Home Series: 12 Tips for for moving house

Photo credit: https://www.bidsbypros.com

Try being a full time mom, a full time educator, a full time business owner of Rhapnroll, an aspiring beauty consultant (with Mary Kay) and be shifting house with 2 young children all at once. I tell you, it certainly isn't a walk in the park. And I am doing this not once, not twice, but thrice1 Don't ask. It was a dumb decision and being married to a traditional family, I didn't have much say. 

There were times when I felt like throwing in the towel but for the sake of my wonderful family and myself, I just have to grit my teeth and preserve. Packing is really a pain especially when we have resided in our marital home for 9 years since 2006. This is a guide as to how you can make things a little more organised.

Step 1: Declutter!

And I don't mean doing it only once! I did at least 10 rounds for just my wardrobe alone! Aim to throw out 2 bags of rubbish a day. I am not counting those bags you have in the kitchen or those filled with soiled diapers. Be ruthless! 

I reckon I will never wear those killer heels anymore now that I have two kids to chase and carry. Hence, off they go!

I threw away so much stuff! And, after 2 moves, I still have stuff to declutter!

Step 2: How to organise your giveaways

Put aside a big box for 1) donation; 2) hand downs to friends and relatives; 3) rubbish. Rid #3 fast. As you go through your stuff, place it in the box accordingly. 

You could pass clothes which you will never fit into anymore after pregnancy to your younger cousins or even friends' helpers. They are more than happy to receive. Stop living in denial! I know i did!

Step 3: Sell!

I had much luck in Carousel, gumtree and a couple of interest groups on Facebook. Sell whatever you can to earn some moolah!

Step 3: Rent a temporary storage

Aim for one that is close to home so that whenever you are free, you can transport some boxes over. You have to, unless you live in a mansion as there will hardly be any space to walk or crawl for the case of Small K should you choose to leave everything to the movers. I mean where are you going to put the packed boxes? There is just this much space in a house. Another reason why you should not be lazy is that some transport company will charge extra for additional trips and they also charge according to the number of boxes you have. 

After some consideration, we settled for Lock & Store as it was the nearest to our place.

Below are some for your consideration:

Lock and Store

http://lockandstore.com/sg-en/

Ranges from 1st to 200sf. Has a minimum storage period dog 2 weeks and notice period of 14 days in advance when you intend to move. Monthly outlay is as low as less than $100. There is a one time administrative charge and deposit for access card as well as a refundable deposit.

Storefriendly

http://www.store-friendly.com.sg

Ranges from lockers measuring from 8 sq ft to 150 sq ft. Montly outlay of $68 to $688. Insurance is offered at $5/moth for coverage up to $1000.

Jumbo Locker

http://www.singaporestoragespace.com/jumbo-locker-marymount.html

Smallest size is that of a locker and largest being 200 sq ft. Some rooms even come with clothing racks! Monthly outlay starts from $65

Step 4: Start being friends with your local provision shop uncle

Be their buffs and they will save their best boxes for you! All my boxes were gotten from them! We started collecting about two months before the shift. That saved us a lot of money! No doubt the transport company will offer to give some boxes for free, it is certainly not enough for our case. Boxes aren't cheap. But if you are a little OCD and prefer everything new and uniform, then stick to those given by the transport company or you might have to top up should it not be complimentary.

Step 5: Deal with bulky items

You can opt for them to be picked up by various organisations like MINDs or the Salvation army. However, do note that their despatch require 2 weeks advance notice. Some of these organisations will also want to view the items before they decide on taking them. Alternatively, you may want to post online to sell or to give them away. Again, I had much success with Carousel, Gumtree and several other groups on Facebook. Say it is free and a lot of people will start contacting you! I managed to sell off 2 twenty-year-old fridges for $120 each! And I even sold the mil's stove for $50! Well, as they say, one man's junk is another man's treasure. 

Step 6: Prepare Miscellaneous boxes

If you are like me, someone who has heaps, prepare 4 to 5 boxes as one is not going to be enough. Towards the end when everything starts to get a little chaotic as time is running out, I simply dumped the remaining stuff into boxes. Out of sight, out of reach.

Step 7: Be organised!

I tried to pack everything into boxes which I could reuse so that the unpacking and move each time would not be too arduous. Keep an inventory list if possible as things can get a little overwhelming.

Step 8: Turn trash into fun!

Step 9: Book your moves early

We were moving over the weekend when everyone is available hence had major trouble booking the movers. I only started calling for quotes a week before our move. You should do it way in advance. Fortunately we were able to get the professionals in. Most of these professionals will provide corrugated paper, stretch films, OPP tapes and bubble pack. You should get quotes from at least 3 reliable companies and probably show to them the respective quotes to get a better match. Pack the boxes yourself to shave prices. Do keep in mind extra cost will be incurred if the place doesn't have a lift landing, the distance is long and the timing of the day also matters. 

Here are a list of movers for your consideration:

Shalom Movers http://www.shalom.com.sg

Elite movers http://www.elitemovers.com.sg

The helping hand http://www.thehelpinghand.org.sg

Sim Movers http://simmovers.com/contact/ (we used them)

Vimbox Movers http://www.vimboxmovers.com.sg 

Step 10: Contact the town council

Get the workers from town council to help shift your big bulky items which you intend to discard. This is if you live in a HDB flat. We managed to get hold of the worker's mobile and he zoomed up the moment we called. 

Step 11: The big move

Get someone to bring the kids out as things can get messy and dusty. Try to have a person at the new place to supervise where things should be placed and have someone on standby at the old place as well to ensure all goes smoothly.

Step 12: Last check

Sweep as much dust as possible. Sweep inwards and not out of the house as according to my mil, it is treasure hence we can't sweep it away.

Moving house is a very tiring episode. Hope that the above tips will help you in one way or the other! :)