7 Things To Remember Or Plan When Moving House

Howdy!

I did have a different post planned for you today, but due to some changes to our plans I'm writing something new instead of the post I had scheduled, how exciting!

Up to now we've been waiting to hear from our landlord about when the house sale is going to complete and therefore we can get the keys to move in. We're not sure what the hold up is, but the date has gone from the end of July to an unknown at the moment, although we're assured it's imminent - possibly any day now.

At the same time Chris's mum has been preparing to move house too and initially that was going to happen a week or two after we'd left. But as time has gone on the two dates have got closer to each other and we've now reached the point that she's going to be moving before we get our keys - ie tomorrow. Yep, tomorrow. We only found that out this morning too - it was meant to be Friday but for whatever reason, we now have to move along with his mum to her new house first thing in the morning.

"Ami, why are you blogging instead of packing, you crazy woman?!" I hear you ask.

Well, two reasons. Firstly, I am about to be going without internet for an unknown amount of time. We can't arrange a supplier until we have a move date and they'll probably take at least a week or two (I'm being optimistic) to get us all hooked up. So I need to get all the work I can in now before I have to find cafes and generous friends to let me use their WiFi. Trust me to re-launch the blog right as my net disappears! Secondly, the blog I plan to write is going to help me get my head organised just as much as it's going to help anyone else who is moving house - whether it's as rushed as ours is going to be or a well-thought-out process!

So here we go... 7 things to remember or plan when moving house! I've skipped the obvious things and gone for the little bits and pieces that sometimes get forgotten in the chaos of a move.

1. Pack yourself a weekend bag

This is possibly the hardest thing for us as we don't know how long we're gonna need to live out of a suitcase, but usually when you move home you'll have things organised within 2-3 days at least to a stage where you'll have essentials set up. Until then it's a great idea to have a bag packed with a few days of clothes, toiletries, things like your laptop, phone, MP3 player, chargers etc. Basically pretend you're going on holiday for a few days and pack for that.

2. Pack yourself a bed!

Sounds odd, but in the confusion of moving you might forget the obvious things you'll need when moving is over... like bedding. You might be organised enough to have the bed set up by night time or it might be a blow up mattress/nest on the floor, but none of that will matter if you packed up and promptly lost the bedding. Keep this with your weekend bag and you'll at least be cosy when you collapse into bed at night.

3. Have food planned for the first few days

Moving day is stressful enough without having to worry about unpacking your kitchenware and cooking something. It might even be a few days before you get to unpacking everything you need in the kitchen if you have to work, or other more important boxes to get emptied. This is why it's a great idea to have a few meals cooked in advance - simply move them from one fridge to the next on moving day and make sure to unbox the microwave. Eating directly from the tupperware is fine, so all you'll need is cutlery. You could just eat takeaways for the weekend, but if you're on a budget this is a great way to keep things super simple and stress free!

This is exactly what we're planning to do - we usually make batch meals and keep leftovers for lunch the next day, but we're keeping last nights' leftovers and any from tonight to feed us tomorrow and Friday night instead. (Now just to work out what we're having for lunch...)

You might also want to have a packed lunch ready for moving day - no one wants to get to the late afternoon and realise they're starving, but need a trip to the local shop for lunch..

4. Have a catch-all area for things you need frequently and don't want to lose

Keys, wallet, phone, chargers, important paperwork and contact numbers will be the first things to get lost with boxes flying everywhere. Your pocket seems like a great place until things start jabbing your hip when you bend or falling out as you reach for things. Instead have a container somewhere near the door where everything can be kept safe - a large tupperware or basket is perfect for this. That way when it's time to close the door and leave you pick up the box on your way out and put it straight by the door (or somewhere easily accessible but safe) in the new place.

5. Pets and small children

Parental duties don't pause on moving day which can add to the stress immeasurably. One way to keep children or fur-babies out of the way on the day is to pack them an activities bag and set them up in a quiet corner, somewhere away from the action but in your line of sight. For kids this can be colouring books or electronic games with a little fruit snack and drink. For pets it will vary by animal - bigger pets you might want to have someone pet-sit for the day, but certainly for Riggle we'll be putting her in a quiet room, giving her plenty of her toys and her wheel, plus some yummy snacks and leaving her to it. She might be kept awake initially, but once the excitement dies down I'm sure she'll go back to snoozing the day away.

Also combine this with tip #1 - pack them a bag to cover the first few days and some bedding for the night too. Nothing worse than getting to bedtime and a beloved toy is missing, or worse still for Riggs.. the bedding itself is in a box downstairs!

6. Important papers, numbers and keeping organised

Moving day comes with a million things to think about and your belongings are just the big, distracting boxes getting in the way of the important stuff. There might be documents to sign, people to keep informed of progress, last minute expenses you don't want to forget.. I briefly mentioned a solution in tip #4 but if you have more than one or two things to keep track of it might be better to invest in a folder for keeping yourself organised. You can have plastic wallets for the important documents, a list of all the numbers you need to hand (suppliers, solicitors, landlords, other people in the chain etc.) and it'll be somewhere you can throw receipts in to remember when the chaos is over.

7. Entertainment

Speaking of suppliers, you could be without your usual home comforts for a while (I'm thinking internet here of course) and you don't want to be left bored. In the run up to the move you could download a box set of a good series you've been meaning to catch up on, some good films, load the Kindle up with books or head to the library.. (nothing that's gonna be taking up extra packing space unless you're fine with carting it all along with you). Don't fall into the trap of thinking Netflix will bridge the gap - Chris has done this twice already forgetting that you need internet to log in!

And there you have it! Now while I go pack boxes, schedule blogs for as long as possible and try to remember my own advice, you head to the comments and tell me if I've missed anything. Any tips from your own experiences?

Until next time (which could be a while, but I'll do my best to find solutions), have a great week!

Love,
Ami
xx