Moving House Hacks From a Perfectionist

While you read this I will be right in the midst of moving day! Moving house can be a stressful time, especially if you are a perfectionist and can’t stand the thought of having a half moved in house for any longer than necessary. 

In between moving trucks, setting up electricity, making sure furniture matches and coordinating deliveries…preparation and organisation is key to keeping sane (especially as a perfectionist).

So I have compiled a list of moving house hacks that have helped me in preparation for this move and I promise will work for you as well. These may be things you had never even thought of, because some of them I hadn’t until I had to deal with them.

Let’s get into it…

Online shopping

My BIGGEST tip is to get everything delivered! I’m not just talking about the big things like your new fridge and couch. I’m talking about the small purchases like a drawer set from Target or kitchenware from Kmart. You will save so much time clicking a few buttons online and have it show up safely wrapped in your new place than buying it all beforehand and having to move it. Pay the $10 shipping and enjoy peace of mind and more time on your hands to move all the other things. 

Pinterest board
I love Pinterest all day everyday but when it comes to moving, having a visual board that correlates your thoughts and inspiration is AMAZING. Each time I would come across something I wanted to buy, I would take a picture and add it to my board. What I did was have 2 separate boards; one for inspiration and one for final decisions. Within these boards I split the sub-categories into rooms in the house so I can refer back whenever I’m setting up each room. What I would do is start by having everything in the inspiration board and as I purchased things or made decisions on furniture I would put them into the final decor board. This not only helps me understand what I now have and what is left to purchase but it will be easy for me to remember everything I need to unpack in each room.

Pet care kit
If you are moving with pets you need to keep them in mind. Ensure you make packing their things a priority for move day. Have their bed, toys, some food and bowls they can eat from within easy reach. Among all the unpacking and stress of moving, make sure to disrupt your pets schedule as little as possible. 

Connect everything in advance
Don’t forget to connect everything you need good-to-go for move day PRIOR to moving. You don’t want to get into the new home and realise you can’t switch the lights on or have a warm shower. Think about not only electricity (although this is probably most important) but also Foxtel, internet and more. Other admin things like changing the address on your license and redirecting your mail is also good to have finalised in advance.  

Save money moving
The biggest money saving tip is to skip paying for removalists and hire a moving truck yourself. It may take a couple of trips to get all of your furniture but you will only need to hire it for one day and it will likely cost you under $300 whereas removalists can get insanely expensive. Yes, it’s a little more work but definitely worth the money saved during this already expensive time. Keep the truck for all the big things because you can always make trips with small boxes and items every time you go to the new place.

Last tip – keep coordinatedDon’t mix items in boxes but rather have each box filled with items only belonging to one section of the house. That way you’re not running back and forward unloading different items from boxes. You want to be able to put the boxes in each allocated room (using a colour coordinated method or clear boxes) and know exactly what is in them / that it belongs to that section of the house.  

So those are all the things I found that were super helpful for me leading up to the move. I haven't moved just yet so there will definitely be more updates on how I go through the process and any other hacks I find that work.