Moving house is equal parts exciting and daunting. You’ve either bought or leased a new place so there’s a new positive change to look forward to. But then there’s the admin. So much admin. You need to arrange so much and put your life on hold for a few days while you do the big move. And then there’s the fact that you need to say goodbye to an old chapter of your life while a new one begins. And that can be hard. So let’s learn how to make the move a bit easier and how to prepare a goodbye ritual for your old home.
Prepare Early
As soon as you know you’re moving house you should begin to prepare. Start with arranging your moving boxes. You have heaps of options here: buy new, buy second hand or see if you can get some for free. Plenty of places sell brand new moving boxes, from hardware stores through to self-storage joints. You can also find second-hand moving boxes for sale on Facebook marketplace or Gumtree – and these same places often have people giving them away for free. Why pay when you don’t have to? So try to score some free ones first before forking out.
Book Removalists Ahead of Time
You don’t want to get to moving week and try to book a removalist and find out that they’re booked out. Once you know the day you can move in, book a company ahead of time. This will also give you some time to save money as removalists aren’t cheap – budget for a thousand to fifteen hundred dollars to move a whole house and $250-500 to move a room or two.
Think Ahead to Your New Connections
Make sure that you arrange for the connection of all your utilities at the new property. Gas, power, phone, internet, water and cable TV (if you have it) all need to be set up and waiting for you when you arrive so you’re not without the basics of modern life in your new home.
Learn to Let Go
It can be difficult to move out of an area, especially if you’ve grown up there or built a life and a connection to the local community. If it helps, you can begin to let go by telling yourself that you’re going to be forging some new, positive memories in your new neighbourhood and that home is where the heart is at the end of the day.
Host a House-Cooling
A house-cooling party can be the perfect way to say goodbye to your old place. Invite all your friends, family and loved ones who have graced your old home with their presence over the years and break out the booze and music. Have a few drinks and celebrate all the time you’ve spent in the place with those that made it so special. This can help to ease the pain of saying goodbye to a loved home.
Farewell but not Finished
Remember that this is a new chapter of your life and the beginning of something fresh and wonderful. Prepare early and grab some moving boxes and book the removalists ahead of time. Think ahead and plan your utility connections so you’re plugged in and ready to live when you arrive at the new place. Learn to let go of your old associations and host a house-cooling party to assist with this. Soon you’ll be creating some brand new memories under a brand new roof and you’ll always have the fond recollections of the home that was before.