You’ve put in all the work and passed your exams – and you’ve been offered the university place you’ve been working hard towards. It’s an exciting time and there’s much to celebrate. Congratulations!

There’s also plenty of things you have to organise, too. Moving to university is a huge transition time – and you’ll probably experience some anxiety, too. Plus, you’re going to have lots more responsibility.

Having a plan ahead of time can help reduce the stress of moving to college – and get you off to a much more positive start. Our checklist will help you to make sure you have everything you need, as well as ensuring that all the necessary arrangements are made ahead of time.

1. Packing the Necessities

Whether you’re moving into student halls or have opted for privately rented accommodation, there’s plenty of things you need to take with you.

Unless you have a list to work from, though, chances are you’ll forget something essential – as well as ending up with a room full of stuff that you don’t need.

So, what do you need to take?

• Bedding (duvet, pillows, sheets, duvet covers)
• Clothes to last you two weeks (if you take more than this, you’ll never get the hang of doing regular laundry!)
• Underwear
• Towels – bath towel, hand towels
• Bathrobe
• Toiletries
• Laptop or tablet (or both!)
• Chargers for your electrical stuff
• USB power bank
• Power extension cable(s)
• Microwavable crockery
• Microwavable cookware
• Glasses and mugs
• Cutlery and chopping knives
• Plastic Tupperware tubs
• Kettle
• Food cupboard essentials – canned food, coffee, tea, sugar, pasta, bottled water etc
• Mini fridge for your room
• First aid kit and any medication you take regularly
• Essential documents – including your drivers licence, your passport, and documents you’ll need for your university registration
• Books on your recommended reading list
• Stationery essentials – such as notepads, pens and highlighters

2. Checking Your Arrangements

Before you set off for your university, double check with the admissions office regarding the arrangements for your first day. Every university has a different schedule and process, so you need to know how your university runs things.

Other things you need to check out with your university include:

• What facilities your accommodation has:
  • Does your shared kitchen have equipment like a toaster, microwave, fridge, etc?
  • What furniture and/or equipment will there be in your room?
• What catering facilities are available
• What are the arrangements for medical care?
• Where do you go if you need support or help with something?

3. Organizing Your Transport

If your parents are taking you (and all your stuff) to your university, you can relax a bit. However, you’ll still need to make sure that your parents know what time you need to arrive and allow extra time for delays on the roads.

If your parents can’t take you to university, then you’ll need to figure out the most affordable alternative. You’ll have some boxes to move as well as suitcases, so public transport like the bus or train probably won’t work.

Some moving companies or man with a van services offer discounts for students, and since you won’t have a huge amount of stuff to move, it’s quite affordable, too. Try to book a moving service well ahead of time, as the start of the university term can get really busy for moving companies!

4. Have A Positive Moving Experience

Most students experience initial homesickness when they’re first settling into university life, so if you feel anxious on your first night, you’re not alone.

It helps to have something familiar and comforting from home, and maybe to have a video call with your family. The homesickness will soon pass and you’ll start to enjoy your new life as a university student.

If you’re facing the prospect of having to put some (or all) of your possessions in storage, it’s important to know that storing clothes isn’t necessarily as simple as it sounds. There are things to consider with storing clothes that don’t affect items like furniture and books, for example. It might sound silly, but there’s a right way and a wrong way to store clothes.

Clothing Storage Problems

There are a number of questions you need to ask yourself when you’re preparing to store your clothes and shoes:

• How long are your clothes and shoes going to be in storage?
• Where are your clothes and shoes going to be stored?
• What type of clothes and shoes are you going to be storing?

Let’s look at each of those questions in more detail.

(a) How Long Will Your Clothes Be in Storage?

If you’re just going to be storing your clothes and shoes for a few weeks while your move is completed, then you have less to worry about than if, for example, you’re storing your stuff for six months or more while you’re abroad.

The longer your clothes and shoes are going to be stored, the more careful you have to be. Long-term clothing storage will need specific preparation to prevent things like mould damage and other damage (such as damage by pests including moths and silverfish).

