Even with the help and guidance of a real estate agent, buying the perfect home can be exhausting. But once the deal is done and the deed is in your hands, the hard work isn’t over. You might want to do some painting and another remodeling to your new purchase. But regardless of the house’s condition, you have to move into it! Only then does a house become a home. And moving into a house, even one that’s ready to be lived in as it stands can be stressful. So here are five tips to make the move a bit easier.
1) Label and unpack your boxes by room
Getting to your new house with hundreds of identical cardboard boxes can be overwhelming. And even if you labeled the tops of your boxes, it will be difficult to tell which holds what when they’re all stacked on top of each other. But even if you knew where everything was, it would be tough to remember where you want everything to go. To help with both problems, label the sides of each box with a list of what’s inside and the room it’s meant to be unpacked in. Take it a step further by color-coding each box by room. That way the boxes will be easy to pick apart and unpack.
2) Use your dresser’s drawers to move clothes
Don’t use boxes when you don’t have to! Save money, time, and space by keeping your folded clothes in the drawers where they normally live. When it comes time to move your dresser take out each drawer and cover the tops with plastic wrap. That should make the dresser lighter and easier to move and save you the step of refolding and organizing your clothes. And once you put the dresser in its new spot, just replace each drawer and you’ll be ready to find a change of clothes when needed
3) Plan your last grocery store visit
Take note of how long it takes you to use up a batch of groceries. If groceries last your family about a week, then don’t buy new groceries a week before your move. That way, you won’t have a fridge full of food when it’s time to move the refrigerator into the new house. You won’t waste food or money, so it works out nicely. Which reminds me.
4) Defrost your refrigerator and similar appliances
Once it’s empty, unplug your refrigerator. Take out all the ice and let the remaining frost melt away. Place a folded towel at the refrigerator’s foot and leave it there overnight. The towel will soak up water that drains out from the melting ice left inside. Be sure to wipe down any remaining water the next morning. By controlling the defrosting process, you’ll keep the ice from melting in the back of a truck or moving van and wetting everything else you’re moving.
5) Pack your toiletries and other necessities separately
Take a backpack or small suitcase and fill it with things like a toothbrush, toothpaste, a razor, glasses or contact lenses, and a couple of changes of clothes. That way, you’ll know where the essentials are and you can find them when you need them. Nothing is worse than digging through boxes to try and find pajamas and toiletries after a long day of unpacking. Packing a small bag with the necessities like you would when you travel will make it easy to find what you’re looking for when you need it the most.
So before you start moving into your new home, keep these tips in mind to make the process a little easier. Just know the work will be worth it!
