Moving house can be a great thing. A change of scene might be exactly what you need to get your life in order. But, before the calm is the storm. The process of moving home can be a whirlwind of clothing piles, lost valuables, crying children and take away dinners. While a little bit of chaos is unavoidable, there are some things you can do to reduce the stress of moving home:
Be as organised as you can
A lot of us aim to be organised but never seem to maintain it for as long as we hope. Naturally, things are bound to get a little chaotic when it comes to moving home, especially when children are involved. The most you can do is at least try to be organised and have some good fail-safes. To start, get yourself a ‘moving folder’. This folder will be where you keep all of your important paperwork and lists. Make it as brightly coloured and garish as possible so you can easily spot it if it gets lost. Keep yourself on a reasonable schedule, too. Don’t try and plan out everything by the hour because that will never work, but at least you can designate certain days for packing up certain rooms. This will also make labelling boxes easier.
Getting your belongings from A to B
Getting things packed up is pretty stressful, but organising how you’re going to get your belongings to your new home can be just as frustrating. Unless you drive a loading van or plan to leave most of your belongings behind, chances are you’re going to have to hire someone to do the transporting for you. Removal companies are a common option for people moving around the country, however, if you’re planning to move a long distance away – for example, overseas – you’re probably going to see prices leap from ‘manageable’ to ‘unaffordable’. So, a better alternative for a long distance move and transporting big items would be to use a freight forwarder. Barrington Freight is a great company that can ship your belongings almost anywhere, advise you on the best possible method to get your belongings to your new home, and they give great value on transporting big items. If you are only moving a short distance then you could look to a local business such as the fife man and van service as they will even be able to help you load the van.
Don’t be in a hurry to leave
You might have a deadline to move out by, but that doesn’t mean that you have to rush your move. You’ll regret not taking a moment to say goodbye to your home if you rush out the door. You and your kids probably made a lot of memories in the home that you’re leaving and it would be sad to just leave all of those memories behind. The sadness that comes with leaving a family home usually sets in a lot later than you expect it to, and if you don’t take the time to acknowledge those feelings you might feel overwhelmed when it comes to finally shutting the front door for the last time. So, if you start your packing and organising early, you can take your time to come to terms with the move and say goodbye to your home. Maybe you could have a family dinner or invite a few friends round for drinks. Take one last photo of you and your family in front of your house so you have something special to take with you.
However, you go about moving home, try not to stress too much and look forward to your next adventure with anticipation. Just remember the effort you put into packing correctly will reward you when it comes to unpacking again at the other end.