(b) Where Are you Clothes Going to Be Stored?

There are a variety of places you could possibly store clothes – for example, in a storage facility, in a friend or family member’s attic or basement, or in a garage. The truth is that none of these places is really suitable for storing clothes, except in the short-term, so you’ll need to consider ways to protect them.

(c) What Type of Clothes Are You Going to Be Storing?

Some types of clothes are more hardy to damp, cold and pests than others. The precautions that you take, then, depends on what clothes you’re going to be storing. Wool, for example, should never be stored on hangers, because if you leave wool items on hangers, they’ll quickly stretch out of shape. Instead, they need to be folded and put into airtight bags.

How to Minimise Damage

There’s no way to 100% guarantee your clothes won’t be damaged by damp or pests, but you can take precautions to minimise the risks.

You should:

• Wash and air dry your clothes before you store them
• Use mothballs (if you don’t mind the smell)
• Pack tumble dryer sheets in with your clothes to minimise the smells associated with long-term clothes storage
• Use airtight bags (such as vacuum packing bags)
• Ensure that if you’re storing clothes in boxes, the boxes aren’t in direct contact with the ground
• Use plastic rather than cardboard boxes
• Don’t store your clothes in ordinary plastic bags or bin bags – this will quickly lead to mould

Choose Your Storage Space Wisely

If you’re storing your clothes for longer than a few weeks, then you’ll need to think more carefully about where (and how) you store them.

Here’s some guidance:

• Storage Facility: Store clothes for a few weeks and up to a couple of months – but make sure they’re packed in airtight bags or plastic boxes to minimise the effects of cold and damp.
• A Friend’s Attic: You can store clothes for longer periods, with the right preparations. Use plastic boxes, mothballs, tumble dryer sheets and airtight vacuum storage bags to reduce the risks of damage to your clothes.
• Someone’s Garage: Garages are more prone to cold and damp than attics (but slightly less than storage facilities) so they’re okay for storing clothes for a few months. Again, you’ll need to ensure they’re backed in airtight bags and plastic boxes – and make sure the boxes are raised off the ground.

Moving house is stressful at the best of times. Moving house when you have a pet – or several pets – can be even more stressful. What’s more, your pet is likely to be even more stressed than you are, which just makes the situation more fraught.

There are lots of things you need to consider when you’re moving house with furry friends in tow. Do you need to make special preparations for your pets on the day of the move, for example? Or, how do you calm your anxious pets while you’re packing?

When you have pets to factor into your moving preparations, you need to have a strategy well in advance of your move. So, what should your strategy involve to make your move go smoothly?

Preparation Tips

1. If your cat or dog becomes anxious when you start to pack things up, make sure he has somewhere to retreat to – such as a bed or crate.
2. In the run-up to the move, maintain your pet’s regular routine as much as possible. Your pet is stressed enough without throwing in unexpected changes.
3. Leave packing your pet’s things – toys, bedding, etc. – until the last minute. Seeing his things being packed will just distress him more.
4. Make sure you have a new ID tag for your pet with your new address on – you’ll need this for the day of the move!
5. Avoid washing your pet’s bedding before you move, so that there’ll be some familiar scents on the day of the move and when you get to your new home. Your pet will be comforted by the familiar scents of ‘home’.

Tips For The Day Of The Move

1. Moving day will be hectic. If you can, arrange for a friend or family member to take care of your pet while everything is being loaded into the moving van.
2. If there’s no one to take care of your pet, keep your pet in a secure room, carrier or on a lead so that he can’t bolt in fear.
3. If you have a cat, ensure that you have a secure cat carrier to transport him.
4. If you have a dog, make sure that he is safely secured in your car when you’re travelling to your new home.
5. Be prepared for travel-sickness in your pet – even if he doesn’t normally experience it. Stress can induce travel-sickness.

