How to move happy!

Congratulations - you're finally moving! You've been meaning to find pastures new for a while, and you've now you’ve taken the leap and signed on the dotted line - you're ready to re-locate! You've still got a few months until you move, but soon months turn to weeks, weeks turn to days, days turn to hours, and hours turn to, "Quick, the van's here!!!" 

If you're not completely organised it's easy to feel overwhelmed and out of control. You think you've packed everything, and then you find those boxes under your bed...and then there's those shoe boxes full of old photographs at the back of your wardrobe to sort through! 

Oh, to sit down with a cup of tea in quiet contemplation, looking on at a serene sea of sealed boxes ready to go a week beforehand. But who on earth can be that smug?! Realistically, it's a last-minute forage for tea bags that have been packed away somewhere, and it's a fight for the last drop of luke-warm milk stored in a bucket of ice water in the sink, while the fridge/freezer defrosts! Anyone who says that their move was smooth sailing probably wasn't even there!

To top it all off the removal men arrive, they take one look at your boxes, hands on hips and shake their heads, "Nope - no way - you've got far too much, we can't do all this." They only agree to help once you've flashed the cash, but then they spend the whole day trudging through your new home in a strop like a hormonal teenager. You soon realise you've booked the much feared ‘cowboy movers’ and all optimism for your new adventure has been eradicated!

We are in the removal business, so we don't like to blast our own kind. But from our point of view, if you don't enjoy removals - you're in the wrong job! There is no point calling yourself a ‘professional removal person’ if all you do is break for tea every ten minutes, moan about your bad back and flirt with the woman you're helping to move! That abominable behaviour should not be tolerated at any cost!
 
We want you to have a pleasant moving experience and hate to hear of those horror stories, where removal men have stolen valuables, or charged hidden extras, or made rude remarks and patronised you because they are the 'muscle'. They often feel they can ‘peacock’ and ‘parade’ about for a few hours like the Mitchell Brothers, but that’s not us!
 
We LOVE moving you - we LOVE hearing your life stories and getting you settled and sorted. That’s because we know that we are in the right job! More importantly, this move isn’t about us – it’s about YOU!
We've moved enough people going through all sorts of difficult situations to recognise patterns - and we know from your experiences that it is vital to plan ahead. If not, you suffer the stress of having a hundred and one things to do in twenty four hours – and you’re not jack Bauer! 
 
We've collated a few handy tips to (hopefully) make sure your move goes smoothly, before and after you call us for your move! There are endless tips we could list, but here’s a few to get you started..

1. Embrace change

Here's the thing - change is always scary, but it's inevitable. Whether you like it or not, whether you want to or not, you are going through change - so you may as well enjoy the journey and jump in with both feet! It helps to have support around you from your family and friends, but some situations rely on YOU to be the decision-maker or the 'organised' one - especially if you're a parent or carer. They say moving is up there on the stress level of a divorce, so it’s understandable to feel a little shaken.
 
It's also easy to dread moving; being surrounded by boxes (sometimes packing into the early hours), remembering to transfer your home insurance and broadband to your new address. However - why worry? Seriously - what will worrying accomplish? What does expecting the worst in a situation ever do for you? It does nothing but cause you to become anxious and immobile - you can’t afford to be a ‘rabbit in the headlights’. It's your move and it matters to your future - so by all means pre-empt the worst, but plan for the best.
 
Change helps us to grow, to improve, to develop - change is the only thing in life that we can be sure will inevitably occur atleast once a day - so why dread what's coming?! Make lists, think ahead, but if you veer from your packing plan – don’t stress, just take a deep breath and jump back in.
 
2. Be kind to yourself
 
Give yourself permission to not be okay..and to eat ice cream if you want to! There are some days where everything goes right for you, and there are some days where everything goes wrong – but how you handle each situation is up to you. You’re not responsible for everyone’s happiness - if you have friends or family who aren’t being supportive during your move then try to limit your time with them. You don’t have enough energy to move house or relocate while worrying what everyone else thinks about it. Pack when YOU have the energy, rest when YOU need to!
 
Delegate packing certain rooms to your children or family members - they want to be involved and will enjoy feeling trusted by you to help.
 
Take as much time as you need to organise your things when packing, but don’t go rifling through old diaries or photos of your exes – there’s no time to go through heartache twice! Just pack it and get on to the next thing – stay focused on where you’re going – not where you’ve been.
 
3. Stay thankful
 
As a child, did you ever try to leave your dinner unfinished at the table and have your parent say to you, “There are starving children in Africa who would love to eat that!”? Well, you finishing your dinner didn’t help the starving children in Africa, but hearing that fact may have made you more grateful for your meal. In the same way, I know moving isn’t easy – but atleast you are in the position to move. You have the freedom to move where you like – you are not a tree! You have the freedom to get married, or to get divorced, to go travelling, to breath in fresh air, to have a roof over your head!
 
You only have to leave your front door to see people sadly sleeping on the streets; and hopefully you are not in that circumstance so are in a better position to be of help to them and yourself. Simply taking a moment throughout the day to be grateful and to notice all of the good things in your life in that moment, works wonders when in ‘panic mode’. Being thankful for life, your family, your friends, your job, your pets – everything that you can think of will give you the drive and motivation you need to get back up and moving with purpose and positivity. You can do this!
 
4. Plan ahead
 
Now here’s the practical bit..I cannot stress the importance of packing atleast 2 weeks in advance. We always think we have enough time, and we don’t have that much to pack. However, we’ve all been there at 2 am with the familiar shrill noise of parcel tape tearing between our teeth! Frantically cramming ornaments into over-packed boxes the night before isn’t fun!
 
As soon as you know where and when you’re moving, start collecting boxes and tackle one room at a time. Don’t do it all on your own – again I encourage you to recruit people you trust to help you pack when they can.
 
Do as much as you can do before the removal company get there – unscrew your beds and make sure the exits are easy to access for quick loading if you’re paying them an hourly rate. The removal team will usually load the larger items on to their van first, so have them easily accessible, with the small items able to be loaded on last. Make sure your breakables are clearly labeled ‘fragile’ and use plenty of bubble-wrap! Keep the box with the kettle and snacks to hand so you can access that easily at your new abode too!
 
We also recommend you bring a moving buddy for moral support so you’re not in it alone. You don’t want to appear vulnerable to movers who think they can slack off if they’re untrustworthy (unless you choose us – we won’t take advantage, just read our reviews!)
 
It’s also a good idea to lay down plastic sheeting if you’re treading on newly cleaned carpets in your new home. Removal boots have visited many a property, so can’t be guaranteed to be clean! Dirty boot prints and scuffmarks on skirting boards are the last thing you want - so watch out for the walls too!
 
Now you’re moved in, we recommend you sit down with a cuppa and take some time out! Even better, go out for an hour to clear your head. You’ve achieved a great thing by moving somewhere new, and you’ve got a brand new start ahead of you, so take as much time as you need to settle in and relax with a takeaway!
 
We hope you’ve found our tips helpful for moving happy! Contact us today to book your next move, we look forward to hearing from you!