Things You Forget When Moving House

One of the most daunting aspects of moving house is the sheer number of things you’re required to remember. It can be so convoluted, you end up having to create to-do lists to remind you to look at your other to-do lists. On and on it goes, with more and more to remember. No wonder your poor, cluttered brain starts protesting and, without good luck on your side, you end up forgetting one or two things. Fortunately, for most of us, the overlooked tasks are the less important ones. But occasionally, something vital gets missed or forgotten and havoc ensues. Moving house is challenging enough without oversights causing additional worry and disorder. To safeguard you against this, here is some guidance to help ensure that nothing gets overlooked in your move. These are the things that we find are most frequently forgotten by people moving house:

• Box-labelling. As straightforward as it might seem to annotate your cardboard boxes with black marker and stickers, it’s surprising how often it doesn’t get done, leading to a hideously protracted unpacking process in which each box has to be opened and its contents examined before it can be taken to the correct room, let alone unpacked. Labelling boxes by summarising their contents and indicating the room to which they should be assigned saves vast amounts of time. Also to be included on labels is any other pertinent information (e.g. are the contents fragile?).
• Overnight box. With all the distractions caused by a move, one particularly vital box is sometimes omitted and that’s the one you’ll need most in your first 48 hours in the new home. It should contain items like a kettle, change of clothes, cooking utensils and some basic cutlery and crockery, pet food, toiletries, a set of basic bedding. If there’s else anything you think you’ll need straight away, then into this box it goes.
• Disclosing your move. There are organisations and individuals it’s important we inform of our move. This includes employers, GPs, banks, utilities, schools, friends and family members. With utilities, it’s not just a case of letting them know; we also need to take readings of any meters on our old property (e.g. water meter) before we depart.
• Mail redirection. Visiting the post office to get this organised is often low on people’s lists and can, if concentration slips, be knocked off altogether.
• Vital documents. With these, it’s a case of remembering NOT to pack them. Your driver’s license, passport, credit/debit cards, and keys should stay with you and not inadvertently end up deep inside a cardboard box, impossible to locate.
• Cold bags and ice boxes. Acquiring these in advance of your move means you’ll be able to preserve food from your fridge and freezer. Forget them, and you’ll have to throw everything out.