Settling In Tips

1. Your new home will be a strange environment for your pet, so use his bedding to bring a familiar scent into the new house.
2. Check your new garden is completely secure before you let your dog loose in the garden.
3. Keep cats indoors for at least the first few days. Cats tend to try to get back to their familiar environment, so a settling-in period will be necessary.
4. Expect a few toileting accidents in your new home – and make sure you don’t punish your pet for these. It’s not his fault – it’s due to stress.
5. If your new home has carpets or furniture left behind by the last owners, and the previous owners had pets, the smell of the other pets will add to your pet’s anxiety. Do a deep clean, using a steam cleaner and pet-safe detergents to reduce the stress levels.

Other Things To Remember

1. Register your pet with a new vet once you get to your new home.
2. Ensure that you update the details on your pet’s microchip.
3. Try to explore your new neighbourhood in advance if you have a dog, so you can figure out some walking routes.
4. Some pets may experience upset digestion due to stress. Be prepared for this!
5. If your pet suffers from severe anxiety during the move, it may be advisable to seek a vet’s advice – there are medications that can help.

Moving house can be a costly business – and the more stuff you have to move, then the more it’s going to cost. To keep costs down – and help reduce your stress levels – it’s a good idea to declutter before you move.

Decluttering has never been more ‘in-vogue’ than it is now. Thanks to Netflix sensation Marie Kondo, more and more people are taking time to declutter (even when they’re not moving house). If you’ve resisted the KonMari trend until now, moving house is the perfect motivation to give it a try.

Why Declutter The KonMari Way?

According to Marie Kondo, if an item in your home doesn’t make you happy (or, as she puts it, ‘spark joy’), then you should throw it out. That makes sense. As human beings, we tend to acquire a whole lot of useless stuff that doesn’t bring us any kind of joy – and that just means that we have more stuff to pack and move.

The KonMari method is said to be lifechanging for some people – but even if it doesn’t change your life, it can make moving house less of a nightmare. It helps you figure out what matters most to you – and if you’re a bit of a hoarder, it can help with that, too.

Marie Kondo’s Approach to Decluttering

If you’ve not seen Marie Kondo’s Netflix show, then you might find her approach to decluttering a little quirky. Or weird. That was my reaction at first – until I tried it, and ended up taking three carloads of stuff to the tip (and I’m not even moving!). It works. As weird as it is, it works.

So, what does the KonMari approach involve?

It’s actually quite simple. You pick up an item, hold it in your hand, and ask yourself if the item makes you happy or brings you joy. If you answer, ‘yes’, you keep it. If you answer ‘no’, or can’t decide, then Marie Kondo tells you to thank the item for what it’s done for you and then either trash it or donate it.

Okay, so the bit about thanking the item still makes me a bit uncomfortable (and you don’t actually have to do that; I’m sure it’s not going to hurt your items’ feelings if you don’t!). The first part, though, has helped thousands of people to declutter their homes effectively.

Tips for Decluttering Success

Decluttering the KonMari way is more of a process than a single act, so here are some tips to get the most out of the method.

(a) Set Aside Time

The KonMari method isn’t the quickest way to declutter, so you need to set aside time for it. You’re not likely to be able to get it done in an afternoon, so maybe dedicate a weekend (or longer) to really focus on your decluttering.

(b) Start With the Easy Things

Marie Kondo tells you to put your items into categories and start with the objects you’re not going to find difficult to get rid of. By the time you get to the harder things, you’ll be more practised with the method.

This is the recommended order to approach it:

1. Clothes, shoes, books
2. Documents
3. Personal mementoes

(c) Don’t Declutter Necessities

When I first told a friend about the KonMari method, she immediately laughed and said, “My toothbrush doesn’t bring me joy – should I chuck it out?” I can see where she’s coming from, but the KonMari method doesn’t apply to necessities

The difficulty there, though, is what you define as a necessity. For hoarders, the ability to say something’s a necessity to avoid decluttering it can be a problem. So, here are some types of necessities to guide you:

• Essential toiletries such as:
  • Toothbrush
  • Hairbrush
  • Toothpaste
  • Shampoo
  • Conditioner
  • Toilet Paper
  • Deodorant
  • Shower/bath gel/soap/handwash
  • Personal hygiene products
• Basic makeup – but if you have 45 lipsticks, then those are not necessities!
• Medication and first-aid supplies
• Financial and identity documentation (including bills from the last 12 months – anything older than 12 months can usually go)

(d) Avoid the Guilt and Nostalgia Traps

One of the biggest reasons we hold on to so much stuff that we no longer need is because it reminds us of someone special or we associate it with a particular memory. Nostalgia creates clutter – and can make it hard to KonMari those things.

