Moving can be a breeze for some people and stressful for others. It is typically the latter for most of us. With so many different things to think about it can be a challenge. There is no “best way” to go about it, but here at QIS we’ve compiled a list of some awesome tips to assist you. Remember these tips and your move will be much less stressful.
#1 Organising Your Calendar
You may have done some form of planning but not considered all the tools available to you, which can help ease the pressure. Use your calendar to book in important dates, such as when:
- Utilities such as electricity, gas, phones and internet services are being connected
- When you can collect keys, need to sign contracts
- Updating home and contents insurance
- Setting a reminder to change your billing address so you still receive mail
Small things like this will help you keep on top of who is coming and when, and a whole bunch of other tasks you need to prepare for your move.
#2 Take Inventory of Your Stuff!
Taking inventory of items around your house sounds simple enough, but what better time to do this when moving? Over the years you’ve probably acquired items you don’t actually use anymore and now would be the perfect time to finally get rid of them and free up a little extra cash by holding a garage sale before the move. Why move gear you don’t need too, right?
Additionally if you’ve got items laying around the house or old clothes that you don’t need any more, consider donating them to your local Salvation Army, St Vinnie’s or your preferred charity organisation. These organisations can also reuse your unwanted items, and can help those in need at the same time.
#3 Packaging Precious Items
You have those precious, absolute priceless items that you’ve had for ages, but what to put them in? A small roll of bubble wrap would not go astray here. And then if there’s some left over, it can give the kids great entertainment as you unpack the boxes – seriously, who doesn’t like popping bubble wrap?
#4 Don't Get Hangry!
Buy some non-perishables for where you are moving into so you’ve got some food handy for any scenario. Don't let yourself, or those around you get hangry! If you’ve got kids you can understand the nightmare that is feeding them, and keeping the kids happy will keep everyone smiling throughout the whole mission. Some crackers and vegemite could always do the trick.
#5 Packing & Wrapping Paper
What to use if you just need to wrap some simple items? Cheap moving tissue paper is always a good option. Extremely economical and does the job, you can wrap your items in the tissue paper or even scrunch it up to give your objects more cushioning inside the boxes.
#6 Keep Your Gadgets and Electronics Under Control
Wires everywhere, which plug goes in where? It’s a nightmare and unless you want to get outside help that can cost even more money. A sneaky tip is to take a photo of the back of your TV/ gaming console/ stereo system, whatever else has plugs going in and out everywhere. So when you are plugging everything back in you’ve got a visual image to go off which can help enormously, and again save a lot of hassle.
#7 Buying Boxes from a wholesaler!
Boxes are a necessity when moving house. So why scounge around and struggle to find boxes when you can just go direct to a wholesaler? You don't have to buy them in huge quantities either, and can still get them at much better prices than the major retail chains. How? Well QIS has 8 different sizes, so whatever you're packaging up, we should have you covered! Check them out.
#8 Write Descriptions On Boxes
Obvious? Yes but making sure you write it on the sides of the boxes. So in case the boxes are stacked on top of each other in the truck/ trailer, you can still read it when unloading. This can dramatically help when you actually arrive and are ready to unpack.
#9 Pack Faster With Tape Guns
Taping straightforward right? Until you have to actually hold the tape with one hand and get the scissors with the other, make sure you’ve still got the right amount of tape and cut it, all while holding the bulging box down…easy. One guileful idea that will help you here is getting yourself a tape gun or tape dispenser. These will save you so much hassle when actually packing your boxes. So you don’t have bits of tape getting stuck together and then on things, and it ending up just frustrating you even more. These also saves you having to grab a pair of scissors every time to cut the tape, as the dispenser will have a serrated edge to cut the tape off as you do it.
In case you need a link of how to actually get a roll of tape onto a tape gun, here’s a quick video:
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#10 Unpacking
You get to your house have all the boxes taped up and then struggle to actually get the boxes open - BLOODY annoying right?!? A simple box cutter (aka a Stanley knife) will make life so much easier. It’s safe to use and inexpensive and will be a tool you’re grateful for having once you arrive. This also makes it easier to breakdown the boxes as you go, to help give you more space if needed.
#11 Packing and Securing Larger Items
Stretch wrap will help for larger items (i.e. chairs, small tables, boxes not quite sturdy enough for the trip) making sure they don’t get too damaged/ dirty in transition. Stretch wrap has elastic recovery in it which keeps the items tightly bound. Although mainly used in industrial situations, it could be ideal for you, with so many large items are being moved from house to house, it may be an out-of-the-box idea to help keep your items safe in the trip.
#12 Extra Protection for Moving
If you still don’t feel safe with your items going in boxes another full-proof method can be getting some void fill, also known as greenpak, which a lot of people can often overlook. Void-fill is just little bits of foam that will clog up any leftover spaces in your boxes, and make sure for certain that there won’t be any damage to them. Giving you that little bit extra, piece of mind. It is also environmentally friendly and can be disposed of once you’ve finished using it.
Hopefully these tips help you in one way or another, although moving home or office can be daunting when you break it down and have the right tools it makes it much more stress free. If you’ve got any other great tips that you know of we’d love to hear about them, just suggest them in the comments section below!