Did you know that moving is one of the (if not the) most stressful thing we can do? But, despite this, we do it an average of five times during our lives, and the stress of it will last for more than three months.
Moving on your own is hard enough, but try and do it with a couple of kids in tow and this stress will be tripled, at least… Not only do you have to move their belongings as well as your own, but you’ll also need to try not to disrupt their routine too much.
So, whether you are planning an imminent move either in or out of Brighton, here are few simple hacks that should ease the stress that comes with it.
Create a checklist
There is so much to do during a move that it is easy to forget even the most important of details. Just imagine: you are standing outside your house on moving day surrounded by boxes full of your belongings. While looking down the road for the removals van, it dawns on you that you never actually organised one… You may think you couldn’t possibly forget about something as big as this, but with so much to think about both in terms of the move and your every day lives, it is much easier than you might think. So, to avoid this happening, create a checklist of everything you need to do, in the order that it needs doing – then you can tick it off as you complete it.
Start packing early
You could find that the kids are emptying boxes as fast as you’re filling them, so make sure you start early and that you keep the kids entertained elsewhere! The sooner you start packing, the better. It will give you longer to sort through everything, enabling you to throw out the rubbish, donate what you can to charity and sell the rest. This means you aren’t wasting time, energy or money moving the items you don’t really need anymore. Start by boxing up the items that you don’t use on a day-to-day basis and work towards the essentials. This also means you can fit it in and around your busy schedule instead of having to take a big chunk of time to do it all in one go.
Label everything!
While packing the boxes, make sure you label them with the room that they are intended for, as well as what is in them. This may seem to make the packing process longer, but when you are in your new home and just want to be unpacked so everything can go back to normal, it will be much quicker to settle in. To make this even easier, make sure you have already decided who is having which bedroom in the new house… which will also avoid fights on moving day!
Take advantage of storage
Storage provides the space you so desperately need before, during and even after moving day. It means you can start moving items out slowly, so you don’t have to move everything in one go, it provides somewhere to put any extra belongings should anything go wrong on moving day, and it then allows you to move it all into the new house after you have decorated each room. Luckily, storage company Ready Steady Store is opening a facility in Shoreham-by-Sea in January if you want to take advantage of this tip.
Pack a moving day survival kit
A survival kit should include everything you need as you leave your old house and enter your new home – from the kettle and mugs to the kids’ must-haves!
Find a babysitter…
Finally, you may want to find someone – perhaps a family member – who can look after the children (and any pets) during moving day. This will avoid any stress it could cause them as well as the added stress it is guaranteed to cause you.
Do a bit of preparation ahead of time to ease the stress of moving – it will all be worth it once you are in your new home.
