5 of our best moving home hacks
Moving home is never an easy process, especially in the fast-paced world of today. But fortunately, there are some great tips and tricks out there to help make your move easy and less stressful. Here are our five favourite moving home hacks.
Moving home has never been known to be an easy process, especially in the fast-paced and hectic world we all live in today. The good news is that there are some great tips and tricks to help make moving home more streamlined and less stressful. Below are five of our best moving home hacks.
Organise your utilities well in advance
We all know how long utility companies can take to set up services, so in order to make things easier for yourself it’s best to get in touch with your suppliers as early as possible so you’re not left without the basics when you move in. Energy supply will “always” be available, so you won’t be without electricity and heating when you move in, even if you are switching to a new supplier. For things like satellite and broadband though, the lead times for setup can be anywhere from just a few days to several weeks depending on the supplier.
With so many of us working from home, a reliable and fast broadband connection is a necessity, so it’s important to get in touch with your supplier and get the ball rolling as soon as possible.
Plan your removals
Whether you are going to do the removals yourself or use a professional removals company to do the work, you need to decide this early on and make the necessary arrangements. If you’re simply hiring a van and packing everything yourself, you won’t need to worry as much, as van hire is readily available at short notice.
But, if you’re using a professional removals company, it’s worth booking early as they tend to get booked up quickly - especially during the spring and summer months. It’s a good idea to get a few quotes as early as you can so you can budget accordingly and lock the dates in.
Whilst you can make considerable savings by doing the moving yourself, hiring a professional company can save you a lot of time, effort and stress. A professional company will have experience in handling all your items - after all, they do it day in, day out. You also don’t have to worry about damaging fragile possessions when you’ve got a trained team at the helm of your house move.
Declutter your home
It’s amazing how much “stuff” we all accumulate over time, and rather than taking all this extra weight with you, decluttering is the perfect way to help you get rid of belongings you don’t really need - which means fewer things to worry about taking with you. This naturally helps you save money. Less to take means less boxes, less packing materials, and of course less to remove.
Essential items
We’ve all been there – you pack everything away and when you get to your new home, your essentials are spread across several different boxes in different parts of the house. Having a separate box with ready-to-go essentials such as your medicines, toiletries and electrical items (e.g. laptops and phone chargers), means you can keep this box aside and have all you need in one place. It’s also a good idea to have a change of clothes in there as well as some food essentials like tea bags and coffee too.
Take pictures of your furniture and large electronics
Taking pictures of items such as bed frames and cupboards before you disassemble them can help ensure that re-assembly is straightforward and a much easier task when you get to your new home. Not only will it help you see what goes where, but also what the end product should look like once fully assembled. When it comes to electronics, with things like sound bars, sub-woofers and other home entertainment gadgets to think about, it’s important to make sure you know exactly how everything is connected and wired together. For example, taking a picture of the back of your TV with all the connections set up is the best way of ensuring it’s exactly the same at your new place.
Summary
To make moving home that little bit easier, it’s essential to plan as early as possible and organise the relevant utilities and professional services such as your internet and satellite, along with booking your removals company as soon as you have your moving dates. External services where lead times can be long should be on the top of your list, as once these are taken care of you can focus on things that are more in your control - such as decluttering your home and ensuring you separate your essentials for the first few days in your new pad.
By following our top five moving hacks, you can ensure everything runs smoothly - whether that be ensuring your new home is setup with the relevant utilities, or making sure that you take certain steps in the removals process to help you before, during, and after your home move. By applying some of these tips and tricks, you’ll be ready to take on your house move and get up and running quickly and with minimum stress.