House moving hints and tips!

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So I’m moving house and I was hoping to compile a list and responses of things to consider for the move

so far I have

label the boxes and colour code them - draw a plan of the new house and colour code the rooms for the removal people
Have a “on the day” suitcase containing your pjs, clean clothes, chargers, toiletries, tea and coffee etc so you don’t need to rummage
 
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Use your tea towels to stack between your plates to stop them from chipping - saves on paper too. You can also roll up your cutlery in sections in a tea towel as well, which makes it super easy to find and put away quickly.

Also! most of the time there is no loo paper at the new house so put a roll in your handbag so you don't get caught short!

Pack cleaning supplies last - you're probably going to need them to clean your old house so no point dragging them over to then drag them back again :)
 
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1) include toilet roll in your suitcase. Nothing worse than needing the loo and no one can find the loo roll 😊
2) have a supermarket food order delivered the next day to get you stocked up with lots of easy meals for the busy time ahead.
3) I took photos as I packed to remind me what’s in each box. I also film my husband taking apart any furniture or appliances so that we actually stand a chance of putting it back correctly at the other end!
 
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Bubble wrap glasses/plates etc but don’t go overboard with it as you really don’t need to. I used sooo much bubble wrap with all our kitchen stuff and all it did was make it longer to unpack!!

Keep clothes on hangers and just tape them together at the metal part.

Make sure you keep screws/bolts etc for things you’re dismantling safe in marked bags. We had two weeks of thinking we’d lost all of our wardrobe screws when we moved in, only to find them shoved in with a load of kitchen stuff!
 
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I’d say pack the kettle, tea, coffee, sugar last and keep some mugs out. It’s always nice to be able to offer those doing the heavy lifting a cup of tea/coffee. Definitely keep some loo roll in your bag and try not to make boxes too heavy. Make sure you cover the sofas with something and remove the cushions and do those separately as you don’t want them marked in the van
 
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I second what everyone has said about the "day of" bag - have a really good think about how you spend your average day and pay it accordingly.

My second tip is don't do what I did and have completion day fall the day before you're set to go on holiday. That was stressful haha.
 
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I packed the clothes up like this
This is such a good idea! Why did I never think of that! I bloody folded everything into suitcases, which then of course meant some of it needed ironing again! I'll definitely be doing this in future.
 
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make sure you always have something at the ready to eat and drink - not being hangry is one step closer to not being stressed out
how exciting btw, good luck :)
 
Adding on to the wardrobe idea, find boxes like this:
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I'd go one step further with the naming of the boxes - if you end up with 10 labeled 'kitchen' it'll just become overwhelming.

Either photograph everything - just all in a big pile, but single layer - before it goes in each box, or create a list which you can tape to the outside of the box.

Keep some core cleaning products in a box - to use when you vacate your existing, and arrive to your new, home.
 
When you move into your new place, prioritise getting the bed(s) up and made with fresh linen, even if there is nothing else in the bedroom at all. Moving is exhausting and flopping into bed is great; you don’t want to get to the evening and then realise you’ve got nowhere to sleep/that you still need to make the bed up.

Strongly related to the above - before you move, make sure you’ve got some clean bed linen 😁 we made up the bed before we moved, rolled up the duvet and pillows with the fresh covers on and covered them in bin bags, so at the other end we just had to roll them out.

We then prioritised getting the sofa together and the TV set up so we could watch Strictly with a takeaway. It can be tempting to try to get as much unpacked as you can that first evening but I generally think if you can get the beds set up and something resembling a living room, the rest can be done over the next few days.
 
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Essentials aside, give yourself permission to unpack slowly. I found that once something had been packed up for a few weeks/months, I then saw it with new eyes and it enabled me to get rid of loads of stuff that no longer served me.

Just label the boxes properly and make sure you can access them easily enough, otherwise it can be tempting to buy new rather than rummage. This approach also assumes you have the space to do so which I appreciate not everyone has.
 
Make sure in your overnight bag you have tea/coffee, the kettle, mugs, biscuits, and a bottle of champagne to celebrate and know which takeaway you might order from for dinner.
I’d also suggest another case with 3-4 days worth of clothes, including some suitable to wear when cleaning or painting, in case there is an emergency paint job which needs doing. Plus towels, toiletries and toothpaste and whatever you need to eat off the first night and knives and forks. Treat it like going to self-catering accommodation but without the fittings.

seconding the suggestion of booking a supermarket delivery the day after moving in.

Don’t forget to take cuttings from any plants you can’t physically take with you. Do this a few weeks before so you know they have taken.

Take photos of your current place - the room layout and any equipment you can’t take with but you know worked well or badly. (e.g the make and model of the shower or integrated appliances). It will help you arrange the rooms and if you have to do any appliance shopping it will guide you for purchases. It’s sometimes so difficult to remember how things were.

On the boxes, no need for photos but try to identify what is in the box or what cupboard it came from. E.g bedroom wardrobe, bedroom chest of drawers. kitchen under sink, kitchen crockery. This way you can prioritise the unpacking at the other end. Or if you aren’t able to unpack immediately, know which boxes to find things in.

With the rooms with storages refer to the photos of your new kitchen and bedroom and create a plan of where everything will go before you get there. Especially with the kitchen, as you’ll be able to unpack this quickly usually after making the beds.

So your itinerary looks like
arrive
1 cup of tea/coffee
2 make beds
3 unpack kitchen
This way by the time you finish for the day, you could be steps ahead.