This is the time when you need to think carefully about why you’ve held onto the items – and whether now is the time to let them go. The memories aren’t really in the items themselves – it’s just a physical association with something stored in your mental memory banks, remember.

As well as nostalgia, we keep stuff out of guilt. Perhaps someone gave you a gift that you’ve never used – but you’ve kept it because you’d feel bad for throwing out a present. You have to be honest with the KonMari method. Does it bring you joy? If not, then it can go.

KonMari Your Way To An Easier Move

Getting rid of all that stuff can be liberating at the best of times – but when you see how much less you have to pack for your move, it’s even better. Less packing means less unpacking at the other end. It also reduces the cost of moving, too, so there are advantages all round.

No matter how organised you are, packing boxes when you’re moving always takes longer than you imagine it will. There’s no way to avoid that fact – but there are ways that you can make packing your house up a more efficient process.

Using our tips, you can plan your packing strategically – reducing stress and making it easier to unpack in your new home. Let’s dive right in.

1. Make Lists

Strategic packing depends on lists. Lists help you to:

• Prioritize what needs to be packed first
• Ensure you have enough boxes, bubble wrap, parcel tape and so on
• Avoid packing the things that you’re going to need last minute
• Keep to a packing schedule
• Keep your boxes organized

Organise your lists by room (kitchen, living room, dining room, bedrooms, bathrooms, garage). You don’t need to list all the individual items you need to pack, but list categories – and highlight the item types that are going to need more careful handling.

2. Use Specialised Packing Materials

While it might be cheaper to pick up second-hand boxes from your local supermarket, those sort of boxes have their limitations. They’re fine for packing up some stuff – books, toys, DVDs, pots and pans, etc – but not so great for fragile items.

Specialized packing materials, such as TV packing boxes and packing materials for protecting plates and other dinnerware, are worth buying to avoid costly damage to these delicate items.

3. Be Weight Savvy

The more boxes you have, the more it’s going to cost you to move, right? Well, yes. But that doesn’t mean you should try to cram as much stuff into each box as you can just to reduce the number of boxes. That just leads to more problems in the end.

Think about it for a minute. Is it worth the risk of damaging your stuff just to save a bit of money? What’s more, the more you cram into your boxes, the more they weigh. The more they weigh, the harder they are to move. Plus, you run the risk of having the bottom of the box drop out when it’s being moved.

4. Protect Mirrors and Framed Paintings

Before you just wrap your paintings and mirrors in a bit of bubble wrap and put them in a box, remember that they need a bit more TLC than that. Bubble wrap protects against breakages, but it doesn’t totally prevent them.

Before you wrap them in bubble wrap, grab some masking tape and put two pieces across the front of the mirror or the glass in front of the painting in an X shape. If the worst happens and the glass breaks, the masking tape will reduce the risk of you ending up with a box full of broken glass.

As well as bubble wrap, wadded up paper (such as newspaper) should be used to fill any gaps in the box. This stops your fragile items from sliding around and therefore reduces the risk of breakages.

5. Don’t Pack More Than You Have To

Instead of simply packing everything in your house, take the time to check expiry dates on medicines and canned food (and throw the out-of-date stuff out). Got a load of old appliances with missing bits, or that simply don’t work anymore? Chuck them out.

The same goes for clothes, towels, linens, toys, games, and so on. Moving is a perfect opportunity to throw out all the things you’ve been meaning to get rid of.

