Whether you are buying your very first home or deciding to move into a bigger place to accommodate a growing family, moving home can be an exciting time for everyone. There is plenty to look forward to, but it can also be quite a daunting task. If you are planning on moving soon and want to prepare yourself with the best way of settling in quickly and easily, then read on for some great ideas.
Make sure you have changed your address on any paperwork
One of the first things you should think about doing before you move is checking your home address on any important services to make sure that they have the correct details for you. This can include places such as banks, credit card providers, colleges or other institutions, as well as things like gyms, stores and anywhere else that might conceivably send you communication to your home address.
Doing this in a timely manner is important as you could miss out on receiving any essential communications from them, which can lead to possible problems later on. It can usually be done over the phone or by letter, helping you to save time, especially if there are several places to update.
Organize your items as you pack them
Packing can be one of the most time consuming chores, but if done carefully and with a little organization at the outset, you can save yourself a lot of stress and trouble later on. It might be tempting to try to pack things away as quickly as possible without thinking about what goes where, but this can lead to confusing and messy problems once you move, as you may not remember where anything is.
Instead, take some time to think about all the different categories of items that you have in your home. This will include things like furnishing, clothing, appliances, books and important documentation. Each of these should be packed separately and clearly marked so that when you go through your old home, you can be sure that you have not missed anything important. This will also help if any of your items need to go into storage – you will be able to find what you need quickly without having to unpack the whole unit.
Make a list of priorities for unpacking
Just as packing can be an important task, unpacking can be even more complex and time consuming. It is best to take it slowly, as it will take a while for you to remove everything from storage and work out how best to place it in your new home. Trying to do this too quickly can be stressful and exhausting, so take it slow.
To help you work out an order to unpack things, it can be useful to set some priorities beforehand. You may want essential items such as bedding, cooking appliances and laptop chargers, or other key items that you might want to have access to on your first few nights.
It can also be useful to set a schedule for unpacking your items to avoid letting them sit around too long. Try tackling a certain group of items every few days to help you take it at a manageable pace.
Have a housewarming party
Settling into a new home is about more than just making sure your paperwork is all correct and putting everything where it belongs. It is also important that your home feels like a place that you are comfortable and happy in, and one of the best ways of doing this is by having a small housewarming event with friends and family, to celebrate the new space.
If your friends are offering to buy gifts, you might want to ask for practical things for your home, or something more celebratory such as gifts for wine lovers. A housewarming does not need to be a very formal affair either – simply having some of your favorite people around with you to spend time together and enjoy the new environment can be a great way of making a fresh set of memories in your new space and will help it feel more like your home.
Get into a regular routine
Once you have moved and begun to unpack, it can still feel a little unusual and strange around your new place as you get used to it. Having a regular routine can help you become adjusted. This might be an old routine that you used to have in your previous home, or you may want to adapt it to fit into your new surroundings.
A simple routine can be taking time to enjoy a coffee and having breakfast in the morning, as you get ready for your day. By taking time to slow down a little and be mindful you can start to feel more settled into your new environment, and find joy and pleasure in it. You might find a new favorite nook to sit and relax in or take a stroll through your new garden every day before work. Whatever it is, establishing a routine can help give structure and a greater feeling of stability, helping you settle down with ease.
Explore your new neighborhood
Lastly, one of the most exciting things about moving somewhere new is getting to know and explore a whole new area. You might have moved to a different neighborhood in your locality, or you might have decided to take a leap to a brand-new city or even country. However large or small the move might have been, there is still plenty to discover around you.
A great way of getting to know your neighborhood is by getting out on foot and taking walks around the area. You might want to look out for convenience stores that you can stock up on supplies nearby, coffee shops you can look forward to relaxing in, local parks and other places where you can unwind, shopping areas and more. It can take time and you might feel disorientated at first, but by slowly exploring and discovering what there is around you, you can start to feel like you belong in your environment, and feel comfortable and happy.
