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Hire A Box to Help Your Next Move

Welcome to my final post about moving house.

It is nearly the end of the year and for some this means a new start; A new or bigger home, or maybe a move interstate.  End of year also means that many with be on holidays and so will the kids, perfect time to focus on what needs to be packed and moved to your new house.

It does not matter where you are moving to, you will need some great quality boxes to help you pack up all your treasures and items for the big day.

So how can Hire A Box help you?

Hire A Box has two great options. You can hire the boxes or you can purchase new/used ones.

  • Hiring boxes – This is a great idea. Once you are finished with them they can be returned and someone else can use them. (3 months is the maximum hire period). There is no delivery fee if you hire $65 or more worth of boxes. I like the idea of being able to hire the boxes. As someone that has moved so many times that I have lost count it would be good to just get rid of the boxes and have someone come and sort it all out for you. Plus, it is good for the environment, you are recycling the items for more than one use.
  • Buying boxes – If you wish to have the boxes for more than three months then this would be a better option for you. You also get free delivery if your order is over $99
Different types of boxes from Hire A Box
Different types of boxes from Hire A Box

 

Check out my 7 Packing Tips to Move House With Ease

All the boxes ready to be packed.
All the boxes ready to be packed.

Tips for packing boxes:

  1. Get good quality boxes first. Good boxes that are sturdy to hold books and heavy items. You don’t want to have flimsy boxes that will break as soon as you put anything with weight into them.
  2. Make sure to pack heavy items in smaller boxes. This way they will not be too heavy to lift and don’t make them too heavy.When I was little my mum packed a whole lot of her books in a tea chest (a real tea chest, not a cardboard box). When we got to our new house my dad could not lift it due to how heavy it was. He of course was very annoyed and upset about it all. So, avoid upset and hurting yourself and don’t pack all your books together. Make sure that you have boxes that can be lifted easily.
  3. Put lighter things in bigger boxes – Pillows, files, teddies, keep sakes and glassware.
  4. It is a good idea to reinforce the bottom of the box with tape. If the box has been used before this is essential as the box will stay together and be stronger for your current move.
  5. Don’t have items poking out the top of the box, always make sure you can seal the box. This will make sure that your items stay secure.
  6. Make sure that all boxes are labelled so that you can see easily what is in them. If they are not labelled you will have to open them all to find what you are looking for.

If you do decide to purchase boxes some are great to store your Christmas decorations, files, and the winter woollies. It is always great to have some good quality boxes that will allow you to pack much loved items away for future use.

So now that you have your boxes regardless of whether you have hired them or purchased, you now need to get packing. I know this is one job that I really don’t enjoy and if I could have someone do it for me I would.

The lovely team at Hire A Packer packing up a bedroom.
The lovely team at Hire A Packer packing up a bedroom.

Did you know?

You can hire the lovely team at Hire A Packer to do all your packing for you. Everything done and a no stress way to pack your house.

If you loved the idea of not doing it yourself, you could also hire the team at Hire A Mover to move all your prepacked boxes to your new place.  This is the way to go, not lifting a finger and moving house. Ideal if you ask me.

This post was written in conjunction with Hire A Mover, a Sydney Removal company.

Thanks for following my series about Moving House. I hope that you got some great tips out of my posts. If you have a great tip that can help others please feel free to email me.

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7 Packing Tips to Move House With Ease

Welcome to my second article in my moving house series.

Do you feel overwhelmed with all the things you need to do to move house?

Do you have a lot of stuff to sort through? I understand and feel your pain. I like anyone have accumulated stuff and things that I would not know what to do with.  Many of these things are related to kids and therefore means we might have more junk than useful items.

If you are like me, you will need to sort through all your things to ensure that you are not going to move junk or unwanted items to the new house.

Sort out and declutter all items before you even start to pack.
Sort out and declutter all items before you even start to pack.

Below is a list of how to break up your items so that you can only keep the essentials to put in the moving van:

  • Keep
  • Give away to charity or to friends
  • Or throw away due to not working or being broken. Some items might be able to be recycled.
  • Sell – You might have some lovely furniture that is too big for the new place or that you no longer have any use for. How about organising a garage sale and making a few dollars from your loved items to help with the move or maybe for night out.

    If you leave items at the front of your house with a note that they are free many people take them away for you. Easy and stress free too!
    If you leave items at the front of your house with a note that they are free many people take them away for you. Easy and stress free too!