6. Wardrobe Boxes and Bin Bags

Don’t waste time meticulously packing up your clothes. For items that you need to keep wrinkle-free, get hold of wardrobe boxes. For everything else, bin bags work really well – just make sure to label the bags so your clothes don’t end up at the tip!

7. Vacuum Packing

Bulky items like duvets, pillows and bedding can take up a lot of unnecessary space. One solution to this problem is to use vacuum packing bags that can dramatically reduce the space taken up.

Vacuum packing bags are cheap, easy to get hold of, and even easier to use. Stick your stuff inside, seal the bag, and suck the air out with a pump or your vacuum cleaner nozzle. Simple.

8. Label Everything

You arrive at your new house. There are boxes everywhere – in the kitchen, the bedrooms, the living room, the garage. Those boxes are going to take days (maybe weeks or months!) to get unpacked. You need to find something in a hurry – but you got fed up of labelling boxes halfway through the packing – and now you have no idea where to find the thing you need.

Don’t put yourself through that kind of agony. It takes just 30 seconds to label a box – but doing so can save you having to open 30 different boxes to find what you’re looking for. Label your boxes by room and by the type of contents. You don’t have to list every item in the box, just a general description!

9. Group Your Items

I was once helping a friend unpack. In the kitchen, there was a box helpfully labelled “Kitchen Bits”. I opened it and started to unpack the contents. I wasn’t prepared for what I would find.

Inside, I found some random bits of cutlery, some mugs, a blender, 3 (out of a set of 4) placemats, the manual for the washing machine, a few plastic tubs and (most bizarrely) the remote control for the TV from the kids’ bedroom. Other boxes labelled “Kitchen Bits” contained similar arrays of mismatched items. The 4th placemat was never found.

Boxes of random items don’t make unpacking easy – and there’s also an greater likelihood that something will get broken. It’s much more efficient to pack boxes with items grouped by type – for example, cutlery, utensils and such like would go together, mugs and glasses would go together in another box, and plastic tubs would be put together in a different box.

10. Stack Boxes Strategically

As you do more packing, the problem of what to do with all the boxes becomes more of an issue. Stacking your boxes at one end of each room is usually the most effective solution – but when you’re doing this, think about the contents of the boxes.

Don’t, whatever you do, balance a box of books on top of a box containing your grandma’s crystal glassware collection (yes, I’ve seen that happen). When stacking your boxes, but the heaviest boxes at the bottom, and the lightest boxes at the top.

Don’t make your stacks too high, either. It’s better to have more stacks taking up more floor space than it is to have boxes toppling over in the middle of the night.

Downsizing to a smaller property? Using your move as an opportunity for a fresh start with new furniture? You’re not alone if you find yourself with excess or old furniture to dispose of before your move. The pressing question is what’s the best way to get rid of furniture? As a moving company it’s one of  our most popular services that we offer, however if it’s something you’d prefer to take care of yourself we’ll run through the various options and give you the best advice.

Netflix sensation Marie Kondo is all for decluttering your life – and there’s no better time to do it than when you move. That’s true when you’re downsizing to a smaller property and have to get rid of the furniture that won’t fit. Marie Kondo advocates disposing of everything that doesn’t bring you joy. Taking that approach might leave you with no furniture at all, however. I can’t remember ever thinking my coffee table brings me joy – but it is a useful piece of furniture.

Choosing the furniture to get rid of needs to be a practical decision based on your family needs and the size of your new home.

Don’t chuck something out if you will regret the decision later!

Disposal Options

When you’ve decided which furniture you’re keeping and which you’re disposing of, it’s time to look at the how. Getting rid of furniture can be costly depending on the way you dispose of it. Let’s look at your options.

1. Take It To The Tip

This is the most obvious option – but it can be more costly than you might think. Large items aren’t free to dispose of – and how much it costs depends on the size of the item and/or the size of the vehicle you use to get rid.

Facilities operated by the local council offer a way of getting rid of excess furniture – and these vary from place to place. To get the most up-to-date prices and information, check with your local authority.

