How to Make Moving and Settling in Easy

Last month, we talked about common fears when moving abroad and how to overcome them. Once you overcome them, comes the big move. Whether you are moving to another state or overseas, we want our first night at our new place to be stress-free. Here’s a guest post from Maria of GlobalisationGuide on how to make moving and settling in easy.

Moving to a new place can be an overwhelming experience for some, while for others, it could be a dreading event. Fair enough, it can be quite stressful because of the many things that need to be done like organizing your stuff.

If you want to make moving and settling into your new house easy and stress-free, it’s good to have a planned and structured method in making things more manageable.

How to Make Moving and Settling in Easy:

1. Get your transport ready

You can move to your new house by yourself or with the assistance of a professional mover. Either way, you need to know how much you are bringing to your new place. Renting a big van will put your money to waste if you only have little things. Meanwhile, renting a small van will hike up your service or petrol price because of the number of trips you would take. U-Haul rentals have trailers in different sizes – it’s worth checking out.

If you are not rushing to move, you may wish to do some trips over a few days or weeks. You may hire someone to install your furniture while the rest of the team will work on bringing in the remaining items to your new home. It is advised most of the time to plan and move the biggest furniture and items first prior to moving everything else. Extending your move would save you some money on professional movers or van rentals. 

Wellington’s: We have a relative who drove from New York to Atlanta every month for several months to move their furniture and things. This could be time-consuming, but he only has to spend money on gas. Different strokes for different people.

2. Check the facilities

Before you even purchase or rent a place, you should check for any leaks, termites, and damage. Check if the wiring and piping are properly installed. Check if all the facilities at your new home are working like the heater, gas, electricity, and water. You should also know where the circuit breaker and water shut-off are located. Make sure the smoke and carbon monoxide detectors are working, and the fire extinguisher is filled. If there’s a fireplace, let them show you how it works. Your place should make you feel safe and comfortable. 

3. Unpacking

Wait! Before you unpack, clean the house first! If you are renting, lucky you, the owner will clean the house for you. If you bought the house, then at least do a light cleaning or dusting. Another option is to have a professional cleaner come before your arrival. They can do deep cleaning including carpet cleaning and bathroom scrubbing.

Once the house is clean, you can unpack. Tackle boxes on priority. Obviously, you don’t need to unpack all the boxes on the first day (unless you only have a couple of them). If you have kids, unpack all the essentials – diapers, wipes, bottles, clothes, blanket, toys, etc. Happy baby means happy momma!

Whether you have beds or not, take out the bed sheets and pillowcases, so they are ready for later.

Next is the kitchen items. Only unpack what you need for the day and the next morning like plates, utensils, mugs, toaster, coffee maker, etc. Whatever you don’t need yet can stay in the box in the meantime.

The last one for the day is the bathroom. Unpack your toiletries, mats, shower curtain, and a towel. You can use your grocery plastic bags as trash bags so there are no messes or clutters in your new house.

If you still have time or energy, you can unpack more like your clothes, shoes, and bags. Others like to display their picture frames first to ease homesickness.

Read also: How to Deal with Homesickness as an Expat

4. Measure and buy

Before you move to your new house,  measure the area of each room so you can plan for your furniture. It also gives you an estimation of the number of things you can put in each room. Keep in mind to leave some empty spaces intended for walking and to simply have the sense of “space”. Whether you are a minimalist or you want to splurge, it’s better to buy the essentials first.

Wellington’s: When we were shopping for our new house in Atlanta, we thought all rooms have the same sizes. So we ordered 5 king-sized beds and mattresses. When they were delivered, we found out one of the rooms was actually smaller! We had to return one set, and order again a queen size. That’s why, it’s better to have an idea of how big the rooms are to save yourself time and headache!

5. Prepare for the first night

Set up the bed first! Don’t you want to sleep in your own bed after a long day of traveling and unpacking?

We hope your bed has been delivered before your arrival. If that’s not your plan, you can buy a bed at an affordable price. When moving to your new house, it is better to move your bed into the house first and have them installed just to make sure that you have a space to sleep on for the first night. 

Wellington’s: When we moved to Alaska, on the first day, we only bought 2 king-sized beds and mattresses and everything that came with it like pillows, sheets and pillowcases. Nothing else, but at least we slept comfortably on our first night!

Most importantly, relax and enjoy your new home!

Final Thoughts!

The above five tips are simply the general guidelines to manage things better, and reduce the stress that comes with the move. Taking care of all these things makes moving and settling into your new home easier.

If you get to spend the first night in a clean home, feeling as if you are well on your way to creating a space you love, you will be even happier with your purchase. Best of all, the house will be all your own to organize, decorate, and turn into a home.

Have you recently moved into a new place? Do you have other tips for moving and settling into a new home?

About the author:

Maria Cordova – A business and social entrepreneur. Advocate for innovation and sustainability. 2016 Young Leaders of the Americas Initiative (YLAI) fellow, Techcamp alumni, and international entrepreneurship speaker. Currently writing for global nomads at globalisationguide.org.

Content edited for clarity. Featured mage by cottonbro from Pexels

Pin this post!

***