With the above list you need to think about the following:

  • Keep – Have you used the item in the last year. Do you love it? Is it something that holds sentimental value? If you have more than one should you keep two? If you regularly use the item, then keep it. If you are not using it, you might need to think about giving it away if it is still in good order.
  • Give away – Make sure that what you are thinking of giving away is in good order. By this I mean is it clean, not broken and can be used like it should be. If the answer is NO then maybe this item cannot be given away. It might need to be recycled or thrown out. If the answer is YES then by all means give it to someone that can use the item.
  • Throw away – Yes hard to do but if the item is broken it is wise to get rid of it. You are just storing things that you are not using. Why pay for movers to take more items to the new house that you are not using and therefore fill up more space that could be used for other things. Get rid of the things that are not working and you are not using! You will feel better for it. TRUST ME!
  • Sell – If you find that you have some lovely pieces of furniture or artwork or anything really that you don’t have the space for it might be a good thing to sell them. You could host a garage sale or maybe even sell them via the community pages online (many social media sites have local sites dedicated to selling or even giving items away to people that need them). This is a good way to get a little extra cash and also your beloved items are going to someone that loves them just as much as you do. So it is a win all round.

So once you have sorted through your things to figure out what needs to be packed you can then start packing…. Phew I hear you say! Or maybe some other strong word.

If you are thinking thank god that is all sorted maybe you need a drink to just relax.  I’ll wait until you finish your beverage………………. Ahhhhhhhhhhhhh all done. Great!  Now here are the tips that can help you pack with ease and of course have a stress free move.

The wonderful ladies from Hire A Packer.
The wonderful ladies from Hire A Packer.

7 Packing Tips to help you move house

  1. Start early – Don’t leave the packing to the last minute. It is a good idea to allow about six weeks to get it all done. You might have it done earlier but at least this gives you ample time to pack everything and to not race around like a mad person.”
  2. Label everything! – I know it sounds obvious but make sure you have labels printed out or at the least write on the boxes what is in it and what room it is for. For example: Kitchen, cutlery, plates, and bowls. Having labels on boxes makes it so much easier when you get to the new place. You will know what room the box goes in and if you are looking for a certain item you can clearly see on the box if this item would be in it. Here are some extra tips from Hire A Packer about packing up your kitchen.
  3. Don’t pack boxes heavier than 20kg – If the boxes are too heavy you will not be able to lift them and the box might break too. Make sure you pack heavy items at the bottom of the box and lighter ones on the top of the box. Also make sure that don’t over pack the box.
  4. Use quality boxes – Don’t use garbage bags to move, they can tear and cause you more issues. You don’t want to have your things falling out everywhere. Good strong cardboard boxes are best. The boxes also can handle more weight so that is good if you have a lot of heavy items. If you need boxes for your move Hire A Box has some that you can purchase or hire.
  5. Pack one room at a time – If you pack one room at a time you will feel more organised. Packing a whole house is a HUGE job so doing one room at a time makes it more manageable. Make sure to pack the items you don’t use all the time first, this way if you need something that you use it is easier to find.
  6. Pack a travel bag – This travel bag will have changes of clothes, toiletries and other essential items. It is a good idea to have it with you so that you are not going through boxes when you are at the new house. If you have your toothbrush, pj’s and a change of clothes that will save you getting annoyed when you are super tired from the move. Make it easy and have all the things that you think you might need on your first night with you or really easy to find.
  7. Hire Packing Professionals – So if going through all your bits/things and much adored stuff was stressful, hiring packers to pack all your items is the way to go! The team at Hire A Packer are experts and can have your house packed up in hours. Yes, you heard that right, hours.No arguments with the partner, nobody telling you not to do it that way. Leave it to the professionals to organise and you will be a very happy person and of course family.You could even go off to the pub for lunch while your house is getting packed up…. I think that sounds much better if it was me moving.
Hire A Packer makes it so easy to move house. Your house will be packed up expertly in no time.
Hire A Packer makes it so easy to move house. Your house will be packed up expertly in no time.

Unpacking Service

Did you know that the wonderful staff at Hire A Packer can also unpack and put things away in your new house! What a brilliant idea and again this would lower my stress levels.  This can all happen in one day! Yes one day…. I would be unpacking and sorting the house out for weeks, maybe months with kids and other things that need to happen.

Hire A Packer believes “moving should be a pleasant experience”. If this was how I moved last time it would have been a very happy experience.

Would you like to have someone pack your house and then unpack and sort your new house out for you? I know I would.

hap-logo-1-300x212

Do you think that this would change how you move in the future? I think it is well worth the investment as I hate moving and now with three kids it would be a fabulous helping hand. Someone to pack and unpack would be a dream come true! 

Let us know what you did with your last move? Did you do it yourself or hire professionals to help you out? Also what tips did you learn from the experience?

 

The next post in the Moving House Series will be live in December, and will be about boxes. Making sure you have the right box is super important.

I hope this list of tips helps you with your next big move.

