Moving House

Okay the deed is done.  I have finally moved my family of 6 with 10 years worth of stuff.  In the midst of closing a million dollar deal at work.

It took more than a month to plan, pack, move and unpack.  I was also crazy enough to move a week before Chinese New Year.  Tensions were high in the household with the lack of sleep and the many decisions that have to be made at short notice.  I highly do not recommended it and certainly do not want to inflict this even on my worst enemy (well, maybe if it is the worst one!). 

And yes, the rumour is true.  Unpacking is way scarier than packing.

After my very "harrowing" experience of moving, here's a list of tips and tricks that may help to reduce the pain.

1. Tools
   
   Here's a list of tools you may need for the move :
   a. Moving boxes
   b.  Marker pens in various colours - Black for writing and Red for labeling
   c.  Packing Tape - Plastic for sealing and paper for labeling
   d.  Old newspapers and bubble wrap - For breakables
   e.  Pen
   f.  Clipboard with lined paper
   g. A basket or bag to carry everything in
   
   Putting all your tools in one basket or bag makes sure you don't lose anything in the process of packing.
   


2. Declutter
   
   Before you move the junk you may have accumulated over the years, from one home to another, consider decluttering first.  For me, I threw away at least 40% of the stuff in my old home.  This ensured that I not just move everything, but only things that are useful or that I cannot live without.
   


3. Organise
   
   After you declutter, you should organise all your stuff into boxes or storage containers that you could essentially just place directly on new storage space.  For example, dear husband packed the tool box and cleaned it up before the move.  When it got to the new place, we put it directly into the yard cupboard.  It was the same with the first aid kid, my art materials and the sewing tools.  I also organised the kids' stuff this way.  After the moving was done, I could ask my kids to pack their own rooms.  It was much easier for everyone not needing to run around the house looking for their own stuff.
   


4. Categorise
   
   Make sure that when you pack those moving boxes, you label the following things on the box :
   a.  A running number
   b.  The room it should go to e.g. Master Bedroom
   c.  The representing letter for the room e.g. MB
   d.  The contents of the box e.g. Financial Files
   Other items such as chairs or electical applicances should also be labeled. 
   
   This helps with 2 things :
   a.  On moving day, all the rooms / areas in your house should be labeled e.g. I put a big label on my Master Bedroom door that had red letters "MB" on it. This helped the movers move the boxes to the correct room / areas of my house, WITHOUT me telling them.  So everything that has "MB" labeled on it will be move to the room with the "MB" label.
    b.  If there is an urgent need, you know exactly which box to open for a certain item since it is properly labeled.
   A list is then kept of all the boxes / items.  After the move, it can also serve as a checklist to make sure you have not lost anything.  In the event an item is lost, you can claim for insurance easily, since you know exactly what is in the box.
   
   One more thing, do not overpack!  You do not want the boxes to give way and all your stuff on the floor during the move.
   


5. Moving
   
   a.  Make sure you have the tool basket described in 1 with you, together with a prepared cheque for the movers.  This way you will not be hunting for your cheque book in the midst of all the mess.
   b.  Engage the help of family or friends to be lookouts during the moving process.  Some can be at the old place and some at the new.  Additional pair of eyes is useful for both security as well as to make sure everything that needs to be moved is moved.
   c.  Get ready cleaning cloths at the new place as furniture and shelves may need to be cleaned before unpacking.
   d.  Protect any new furniture that may have been moved in before moving day.
   e.  Best if you could engage family or friends or a baby sitter to watch the kids.  This is really not a family activity, at least not for me, since I want it done quick and fuss free.
   


6. Unpacking
   
   Set yourself a target and finish unpacking in that timeframe.  This is because if you don't have an end date, you end up with one of two things.  You either never finish unpacking that last 5 boxes of stuff and they sit in the corner of your study OR you are constantly unpacking for the next year that you live there.  Because we have a hard stop date of the Chinese New Year, we took vacation leave from work, left the kids with their grandparents and then worked really hard for a week to get unpacked.  No, we still have not really unpacked some of the smaller boxes but they are where they should be.

Most of the move is still really hard work, but all the above tips should put you in a better position to manage the process and actually leave you some time to enjoy the new home!  Happy moving!