10 Essential Tips & Hacks for Moving House

We’ve moved around a bit since we started dating, we bought & moved in together simultaneously, renovated, then moved back in with my parents to save while we rented our place out for 12 months, then moved back to our house, had a second crack at renovating, sold the old house, built our new house, moved in, moved out (long story), then moved back in. It’s been an exhausting few years.

With that chapter finally behind us we’ve been enjoying the down time in our new house (pictured), but couldn’t help ourselves when another development opportunity came up and so, 12 months down the track we’re selling again and moving a few suburbs over.

People thought we were crazy to (a) develop again after the last nightmare and (b) put our house on the market just as we were about to leave for a month over seas. But then that’s the beauty of being organised and simply putting your trust in timing.

This time round I’m feeling better than ever about the move and can’t wait to sink our teeth into another major reno. One of the biggest stresses (if not the biggest) can be the move itself which we’re now accustomed to doing. So, I thought I’d share with you some of my favourite tips as recommended by By Alex Jones of Hire A Box to help make your move easy and stress free.

Tip #1 – Book Your Removalists Early

We’ve been lucky that all of our moves have been manageable by Ute & multiple trips, but for a big move ensure you book as soon as you’re able to lock in a moving date. By booking early you can get the time and day that you want to move, especially if you want to move on a weekend. When choosing your removalists, go with a well-known name that has plenty of good reviews. You may think you are saving money by going with a cheaper company, but they can often take longer (costing you more) and can damage your belongings.

Tip #2 – Order Your Boxes ASAP

Hire or buy your boxes so you can start packing as soon as possible, and look for strong boxes that won’t collapse if they are stacked on top of each other. Get a mix of medium and large boxes plus some porta-robe boxes (these save so much time as you can hang your clothes directly from your wardrobe). Don’t forget you’ll also need packing supplies such as markers, packing tape, bubble wrap, and butchers paper.

Tip #3 – Clear The Clutter

Now is the perfect time to do a big spring clean so you aren’t paying your movers (or wasting your own time) to bring things with you that you don’t actually need or want. Move-by-move we’ve been eliminating the clutter and feel so much better in a simplified space. For items that are in good condition, you can donate to a charity or make some extra cash and list them on eBay or Gumtree. Throw out anything else and for bigger items call your local council and see if you can book a cleanup – just be careful to note their terms (our local council allows approx 2x2m curb-side load), if you leave more than the allowable load they may refuse to collect it & you can be up for a dumping fine.

Tip #4 – Get a Head Start

Even though the house hasn’t sold yet I’m getting a head start on this one, it’ll save me time (and sleep) if I just do it bit by bit. So, as soon as you know you are moving, start packing up items that aren’t used often and leave the everyday items such as those in the kitchen and bathroom till last.

Tip # 5 – Stay Organised

Label each of the boxes with the room it belongs in and what’s inside, and make sure you do this on the tape so your boxes can be re-used.

You can even go one step further and get a pack of different coloured paper and assign a colour to each room and stick a square on the top and sides of the box so you easily direct your movers on where to place the box.

Tip #6 – Pack an Essentials Box and Overnight Bag

So you don’t have to go through every box when you get to the new house, pack yourself an essentials box full of everything that you will need ASAP in the new house such as toilet paper, soap, paper towel, kettle, tea/coffee, cups, plates and some cutlery.

Also, pack an overnight bag with some changes of clothes, pyjamas, toiletries, a towel, chargers etc (and of course books/toys/ipads for kids).

Then, just like a holiday bring the essentials box and overnight bags with you in the car on the day of the move so you know exactly where they are in the chaos.

Tip #8 – Sort Your Mail and Update Your Details

With all of our moves we ended up investing in a PO Box which means we don’t have to worry about mail redirections but if all your mail is directed to your home don’t forget to organise mail redirection. You can do this online which makes it even more convenient (just make sure you do it at least a couple of days before the move to ensure it starts in time).

Make a list of all the different companies and organisations you regularly get mail from such as your bank, insurance companies, superannuation, RTA (car rego, licence), electoral roll etc. Most of these can be easily changed online or over the phone, so once you have your list handy you can tick a few off each day before the move so it’s not a stressful or time consuming task.

Tip #9 – Eat Up

Packing up the kitchen is the WORST. To make it less painful in the weeks before you move start clearing out your pantry. Make a list of recipes and either use up or throw out all those almost empty jars and condiments – doing this as you go is another task that makes moving way easier. Then in the week prior eat all the food in your fridge and then try not to buy any more refrigerated items until after your move, that way you won’t need to pack an esky or worry about it spoiling!

Tip #10 – Plan Your New Rooms

This is the part that I LOVE. As soon as you have access, measure the rooms in your new home along with your furniture so you can draw up a rough plan of where all your furniture is going to go (one of those maths notepads with a grid is perfect for this task as you can easily sketch it up to scale). This way you’ll know beforehand if everything will fit in and if not, you can get rid of it before the move. It also helps when you can easily direct your movers on the day and tell them exactly where to place your furniture!

I hope these tips for moving house have helped minimise the stress!

With all that said, I’m off to go finish the job I started on the weekend… cleaning out my bathroom draws! It’s safe to say weekends in my 30’s look vastly different to weekends in my 20’s. Lol.

Happy Moving!

N x

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