To help you estimate the costs of local authority disposal services, here are examples:

(a) Dublin City Council offers a Bulky Household Waste Collection Service.

This has an initial cost of €40 per collection for up to 5 items. (A three-piece furniture suite classes as 5 items, however.)

If you wanted 6 items collecting, you’d pay €80 – which is the same as what you’d pay for 10 items.

(b) If you want to take your furniture to a recycling centre in Dublin, you’ll also face charges:

• A regular size car-load costs €15
• An estate car/Jeep/SUV costs €20
• A car with a single axle trailer costs €40
• A van or vehicle with double axle trailer costs €70

(c) In Cork, they base prices at the recycling centres on item types:

• Entry charge €3
• 3 seater sofa €20
• Double sofa €15
• Double mattress €20

2. Advertise Your Furniture For Sale

When you’re downsizing and need to get rid of furniture, a good option is to sell it. There’s a range of ‘selling sites’ that you could list your furniture on. People are always looking for good deals on furniture, so it’s worth at least trying to sell your furniture on. If it doesn’t sell, you can always use another method to get rid of it.

3. Give Your Furniture to a Charity Shop

If there’s plenty of life left in the furniture you want rid of (and you don’t want to sell it), a cheaper option to paying council disposal charges is to donate it. Charity shops are grateful for furniture in good condition. Some will even collect your furniture for you if you’re not able to get it to the shop yourself.

People on limited budgets often rely on second-hand furniture from charity shops to furnish their homes. The furniture you were thinking of dumping could help someone in need for several years to come!

4. Upcycle To Make It Worth More

To give your unwanted furniture added value and make it more attractive to potential buyers, you could always upcycle it. A simple coat of chalk paint can add extra value to a chest of drawers or bedside cabinet, for example. It might surprise you what people will pay for a piece of furniture that’s upcycled to a ‘shabby chic’ look.

It’s not a good idea to leave furniture disposal to the last minute. If you can, plan ahead, so that getting rid of unwanted furniture doesn’t add additional stress to your move.

Of course, if you’re looking for help moving furniture please feel free to contact us and we’d be happy to help as it’s one of our most popular service offerings.

Moving house and stress seem to go hand-in-hand. In fact, there’s been research that says moving is more stressful than divorce. The idea of moving house stress-free, then, seems like an impossible dream.

If removing all the stress isn’t possible, it is possible to reduce it. In this post, we’ll look at 10 top ways you can reduce the stress-load to make moving a less… traumatic experience.

1. Make Lists – Lots of Lists

Moving is complicated. There’s so much to sort out that it’s easy to forget things – which just adds to the stress levels later. To avoid adding unnecessary stress, making lists is important.

Yes, I said lists (plural) because a single list isn’t enough. You could try to cram everything you need to do into a single list, but it would be really long. And really overwhelming. Breaking that big list into smaller lists makes the tasks seem more manageable. Even though you have the same amount of stuff to do, multiple lists trick your brain and stop a stress overload.

You might have lists for:

• Paperwork that needs organizing
• Arrangements that need to be made
• Packing
• Moving day

An organized move is much less stressful!

2. Book your removal van early

Removals companies can get busy. There’s certain times (for example May to July in Dublin) that are especially busy. Leaving booking your removal van to the last minute can send your stress levels soaring.

You’ve got enough to deal with without having to spend hours trying to track down a company who’s free on the day you’re moving. Booking a removal van early gives you the chance to find the best deal, read reviews, or get recommendations from friends and family.

3. Declutter

KonMari your house before you move! Marie Kondo’s KonMari method has taken the world by storm – and there’s no better way to reduce your stress than to reduce the amount you have to pack.

It’s amazing how much stuff we accumulate in a short period of time. Every time I move, I find old, unwanted (and even broken) items that are just taking up space. Moving house is a perfect opportunity to declutter all the stuff you don’t use.

Decluttering also reduces the cost of removals – the less stuff you have, the less time you’ll need the removals van for. Good for your stress levels and good for your wallet! Decluttering is a must.

