What is one of the biggest stressors in life? Moving!

Prior planning prevents stress.

When was the last time you moved? Well having just moved to a brand new home, here are some tips that sure made our move a lot less stressful. For us this move was easier as it was a brand new home. Now that is good and bad – no toilet tissue holders, towel bars, mirrors in bathroom.

•  I hired an organizer to give me tips on organizing our new space. So much of what we do daily is a habit. You want to know when you reach for your coffee mug that it is where it is easy to reach for.
• Are you moving yourself or hiring a mover? We did most of the packing ourselves but hired a mover for the big pieces. The right mover can also reduce less stress and damage. Mackie Moving Systems in Dartmouth were amazing.
• We took photos of every room in our new home and worked with the floor plans. We made several copies – one for furniture, one for closets.
• Making dates a few weeks ahead of time to disconnect and reconnect for water, power, phone, internet – check and double check the dates are correct. On my calendar I would write time and who I spoke to for set up and follow up, follow up.
• What will you do for window coverings! I did not do this and it takes time to get blinds ordered. I discovered it’s scary to go to the bathroom without window coverings.
• This truly is the perfect time to declutter – what are you keeping, giving away or saying goodbye to. There are many great sources to give away like Soul’s Harbour – some will even come and pick up. Or have a garage sale before moving. Now that we have moved we have more than we need and the garage sale will happen soon.
• Make sure to mark the boxes really well especially if you are packing weeks in advance – you will forget what’s in the box. Yes, it takes more time up front but saves so much time on the other end. We also marked which room it was going to go to.
• Closets – what will each closet be used for. We travel a lot and so needed a place specifically for luggage. Will you have a place for summer and winter clothes? Mud room – mittens, hats, boots.
• Storage – do you have a basement and/or garage? I love using plastic totes as they stack so much easier than boxes. There are amazing storage units to hang from the garage ceiling. And yes, make sure to number each and or write really big what is in each container.
• This is where the better organized the kitchen and bathroom cabinets are the more you will feel at home faster. And with recycling where is it going to be easy to use.
• So just a week in my new home and I do feel at home. Prior planning does make a huge difference!

     Make it a great day!
     Dalene