Moving in to your new home?
If you’re in the closing stages of moving in to your new home you’re probably now in total agreement with the theory that it’s one of the most stressful experiences life can throw at you. It’s exciting of course, and the start of a big new adventure. But it was demanding, wasn’t it?
If this is your first step on to the ‘housing ladder’ you’ve wrestled with finding the deposit, sorting the mortgage and facing the more daunting aspects of home ownership. If you’re already a rung or two up that ladder the chances are that in among the stresses of selling one place before you can buy another you’ve had to think about schools, the distance to where you work and if that new mortgage really is as affordable your first spread sheet said it was.
But, and we really don’t want to diminish your excitement in any way, brace yourselves. Because the first 24 hours in your new home can be another - thankfully short - stressful period.
Unless that is you plan for it. We’re here to help you with some top tips to help make that first day run smoothly. Let’s put all the finances and legalities aside, and deal with some real basics.
Make a clean start. No matter how beautifully clean and tidy your new home is you will need - in fact you will want - to do some cleaning. Moving your things in will create dust and discarded packaging. You’ll want to make it feel your own. So, go prepared. A vacuum cleaner and a handy to carry crate of spray polish, bleach, dusters and sponges is easy to organise and will make a huge difference to getting sorted out. Having the simple basics to hand is essential.
Get the kettle on. It’s a well know fact that a cuppa is the most effective stress buster known to medical science! Make sure you’ve got a kettle, tea, coffee, milk and - go on then - biscuits. It’s going to be a long day and these essential supplies will make it so much easier. (Far be it from us to suggest going crazy but a bottle of something fizzy and a couple of glasses could be sneaked in to the bag for the moment when it’s all done and dusted and you want to toast your future in your new home!)
You’ve got to eat. Sorry - that probably sounded very much like parental advice! It’s true though. You might not feel like cooking on day one, and a takeaway will probably be the order of the day, but make sure you’ve got some cutlery. Just the basics will do but even on this hopefully happiest of days, tempers can fly when the much needed food arrives and - you’ve no means of eating it.
The issue of tissue! Sorry to mention it but a couple of loo rolls are absolutely vital items on the ‘make your first 24 hours stress free’ list. Enough said!
The power game. No, this is not about who has the final say on where the sofa is positioned. It’s about power. We’re assuming that all of the gas and electricity are up and running but do you know how many things might need batteries? From door bells to smoke alarms, to countless other devices modern life seems to have an insatiable hunger for batteries. (Remember Christmas, and those truly terrifying words on the packaging? The words you didn’t notice in the shop. You know the ones - ‘Batteries not included’). And whilst we’re on matters electrical, take light bulbs too. Some might not be there. Statistically you can be sure that one will pop when you turn it on. Have a replacement with you.
Get tooled up. You don’t need the full workshop size tool chest, but you really do need a good selection of basic tools with you on the day. Screwdrivers, pliers, a Stanley knife are good start points. Think through the jobs you have to do and make sure you have enough kit with you to get them done.
That’s it. Done! You’re in. Sorted. Time to call it a day. Having got through the first day with no arguments and minimal stress, because you planned for it by ticking all of the above boxes, all you want to do is go to bed for the first night in your new home. Here’s the thing. Did you bring any bedding? It’s so obvious it’s easy to overlook it. You don’t necessarily have to make up all the bedrooms to tip top level, but make sure you can make your own bed for the night!
And there you have it. Seven simple steps to making the first 24 hours in your new home as stress free as possible. Happy new home!
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5th April 2018
Order by Tuesday December 17th to receive your homewares delivery in time for Christmas! 