09 Nov 11 tips for a less stressful moving day

In studies about what stresses us out, moving is always at the top of the list. There’s no way to make packing up everything you own stress free, but there sure are ways to make it easier.

Here are 11 things to keep in mind for your next move: 

1. Change your address early. Most companies will set a future date for an address change. Contact all service providers and any organizations that send important mail the moment you have a move date. Some to keep in mind: Nova Scotia Power, Access Nova Scotia, internet service provider, phone companies, Canada Revenue Agency, banks, MSI, and insurance company.

2. Get creative with the fridge. Whether you’re moving long distance or across the street, the contents of your fridge are tedious to move. Instead of tossing everything, play a game of making meals using only items you have to clean out the fridge and freezer in the lead up to the move.

3. Donate. Several weeks before moving day, identify items that won’t suit your new home and make arrangements to sell or donate them. Next clear closets and storage spaces of unwanted clothes and other items to donate. Be choosey to avoid moving items you’ll decide you don’t need a week after the move.

4. Pack early, pack often. Once you finish your purge, start packing items you won’t need until after the move. Think: out of season clothes, decor, and sports gear; storage areas; books and other media. Set yourself a goal to pack a certain number of boxes each week.

5. Take photos. Reassembling furniture and rewiring electronics are energy eaters. Before disassembling anything, take close up photos of each piece assembled so you can see which screws belong where. For electronics, use green painter’s tape to label cords. It comes off without a sticky residue.

6. Stay on theme. Only box items from the same room together. Write the room name on each box. Then your movers or moving help will know where each box belongs, and you can unpack in place rather than moving from room to room. On moving day, do the same with all furniture. Use your painter’s tape to label fabric and hard furniture. This will save you directing time when your movers arrive.

7. The Box. Prep for a successful moving day by packing the most important box last. In it include non-perishable snacks, bottles of water, extra box knives, toilet paper, wet wipes, phone chargers, games to keep small children occupied, any paperwork you might need right away, a pen and notebook for making lists when you arrive at your new home.

8. Make time for you. Aim to have everything packed by the afternoon before the move. Spend your last night in your old home focused on you and your family. Order your favourite takeout and watch a familiar movie on a laptop or tablet. Take time to say goodbye to your old home with children who may feel sad about the move. Get a solid eight-hours sleep.

9. Start smart. Standing in a sea of boxes before unpacking is overwhelming. Start unpacking with the two most important spaces: the bedroom and kitchen. In the bedroom, your goal is to have a place to sleep. Build your bed, make it, hang several days of clothing, and move on. The kitchen is key. Everyone eats. Unpack closed areas like drawers and cupboards first. Unpack items that sit on the counter last so they’re not in the way. 

10. Ask for help. Friends will ask what they can do. Don’t say, “Nothing!” Instead let them take your children for a walk, bring you supper, or make a cup of tea and chat while you unpack. Even if you don’t need physical help, knowing you have someone in your corner with a kind word goes a long way.

11. Call us. The last thing you want to do on moving day is return to your former home to clean, or clean around the boxes in your new home. Our Move in/Move out Cleaning tackles every surface in the home, so your fresh start truly is.