Moving house need not be so stressful

For some families, the start of the New Year signals many beginnings, such as a move to a new house, whether rental or purchased.

Moving house is a big decision, not to mention the various challenges that sometimes come with such a move. To minimise the hassle of moving, here are a few tips on how to do it:

Have a budget

Moving is not cheap, and sometimes homeowners are often surprised by little expenses that creep into their moving budget.

To manage your expenses, draw up a budget with some allowance for emergency expenses and do your best to stick to it. Also, where possible, get your loved ones to help you to reduce labour costs and to ensure you have people you trust assisting you to reduce the risk of theft.

Clear your home

Before you make a move, don’t carry any dead weight to your new house. Set aside the items you have not used in a long time or those that you won’t need in your new home, such as stand-alone cupboards if your destination home will have in-built shelves.

If you can, sell these items to get some money for the move or, if all else fails, donate them to someone who really needs them. This is a tough process but a decluttered home is well worth it.

Be spick and span

If you can, organise for your new home to be thoroughly cleaned in preparation for the move. Remember not to use ordinary detergent to do this, but disinfectant. If you have floors that require polish, this is a good time to get this done.

Also, use this time to bleach the sinks and toilets in your new home. It is also courteous to give your old home a thorough sweeping after you have moved everything to allow the new owner to find some semblance of order and not the chaos that is often left by many when moving. As the saying goes, “Do unto others as you would want them to do unto you.”

Start early

This might sound like common sense but the earlier, the better, so that you have time to deal with any unexpected issues.

What is more, if you start out early, chances are that you will not be caught up in the infamous Kenyan traffic. Also, the earlier you start, the earlier you will finish.

Stay organised

Some might reason that since everything will be unpacked at the destination, there is no need to pack it in any particular order, so often many people will throw everything onto the moving truck without giving much thought to the possible risk of damaging items.

Don’t throw caution to the wind, be careful how you treat your belongings and pack them appropriately.

Another thing to do to make your unpacking much easier is to label all your items to indicate where everything goes – such as the room, wardrobe, etc. At the destination, you can use masking tape, a marker or a floor plan to indicate where you want your items to go.

Yet another thing you can do is pack separate luggage and in it put items that you need on the go, such as feeding items for the children, your telephone charger, a copy of your lease (for referencing ) a toothbrush, some food and even a change of clothes.

This ensures that you don’t have to rummage through everything to get these small but very essential items.

Use speed dial

Before you move, you need to give your plumber and electrician the heads up that you might call them if necessary.

In the middle of the move, you can inspect the house in their company to make sure everything is in order.

Speaking of electricity and water, make sure that you are not moving into a house with large utility bills. This is yet another opportunity to make sure that such things are in order.