DIY checklist for packing boxes and moving house

Moving to a new house can be very exciting. However, it only really gets exciting about a month after you’ve already moved and everything has been unpacked and put away. The initial work of packing boxes and moving is what most people would call a massive pain in the backside.

It doesn’t matter how big your house is or how many people are helping you get through the laborious task of packing up and shipping out, there will always come a time where you just want to stop packing boxes, sit down and cry. This is not anything to be ashamed of as sometimes sitting down and crying really does solve everything, or it at least makes us feel a little better.

Even as an adult, you’re allowed to throw a temper tantrum every now and then. And sometimes moving to a new house calls for one as you start to realise that you have about 10 times more belongings then you had originally accounted for.

Packing boxes for what may seem like months can definitely cause stress. What do you keep, and what should you chuck out? Do you really need so many books? Heck, at some point you probably questioned your need for plates, too. At Loans NZ, we’re all about minimizing your stress which is why we’ve put together a DIY house moving checklist for you to follow next time you relocate, even if it’s just up the street.

DIY checklist for moving to a new house

1. Establish moving date

This is an easy one as you obviously need to know the date on which you will be making the dreaded move. If it is up to you to decide on the date that you move then make sure you pick one that gives you plenty of time to get it all done. Weekends are generally easiest so you don’t have to take time off work but if you are able to do so, you could even set your move day as a Friday. This will give you 3 days to move, unpack and clean so you don’t have to start your week falling over boxes, scrambling to find things and trying to find and get out the door.

2. Recruit your minions

Whether you’re moving by yourself, with friends or with your family, chances are you’re going to need some extra help. If you don’t want to pay for removalists or rent out a moving truck, it’s a good idea to recruit people who have muscles and a ute or truck. As moving isn’t exactly everyone’s favourite thing to do, the recruiting process may require some bribery. Lunch on the house, a 6 pack of beer or an abundance of compliments could go a long way in helping you with your move.

3. Conduct an inventory of your belongings

As difficult as this may be, taking stock of everything you own will help keep you organised in your move and will also be ideal for insurance purposes. The best way to do this is by categorising everything that you own and then making a list of your belongings from each category. It’s likely that you will also come across things that you completely forgot you owned. This is a great opportunity to either put those items to good use, or throw them away seeing as you forgot you owned them so they can’t have been overly important.

4. Stop hoarding

It’s common practice for your belongings to multiple significantly, especially if you’ve lived in that one house for a long time. You won’t believe how much stuff you have. Thinking about packing boxes with all these things may cause a bit of tightening in your chest. Therefore, you must be diligent in getting rid of what you don’t need, and there is likely to be an abundance of junk that you could let go of.

That broken side table that you’ve kept to hold your junk mail. That giant box of Lego you’ve stored in the back of the cupboard in case your teenage children decide they want to play with it again. That weird painting your Grandmother gave you that you keep wrapped up in sheets under the house. Get rid of it! Don’t make this process more difficult than it has to be.

5. Be sure to take a break from packing boxes

You may begin to feel this impending sense of doom as you can’t possibly imagine how you’re ever going to get everything done. You may lose all hope and faith in yourself and the idea of throwing everything out and starting fresh might seem very appealing. When you get to this stage it means that it’s time for you to stop packing boxes, put down the packing tape, walk into the kitchen and open the fridge. Then you grab whatever alcoholic beverage you have in there, open it and take a sip.

Note: we’re not trying to encourage the use of alcohol as a problem solver, we’re just trying to make it clear that everything is going to be ok… and also that wine could help you locate that cheerful disposition that you’re missing.

Once you have taken a sip, walk outside, close the door behind you and go for a walk. Keep walking. Yep, keep going. Keep going until you can’t see your house anymore and then keep walking some more. Then, start running and never come back.

Ok, so definitely don’t do that. All joking aside, there will be much more difficult tasks in life than moving house so take a sip of your drink and do actually take yourself for a walk but make sure you come back. Sometimes you just need to temporarily remove yourself from a situation in order to calm any rising anxiety it may be causing you.

6. Make sure things are clean

It’s always a good idea to go to the new house before you’ve moved anything in and give it a big clean. Hopefully, it should already be in quite a clean condition but it won’t hurt to go back over the surfaces and corners to make sure the place is ready for you to move your things in. Once everything is in place, you don’t want to have to move it again, ever, so cleaning beforehand will hopefully help you avoid having to do so. It’s also worth wiping things down as you pack them so you don’t cart your dirt across to your shiny new home.

7. Plan where things will go

In between cleaning and packing boxes, make sure you make some time to plan where things will go in the new place. This is quite an exciting part of moving as you’re basically given a clean slate to have things exactly where you wanted them in the old house but were too lazy to move. This will also makes the actual move a little less stressful and strenuous as you’ll be able to bring your belongings in and put them where they’re supposed to be straight away.

8. Binge eat your way through the kitchen

Once again, you don’t want to make this process any more difficult than it needs to be. This means that you should try and minimise the amount of stuff you have to move as much as you can. If you’ve been looking for an excuse to finally finish those potato gems in the freezer or polish off that half empty packet of Tim Tams in the cupboard, here it is. Try and finish off everything that’s already been opened in the fridge and pantry and try your hardest to make your way through the frozen goods. This may mean that your dinners are a little creative for the week or so leading up to the move but it will make your life so much easier when you’re packing boxes. It will also minimise the amount of wastage in case there are any calorie casualties in the move.

9. Notify relevant parties

This is something you should have done a few weeks before moving so if you’re just reading this now and you’re moving tomorrow, it’s definitely too late. Ok, no it’s not too late but it is always good to be organised. There are a few parties that you should notify of your move. These include;

• The post office
• Australian Electoral Commission
• Australian Tax Office
• Welfare (Centrelink, seniors card, veteran affairs, etc.)
• Departments for driving licenses and car registrations
• Medicare
• Council rates, registrations and memberships
• All utility companies (electricity, internet, mobile phone, Foxtel, etc.)
• Medical agencies (general practitioner, vet, private health insurance, etc.)
• Work/ school
• Bank
• And clubs you’re a member of
• Family and friends
• Insurance
• Pet microchip registry
• E-tags/ toll
• Gym membership
• Any subscriptions you have

10. Let there be light

Unless you want to be sitting in the dark, it’s probably a good idea to transfer/ set up electricity and other utilities at your new address. This can be done by just a single phone call to your relevant providers.

11. Review home and contents insurance

If you’re packing boxes and moving into a house that you’ve bought, make sure you get home and contents insurance, if you haven’t already done so. This will protect you from any damage cause to your house from wild weather and other natural disasters, as well as structural faults or mishaps, and any break ins or vandalism.

12. Bond clean

If you’re moving out of a rental, we recommend getting a professional bond clean done, especially if you’re able to split the expense. Packing boxes and moving to a new house is stressful enough without having to go to the extreme effort of making your old house perfectly clean. If you’ve got the dollars to spare, definitely invest them in some professional help.

10 Helpful tips and trick for when you move to a new house

1. If leasing, document the condition of the property and furnishings with the appropriate agent
2. Have security checked and locks changed if you are concerned
3. Assembling and making up beds should be one of the first things you do in the new house
4. Settle children and pets with familiar items for comfort and reassurance
5. If you used a moving company, notify them immediately if anything is missing
6. If you have cats, keep them inside for a few days
7. Contact your new local council for garbage collection information and new resident’s folders
8. Meet the neighbours
9. Think of a name for your new house – here are some ideas.
10. Be thankful that the move is over and make plans to stay in your new house for as long as possible.