. Learning how to control the chaos and successfully prepare during a stressful time will help you greatly during this process.
The house has sold and its time to start packing, but you have no idea where to start. My suggestion is to start with the areas you know you’re not going to be using in a short period of time, example: a craft room or secondary living spaces. Get all the nik-naks down from shelves, remove artwork and store safely for the move.
a. Gather packing supplies such as wrapping paper, carboard boxes, zip ties and bubble wrap – start by emptying one area at a time and be sure to label all 4 sides of each box with the contents and which room it will land in in your new home.
b. Hire movers or a moving truck at least 1 month prior to the big moving day, and check in with them frequently to confirm your address, the time of arrival and where they can park.
c. If you don’t want to invest in cardboard boxes use a service such as Frog Box where they come and deliver as many large plastic totes, a dolly and packing supplies right to your door. You fill them up, use them for your move and the company comes back to pick them up from you at your next location – so brilliant!
d. When packing your wardrobe I highly recommend investing in wardrobe boxes that will hold an immense amount of clothing on hangers and shoes in the bottom. These boxes are sturdy and travel very well.
e. While packing your clothing make edits to items that are stained, damaged or that you simply don’t wear anymore. Donation centres will take clothing and shoes that you are no longer using.
f. If you have kids or pets, make a stop at the Dollarstore and pick up a few new items for them to play with while you are buys moving. These can be colouring books, small toys, outdoor fun like bubbles, or indoor activities they can do by themselves – anything to distract them is great!
g. Create an Essential Box and label it: First To Go. This will include your absolute musts like a coffee machine, mugs, a bottle opener, toilet paper, disposable plates and cups, some cash for tips, cell chargers, a small amount of pet food and some snacks like energy bars and a couple bottles of water. Trust me come 7pm on moving day you don’t want to be stumbling around trying to find cups to cheers your new home!
Moving In – so overwhelmed by boxes you don’t know which to unpack first? My suggestion is to start with your bed the very first day. This way you will have somewhere to sleep that night – even if it’s just a mattress on the floor! After setting up beds for your family members, start in the kitchen. You’ll need to start unpacking all your food and essentials here to keep your energy levels up and have a sense of “normal” during a very chaotic time. Next move on to bathrooms and kid’s spaces. Keeping the kids distracted yet busy is going to buy you time during the unpacking process.
Once your basics are unpacked and you have places to sleep, eat and relax in, start unboxing your décor and make this new house a home. Again, if you find anything in the unpacking process that is no longer serving you or will no be suitable in your new space, it’s time to pass it along or donate it. Decluttering and purging while you are unpacking is a great time to get items you no longer want or need out of this fresh space.
Whether you are upsizing or downsizing this space is going to be different from your last one and making smart decisions on where to store and how to organize your possessions is no easy feat. Remember to start small and you can always go back to retouch the spaces you have unpacked if the systems aren’t working for you.
