I recently relocated from London back to my hometown of Bristol, and of course any big move is going to come with stresses but I have to admit, I think I bossed the moving admin. I was Monica Geller level of organised and I’ve got some top tips to share with you to help your own move go smoothly.
Downsize your boxes
I ordered a selection of box sizes from eBay but I soon came to realise that the big ones weren’t so handy. There is only so much you can pop in a box (because it makes it too heavy) and the large ones are quite tricky to move around. In future, I would stick to medium size boxes.
Go crazy with labels
Once you’ve sealed up a million boxes it is so easy to forget what’s inside, so just by adding a simple label on the outside to say ‘kitchen’ or ‘books’ will really help you out later down the line. For me, it was easier as some items were off to my nan’s and some to my mum’s so I went with M or N. Easy, peasy.
Always use fragile tape
This may seem like an obvious one but it is VERY important. Make sure you label your breakables with a fragile sign or tape. This means that when your movers (or friends/family) are lifting boxes, they can easily tell the ones they need to be extra careful with. I’ve got some very nice glasses and pricey electronics that I did not want broken!
MOTIVATION FOR AT-HOME WORKOUTS
Dedicate a bag to moving essentials
I had a tote bag full of bubble wrap, newspaper, parcel tape, fragile tape, scissors, labels and tools so it was all in one place whenever we needed it.
Choose newspaper over bubblewrap
I stocked up on both newspaper and bubblewrap prior to the big move and when it came to wrapping up cups and plates, I actually found newspaper to be much easier. It takes up less room and it’s way more cost effective.
Shrink-wrap is genius
For our move, we had to dismantle things like our bed and coffee table and I had a bright idea to shrink-wrap all of the pieces of wood together to make them easier to move around. We only needed one roll and it did all of our items – such a good trick.
Don’t loose your screws
If you have to do any dismantling, it is likely you’ll have loose screws, dowels, and small parts. To keep these safe I placed them in a clear sandwich bag and shrink-wrapped them to the item, so when it comes to putting everything back up, we’ll know exactly where to find them.
Invest in vacuum bags
I always knew that vacuum bags were pretty awesome, but then I discovered hanging vacuum bags. These babies allowed me to condense all of my coats (I have a lot) into a much more manageable space. I picked mine up randomly in Savers, but I’m sure Argos, Amazon, eBay do them too! One of ours did split in transit but for £2 per bag, I really wasn’t bothered.
WHAT TO EXPECT WHEN BECOMING A BLOOD DONOR
Start small
We had a two month notice period on our flat, so I had the advantage of a lot of time to plan so I decided that I would tackle one small area each weekend. This way, the whole organising process didn’t seem too overwhelming and it also staggered the bags we had for the rubbish and the charity shop.
Make lots of lists
I love a good list. In fact, I use one every day to keep track of what I need to do – in work and out of it. I’d suggest making a list of all of the things you need to cancel/amend (e.g home insurance, doctors, utility bills) and having the sheer satisfaction of highlighting each thing off as you go.
Don’t forget to declutter
Before you move your whole life, it is a really good time to think what things you actually want to take with you. I have to admit that there were some pieces in my wardrobe that came with me to London three and a half years ago and never saw the light of day. It’s safe to say they went into the charity bag!
Use bags as well as boxes
If you’re anything like me, you’ll be surprised at how many tote bags you’ve accumulated over the years. Ikea bags will come in oh-so handy for packing in lots of clothes.
Good luck with your move – I hope these tips helped!
R x
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