This post was written in conjunction with Hire A Mover, a Sydney Removal company.

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Family

15 Tips for Moving House with Kids

Welcome to my series on moving house.

As you might already know, I hate moving house! I actually detest it. I don’t know anyone really who loves it. Do you?

I hope that these posts will make your next move easier and of course stress free, or at least happier.

movers_web

Did you know?

“One in three Australians rank the stress of moving house second only to the horrors of divorce”

“According to the research, four in ten Australians find having to move in a limited time the worst part of moving and half of those surveyed believe their stress would be alleviated if they could have someone else come to pick everything up.” (August, 20, 2007, “Moving house almost as stressful as divorce”, The Daily Telegraph)

 

In the quote above half of the people surveyed about moving house would love someone to come and move everything for them! Well that is a great idea and one that I think would work for me when we move next.

Yes the dream is to have someone move you and the family and all you do is relax…. Well I could sign up for that. What about you?

How do you make things easier when you need to move house and you have children?

  1. Discuss the move with your kids. Explain why you are moving and answer questions, making sure you answer truthfully. If you don’t give proper answers your kids will see through this and get more anxious/stressed.
  2. Make sure the kids are involved with the move. Involve them in the planning and organisation. This might be tough depending on their age but you can give them things to do that are age appropriate. For example, if your kids are young like mine they can write their names and draw pictures on boxes so you know what boxes belong in their room.
  3. Kids like routine and if they have been in the same house since they were born it might be more of an emotional issue leaving the house. However if you are just moving around the corner to get a bigger and better house this will mean that the children are still going to the same school and won’t leave their friends. Explain this and I’m sure they will understand.

    Make sure your kids have their special teddy with them. It will make them feel good that they know where it is, plus it will comfort them to cuddle it when they want to.
    Make sure your kids have their special teddy with them. It will make them feel good that they know where it is, plus it will comfort them to cuddle it when they want to.
  4. If you are moving state or overseas your children might take a while to adjust to the fact that they will be leaving friends and familiar surroundings. Tell the kids that the whole family is going on an amazing adventure. Depending on what country you move to you might have to learn a new language, you will meet new friends and of course can fly home to see good mates and family. When the family is on holidays and on weekends you can explore your new home and learn new things. It will be an exciting and amazing adventure. I know that it is sad to leave your friends. I traveled a lot as a child and changed schools so I can understand how the kids would feel, although I dream of travelling to far off lands and I know that my kids would love to go and see different countries.
  5. Make sure that you as a parent have a positive attitude. Kids take their cues from you so if you are upset they will be too.
  6. Tell your kids that all the toys and furniture is being kept, just packed up so it can be moved to the new house.
  7. If you are toilet training during a HUGE home move it might be wise to stop and start again when you are settled in your new home.
  8. Some people recommend getting the kids room sorted before the rest of the house, this can help anxious children and having their room sorted gives your child a safe haven. The reason for this is to give your kids some normal routine and having familiar things around in a time of upheaval. (I know everyone’s room is important, without a bed and things sorted you cannot function. Once the kid’s rooms are done get other beds sorted. If you do it first when you are exhausted and want to crash your bed is made.)

    Tired after the big move. Since your child's room was sorted they can go to bed when they are sleepy.
    Tired after the big move. Since your child’s room was sorted they can go to bed when they are sleepy.
  9. Make sure that you pack some food, a go to bag of clothes and toiletries. You don’t want to have the essentials in a box that is under all the other boxes. Trust me this has happened to me.
  10. Once you are in the new house allow the kids to decorate or organise their new rooms. (This is within reason of what is allowed in the room and the current furniture you already have. If you have kids like mine they will want to go shopping and have brand new furniture. One day but not now!)
  11. Spend time as a family finding out about your new suburb or new country. Having dates and plans to do things will make the kids feel included and part of everything.
  12. Get a babysitter to help mind the kids while you pack. You will get more done and of course if your children are getting worried about things it will make it easier on you and them if they are distracted a little.
  13. Make sure the kids have a backpack with their favourite teddies/toys with them. They will feel more secure if they have their special mates with them.
  14. Distract kids with an audio book of their favourite story. This will help you get things done while they are busy listening to the audio and playing with toys.
  15. Make sure that you get help with the move. Hiring A Mover will be the best thing you do and I’m sure you will thank you for doing this for the family! This will alleviate the stress and bother of it all. You can make sure that you spend time with the kids and to make plans for the new place.
Happy but tired after moving house. Still boxes to sort. Image courtesy of nenetus at FreeDigitalPhotos.net
Happy but tired after moving house. Still boxes to sort. Image courtesy of nenetus at FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Check out my top 10 tips for moving house

The next post in the Moving House Series will be live in September and will be about packing…yes you will learn all about packing and sorting for your next big move!