4. Be organized with packing

Everyone – and I mean everyone – always underestimates how long it will take to pack everything up. A mad dash at the last minute is a sure way to increase stress levels, too. Being organized with your packing can reduce the stress load a lot.

Ways that you can be organized with packing include:

• Having a packing list
• Making sure you have enough boxes
• Labelling your boxes clearly
• Prioritizing your packing
• Allowing extra time for packing (and wrapping) fragile items

5. Dealing with what can’t be moved

It’s easy to overlook the things that can’t be moved using a removal company. Not everyone even knows that there’s things a removal company won’t transport. To avoid added stress (or outright panic!) on moving day, have a strategy for these items.

The types of things that can’t be moved include:

• Hazardous materials
• Plants with soil in
• Tins of paint
• Chemicals

If you have a stash of paint in the garage, you’ll either have to get rid of it or transport it yourself. Plants in pots with soil in can be more tricky. One solution is to take as much soil out as possible and put bubble wrap around the plant and transport it yourself.

6. Sort your utilities

Arranging the utilities is a must-do part of moving that often gets left to the last minute. Don’t do that! Forgetting to take final meter readings – or forgetting to arrange the utilities in your new home – just adds to your already full stress bucket.

Contacting your utility company in advance saves headaches later. On moving day, set a reminder on your phone to take the final readings from your meters. You could simply take a photo to make it super simple.

7. Avoid paperwork problems

There are plenty of potential paperwork problems with moving. Not being able to find important documents after you move (or before you move, even) increases stress levels. To avoid these problems, make sure you put all your important documents into a single box (perhaps a box-file or a lock-box) and label it clearly.

For quick access to important documents, make photocopies or scans that you can keep to hand, or scan them onto a USB stick.

If you’re worried about documents getting waylaid in the post, set up a redirection with the postal service. That takes the pressure off so you don’t have to rush to update your details with everyone who sends you mail right away.

8. Cleaning solutions

Cleaning your new home is one of the biggest stress-points on moving day. There’s the dilemma of wanting to clean before you bring your furniture in, but not wanting to pay the removals company to sit outside while you clean.

If it’s possible to arrange to have the keys to your new home before moving day, or earlier in the day, then you can reduce the stress load. Being able to get into the house and start cleaning before the furniture and boxes arrive makes moving day much easier to handle.

9. Create a survival kit for moving day

There’s going to be some stress on moving day – no matter how much you do to reduce it. To make the stress levels as low as possible, pack a survival kit for the day of the move. Items that need to go into your moving day survival kit include:

• Toiletries
• Phone chargers
• Snacks/sandwiches etc
• Bottles of water or juice
• Tea, coffee, sugar/sweetener
• Kettle
• Things to keep the kids entertained
• Essentials for your pets
• Important medications/medical equipment

10. Remember to breathe

Moving day is intense and exhausting. Everyone is on edge and it’s easy to get overwhelmed. Remembering to take a breath is essential. So is being realistic. Accept that it’s going to take a while to get everything unpacked.

When you get to your new home, take time to relax – and breathe. The worst part is over. Your stuff is in your new house, even if it is in boxes. Don’t create additional stress by trying to do everything at once.

Stress Less When You Move

So, it may not be realistic to have a completely stress-free moving experience. What you can do, though, is keep the stress to an absolute minimum by following these tips. Good luck with your move!

Plan Ahead to Avoid Billing Headaches

The first time I moved to a new house, I vowed I would never do it again. Of course, I have moved again – several times in fact – but the nightmare of that first move taught me some important lessons. I learnt to plan ahead – and subsequent house moves went much more smoothly as a result.

It’s said that time flies when you’re having fun – but it also flies when you’re not having fun. You can easily get so focused on the packing and removal aspects of your move that other important aspects get pushed to the side or forgotten.

Bills and utilities (such as broadband, gas, electricity and water) need to be sorted out before you move – but they’re often left to the last minute, causing additional stress that you just don’t need. There’s an easy solution to this problem, thankfully.

