In this article, I’m eager to give out some real help to folks who find the complete option of packing for moving residence slightly overwhelming. You’re probably dreading the concept of having to decide where to start and what to take, so let’s set up a step plan for you to adhere to, and I think, after you take the initial step, you’ll understand that just getting going is the highest hurdle you’ll cope with.

Step 1: The Big Clear Out.

This sounds like an obvious step, but from my experience, it’s overlooked all to often. An opportunity has arisen at this time where you can get rid of a bunch of garbage and open up a quantity of valuable breathing space, and decrease your workload and expenditure on removal day. This is especially critical if your move is over a long distance, or if there’s going to be a storage phase connecting your moving out and moving in days. Remember, the higher the volume of goods to be moved, so therefore the more packing resources, men necessary, time necessary, superior vehicle necessary, bigger storeroom unit necessary. It all has a knock on effect, so strip your residence down to the essentials and save your time and money. Take a good long look at your furniture, and ask yourself if you really intend to shell out to have that worn-out old couch taken to your pristine house. Are your beds or mattresses due for replacement? Do you really need to keep all those back issues of your favourite magazines? A clever proposal is to ask yourself when was the previous point you used that thing, and force yourself to cast it away. Use it or lose it. Get this step correct by being as brutal as you can, and you’re on your way to a much smoother, and much cheaper move.

Step 2: The Non Essentials

We all obtain those items which we can’t be parted from, such as private photo albums, ornaments and trinkets, artwork, and of course our clothes and cookware, but for a good number of us it can be packed, weeks in advance of moving time without impacting on our lives. If you can cut back down to manage on the bare essentials, and box up the surplus ahead of time, you’ll suddenly observe that the workload on moving day is now down to a much more controllable level. If you can get this stage concluded before you call in the removal companies for quotes, it follows that you can expect the prices to be much more reasonable. The sales rep from the moving company will respond far more favourably to a tidy organised household, than he would to a jumbled residence with a mountain of graft to get through. So work ahead of time and box up the things you can manage without. Don’t be troubled too much as regards what goes away on this stage, as you can leave your boxes unsealed in case you need to find that special pair of shoes or your kids other toys. Stack your packed boxes to the wall in each room, ready to seal them up right before moving day.

Step 3: The Night Before

Relax. With steps one and two complete you’ve already prepared much better than nearly all. You can award yourself a pat on the back at this moment and know that your moving day is going to plan. Now, all that needs to be done is to place everything in your essentials collection which is no longer required into the unsealed boxes. You’ll need fresh clothes, wash kit, a couple of towels and the breakfast items for the morning, but everything else can go away. My special reminder is to keep the coffee pot out and a few mugs and teaspoons, milk and sugar. We all have a mid-morning break on the day and it’s so much nicer to enjoy a cup of tea or coffee. Especially imperative at this time, is that you get a sound nights sleep. Moving day is a long day so catch your rest and wake up refreshed and energised ready to rock and roll.

Step 4: Get up and enthusiasm!

If your movers are coming by 8am, it follows that you’ll aim to be up, washed, dressed and fed earlier than they arrive. Then you’ve got to get the breakfast dishes washed dried and packed, get the wash kit away, but leave a towel and a little soap in the bathroom. Strip your beds down and bag the sheets, pillows and duvets. Seal up all the boxes which have been left unsealed up to this stage and presto, youre all set. When the movers arrive, thay can move straight to work lifting boxes away to the van while you polish off a small amount of last moment tasks. Once your boxes and furniture are moved out, you’ve got to turn out the lights, lock up, transfer the keys and get after that truck.

Hopefully at present you’re looking forwards to moving. I know as soon as I arrive on nearly all jobs, a look of absolute panic is showing, but generally by the mid morning break we’ve got the bulk of it finished and things calm down. If you take my advice and abide by the plan then you to will be able to sleep well the night beforehand and welcome your movers with a smile.

Warmest regards from me, and let me know how it went.