This post was written in conjunction with Hire A Mover, a Sydney Removal company.

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Top 10 Tips for Moving House

Are you planning on moving house?  Need some help? Well if I was moving I would want someone to do it all for me. It is a pity that there is no house moving fairy that can wave her magic wand and have it all just happen. I wish this might happen in other areas of life too, like the housework.

I really hate sorting, organising, packing and everything that goes with moving house. It is hard, stressful and just a big job. I have moved too many times and when we move next time it will hopefully be the second last move before we have our new house built.

So how do you make this moving business easier on you and the family? Having a checklist on what to do is a great idea. Sounds terribly organised but it helps.

Hire a Packer can get the kitchen all organised, packed and sorted in no time.
Hire a Packer can get the kitchen all organised, packed and sorted in no time.

Here are my top 10 tips for moving house:

Tip 1

Don’t pack junk. Firstly look at all the things that you currently have in the house. Do you want to take everything with you? Why not use this as an opportunity to get rid of things that you don’t use any more. These are the things that are broken, you are not using or have out grown. You can make three piles of stuff; One pile for rubbish, one pile for charity and maybe one pile to sell or giveaway, it could be for charity as well but if you can make a few dollars it might help with the move, or maybe help you with some pocket money. Once you have determined what items are going to your new home, then you can pack these and only take what is important. You don’t want to spend money and energy moving something to chuck it out when you get to your new place. I have done this and it is very annoying.

Tip 2

Are you going to use a home packing service? Services like these help you pack efficiently, the highly trained staff work quickly to pack time-consuming rooms and manage to do this by ensuring your breakables are all snug so that they will not break on the move to your new abode. If I was moving again I would pay for them to make it all easier (Maybe they are like magical moving fairies, as they help you get it all done and with less stress). They will pack the boxes with the heavier items on the bottom and to also ensure that any breakables are wrapped up well to make sure they are protected.

Tip 3

Don’t wait until the last minute to pack for your move. Once you know you are moving start right away. I know moving is stressful and annoying but not doing it does not change the fact that you will still have to move. Doing a little bit here and there will help you get it all done.

Tip 4

If you are packing your own boxes make sure to label the boxes. Also don’t be tempted to just throw items in any boxes. Make sure you put like items with like. If it is the kitchen put all kitchen items in the box for the kitchen, don’t suddenly put clothes in the box as well. You will never find things or if you do it will take you much longer.

Tip 5

Label all boxes and also make sure that fragile boxes are marked as well. You don’t want to have someone smash a box down and it be your wine glasses and they all break. One other thing is if a box has to sit a certain way put the arrow that that the box needs to be kept upright in that direction. If you don’t inform people they won’t know.

Tip 6

Did you know that you can get a huge range of boxing and packaging materials? You can even hire the moving boxes online, and get them delivered the next day. Make sure you have wrapping paper and tape to help with the packing. Renting the boxes is ideal as then you can give them all back and not have boxes everywhere months after the move.

Tip 7

Oh and on the packaging materials, why not use towels or your linen to help protect your valuables. This will make sure that you are protecting your artwork or vases and your sheets are helping you keep the cost down on the materials.

Tip 8

Did you know that when you are packing books you should lay them flat? This ensures that the spines of the book are not damaged. Make sure you pack smaller boxes with books as these get heavy so if you have larger boxes you will tend to fill them up with more books. Book carton boxes are ideal for this and are small enough that the boxes will not get terribly heavy for you to lift them.

Tip 9

Make sure you keep an essentials bag or box handy. This will have towels, clothes and anything that you need to get at all the time when you move to the new house. You don’t want to be trying to find your toothbrush or say your favourite PJ’s or some towels to take a shower after you have spent hours moving. Keep it easy and have it near you. Why not pack this item in your car and not in the moving van. This way you will know where it is and can find it quickly.

Tip 10

Make sure that you choose a professional removal company. A trusted professional moving company has reviews, many years’ experience, are less likely to damage your goods, and will be able to look after the whole move from packing to moving.

Get the house packed and moved by Hire A Packer and Hire A Mover. Less stress and more time for you and the family.
Get the house packed and moved by Hire A Packer and Hire A Mover. Less stress and more time for you and the family.

 

I hope these tips help you when you have to move house. It is a big job and a stressful time. Making things easier when you have been organising  and busy with so many other things can be so helpful.

Having professionals that help you pack and move really does make the world of difference. You will have less arguments with your partner, you will feel less stressed, and it will make the whole process so much easier. I wish we moved this way all the time.

 

Do you have a fab tip that helped you move house? What was it?