How Do I Avoid Billing and Utility Nightmares?

Whether you’re moving across town or across country, there are plenty of bills and utilities that need to be managed in advance of your move. You don’t want to end up paying for gas and electricity in your old home after you move – nor do you want to move into your new home and realize that you’ve forgotten to organize the gas and electricity there.

The secret to avoiding these kinds of problems is to plan ahead. You need to ensure that these aspects (or as many of them as possible) are organized before you get buried in packing boxes and entirely focused on the physical removal of your stuff.

When Should I Start Organizing Bills and Utilities?

This really depends on the size of your move and how much time you’ve set aside for packing everything up. Some people recommend starting the process 2 months before you move – but if that’s not possible (for example if you’re moving on relatively short notice), the best advice is simply to sort the bills and utilities before you start packing. It’s one less thing to worry about.

What Do I Need to Arrange with My Bills and Utilities?

The first time I moved, I was surprised by the amount of paperwork, emails and phone calls involved in notifying the right people and arranging the essential services. The people you need to notify of your move include:

1. Postal service

An Post offer a redirection service to ensure that your mail gets diverted to your new address if you forget to notify someone that you’ve moved.

2. Home insurance provider

You may be able to transfer your house insurance to your new home – but if you want to start a new policy for your new home, you’ll have to give your current insurance company enough notice to ensure that you’re not paying for insurance for your old home after you’ve moved.

3. Gas and electricity provider

In some cases you may be able to transfer your gas and electricity into the name of the new owners of your current home, but otherwise you’ll have to close the accounts.

You can give your gas and electricity supplier notice of your moving date in advance, so that they can make the appropriate arrangements for both your old and new home.

You will, however, have to give them meter readings on the day that you move so that they can calculate your final bill, as well as take readings in your new home to start the new service.

4. Water and waste collection providers

You can notify your water and waste collection providers of your moving date well in advance.

They will issue you with final bills based on your moving date, so that you can be sure that you’ve paid the necessary charges (e.g. waste charges) before you move.

They will also be able to set up accounts for your new home, so that everything is organized when you move in.

5. Telephone, broadband and TV providers

You can organize telephone, broadband and TV for your new home in advance, as well as notifying your provider of your moving date so that accounts from your old home can either be transferred or close.
You may have to pay a connection fee for your new home if there isn’t an existing service to the property.

6. Television licence

You’ll need to change your TV licence to your new address so that it’s active on the day that you move in. You can do this online or at the post office.

7.Electoral register

While it isn’t essential to update your address on the electoral register, if you are moving towards the end of the year, it would be advisable to register your new address ahead of time, as the deadline for changes is 25 November.

8. Motor insurance

To be fully insured, you need to make sure you notify your motor insurance company of your change of address. Your insurance premium is based on where your car is kept (amongst other things) so it’s important that your details are accurate on the day that you move.

9. Schools and colleges

If you have children, sorting out the schooling arrangements has to be a priority, of course. But even if you’re only moving a short distance and your children will be attending the same school, it’s important that you notify the school of your new address and telephone number.

10. Tax matters

You’ll need to update your details with Revenue by quoting you Personal Public Service Number.

11. Social welfare payments

You’ll need to let your social welfare office or Intreo centre know of your change of address if you receive social welfare payments such as Child Benefit and the Household Benefits Package.

12. Healthcare providers

Your doctor, dentist, optician and other healthcare providers will need to know when you’re moving. This is especially important if you’re moving to a new area and need to have your medical records transferred to a new healthcare provider. You can get a list of GPs who participate in the medical card scheme from the Local Health Office.

Is There A Way To Notify Everyone At Once?

Unfortunately, there isn’t a way to handle all the administrative details automatically. That’s why it’s a good idea to notify as many people as you can ahead of the move. It’s also a good idea to use a checklist (you’ll find an example below) that you can use to make sure that you don’t forget to change your details.

Utilities, Bills and Other Notifications: Checklist