Moving House Smoothly

Hello everyone and how are we all today? I hope everyone is feeling well and having a great week. As many of you may know we recently went through the stress that is moving house. Although there was no post about it specifically I have mentioned it in blogs and across socials. I also shared our tiny toilet room decor in a recent post so we are coming along.

Although we have been here for 8 months already the stresses we faced while moving are still very much in the forefront of my mind. Having three children to think of during the process made it more challenging. Below you will find some fantastic tips that I wish I’d known or actually used to make our moving journey much easier.

Preparation is Key When Moving House

If you’re right at the beginning of the moving process then it can feel a little overwhelming. I will admit to you it is but that doesn’t mean you can’t smash it. You just need to be prepared for what is coming and that’s what this post is about. So, what do you do when you are given the green light and the date for your move? The first five steps are below,

1. Book or arrange transport for your items.
2. Let any relevant benefits know you will be moving and inform them of the date that will happen.
3. Book or arrange time off work if you’re moving locally. Perhaps hand in your letter of resignation if you’re moving further?
4. Inform any school, nursery or childcare if you’re children will be leaving, needing time off or will be on their usual routine. This will depend on where you’re moving.
5. Find out from your estate agent, local council etc what you need to sign and when to get your keys!

You may have other items you know you’ll need to add to that list and that’s fine as this is just a rough idea of the steps you need to take.

One Room At A Time

The key to packing up your home is to pack one room at a time keeping only the essentials out. This can be difficult enough trying to decide what is essential? When moving we packed up our master bedroom first. Mostly because space constraints meant we needed the space in there for items from other rooms. We could also use our mattress in the lounge for a couple of weeks while we packed. If space was no issue the best order to room pack would be as follows.

Least Used Room To The Most

• Halls, landings stairs, dining rooms, offices etc – All the spaces and places that are just used for walking through. You can pack everything that isn’t required on a daily basis.
• Bathroom – Leaving only one body wash/ soap, one shampoo and toothbrushes etc. This can all be packed up in the evening before or the morning of your move.
• Adult bedrooms – Any adult bedroom can be stripped back to a bed and a suitcase or bag of clothes. All personal belongings can be boxed and stored.

Higher Traffic Areas

• Lounge – Again strip this back to bare essentials such as large furniture items only. These would be items you loaded onto a truck or van anyway. Leaving them out to be used would be no extra packing at a later date.
• Children’s rooms – Try leaving this one as late as you can as it will keep your children comfortable and less likely to be moaning at you. Allow them to keep a small bag of items such as toys, books or perhaps a console. These can be packed away closer to the moving date but all other toy items can be packed. If it won’t be for long and you’re happy with it you may allow your child to sleep on a mattress on the floor so you’re able to pack the beds away? Again you want to try and leave them with large furniture only and a suitcase or bag of clothes. Along with their small bag of entertainment.
• Kitchen – This will be the last room to pack as you need so many of the items daily from a family kitchen. It becomes a hub room so leaving it until last is best. The best way to do that is to make a food plan from the day you’re on until the day you leave. That way you know what items you’ll still need and what you won’t. Pack away everything you won’t need and add the rest as you finish with it.

Packing each room can be a long process but worth it and you can use it for a good cleanout. Make sure you have a nice declutter as you go to be ready for your new home. Cleaning each room down thoroughly at the end.

Lists Are Your Friend When Moving House

Are you a list maker? I know I am and when it came to moving house they came in so handy. We would make a list of what needed to be done in each room and each day would make a list of what needed to be packed that day. It meant we could be really efficient with our time.

Instead of wondering what is still left to be done, we had it right in front of us. Below you will find a screenshot of a list that you can easily edit for your own personal use. Now you don’t even need to write your own list out. Saving even more packing time for you.

Get The Whole Family Involved When Moving House

If you’re not the only member of the family moving to a new house then get everyone involved. Ask the family for help. An offer of snacks along the way helps. Especially with tweens, teenagers and husbands! Below is a list of jobs you won’t mind the family helping out with. Although help is amazing when packing it needs to be productive help. Especially if you want speed and efficiency whilst packing.

• Pack up books
• Box up games, DVDs or VHS etc
• Pack their own clothes
• Pack their own room items
• Help pack kitchen food items such as tins, boxed foods and dry food items.

It Won’t Last Forever

The best thing to keep at the forefront of your mind is that won’t last forever. Before you know it you’ll have moved and packing up will seem like a distant memory. Then you’re onto a new home and new memories such as unpacking! If you label all of your packing well then moving in isn’t difficult either. You know what’s in each box or bag and can allocate it to the correct room immediately. Then you are on your way to settling in.

As I said we are 8 months having been moved in and are nearly done with the interior of the house. We’ve also already celebrated 3 birthdays here with another 2 happening this coming week. We have celebrated Christmas, Halloween and Easter already too. So, like us, you won’t be long on your way to making tons of new memories and we wish you the best of luck. We hope these tips help you and thanks for stopping!

Lots of Love,
Tahnee xxx