There are many reasons that people downsize. It could be that the family has flown the nest and the house is just too big. It could be that you’re moving to a more expensive city or neighbourhood and have to downsize in order to stay on budget. Alternatively, it might be that you need to save money on the rent/mortgage and/or bills. Whatever your reasons – one thing’s for sure, you’ll have accumulated a lot of ‘stuff’. As a result you’ll have come to the realisation that you won’t be able to take everything. With this in mind here are four top tips to help you to downsize your belongings before downsizing your home.

Is it broken, torn or just plain worn out?
Okay, so this is where you have to get a little ruthless. If it’s broken, damaged, torn or worn out then you need to seriously ask yourself if the item is really worth taking with you? Are you likely to get it fixed or repaired, or does the cost of repair outweigh the cost of buying a new one? If the answers are ‘no’ and ‘yes’ respectively, then you should think about either throwing it away or recycling it.

Stuff you haven’t used?
It’s always best to go through your objects in a systematic fashion and that means room by room. If the item is serviceable, then the next question you should be asking yourself is “Have I used this item in the last year?” It pays to keep in mind when answering this question the fact that taking less stuff is going to save you money on removal fees. Therefore if the answer is no then it’s a pretty safe bet that you won’t ever use it. Obviously if it’s of sentimental value then that’s a different story, but if it’s a state-of-the-art yoghurt maker that you purchased on a whim back in 1998 and which has been gathering dust ever since, then you probably know what you should do.

Is it going to fit into your new property?
It could be that you’re downsizing from a 5 bedroomed house to a 3 bedroomed property. In this case, there probably isn’t much call for the other two beds. The same goes for larger bits of furniture. It would be far better getting a return on your investment by selling them, or giving them to someone in need, rather than putting them in the garage or storage because you have no room for them inside your house.

Finally… do you really like it?
You know that ugly old old vase that was left to you in a will by a distant aunt, the one that’s been gathering dust on a shelf in the upstairs toilet? Well now’s the perfect excuse to relieve yourself of it. Remember, “someone’s tat is somebody else’s treasure”.

So there you have it 4 top tips to helping you to downsize your belongings for your impending move. Now that you’ve downsized your belongings, then you might want to think about hiring the right removal company. Here at On The Move Removals we have been helping the people and businesses of Brisbane relocate for many years. As such we’ve become Brisbane’s most trusted local movers. For a seriously competitive quote contact us today on 044 993 2603 and start the ball rolling towards a stress-free and happy move.

So your impending house move is drawing ever closer and you’re just about getting through that list of 101 things to do. You’ve got the removalist booked, you’re just about packed and you’ve arranged a time to pick up the keys to your new place. In fact right now you’re feeling pretty smug, so after a long day you find an old cup that’s been left in the drawer, pour yourself a glass of wine and flop down onto the sofa. However before long it suddenly dawns on you that you’ve actually forgotten to tell people that you’re moving!

Sure you’ve told your parents and close family, but what about your extended family? Are they aware of your new address, or even that you’ve moved? It isn’t just friends and family either. There are a whole host of other people you really should be telling.

Professional contacts
Your employer will certainly need to know if you’ve moved addresses as will other professionals such as your doctor and dentist. If you have regular treatment at the hospital, then they’ll also need to know about your move. If you have kids, then don’t forget to tell the school?

Utilities
After your professional contacts and extended family and friends, the next group of people you should be telling are the utility companies such as gas, electricity, water, telephone (both landline and mobile) and insurance companies. Your bank will obviously need to be informed as will other companies such as health care, credit card companies and of course, if you want to receive mail – the post office.

Government organisations
Finally when you’ve got through all that lot, there’s one more hurdle and thats’ governmental organisations. Places such as the tax office, electoral register, local council, government pension companies, the vehicle registration office, and of course social security, will all need to be informed.

Phew! That’s a lot of calls to make, especially if it’s a last minute rush. Thankfully technology means that you can also email and make changes online, but nevertheless… it’s still all got to be done. By breaking it down into groups and tackling them in blocks, it makes the task in hand that much easier to manage. Also by starting as soon as you know your new address, you won’t feel like you’re up against it, especially with all the other ‘stuff going on in your life.

Now you’re an organising expert you can be rest assured that a good removal company such as On The Move Removals will help make the moving day itself go like clockwork. Contact us on 044 9932 603 for a competitive quote and guarantee yourself a stress free move today.

Whether you’re upgrading to a bigger pad, or downsizing after your family have flown the nest one thing’s for sure, moving (particularly packing) is a stressful business. Where do you start? What do you pack first? Will you even get it all done? are undoubtedly questions that are going to be buzzing around in your head. However if you stop for a minute, take a deep breath and start planning, then your move might go a lot smoother than you think (Well, at least from a packing perspective anyhow). With this in mind, here’s a 1,2,3 of packing that you might want to follow.

Step 1- You’ve gotta have a plan!

You might know the saying “failing to plan is planning to fail” and this definitely applies to packing. If you don’t plan ahead then you run the risk of packing items before their time, and some will get lost and even broken. Instead have a distinct room plan for each room detailing important factors like when items get packed, how it’s packed and in what order.

Step 2 – Label as if your life depended upon it

Let’s face it, when we’re packing items to move, everything gets packed into brown boxes that are exactly the same size. If you have a multitude of them, how are you ever going to locate something in one of those said boxes if you don’t label them. Whether you have an intricate colour scheme, coded lists or something as simple as writing ‘kitchen no 1’ on the outside of the box, then do whatever is easy for you, but make sure it’s labelled.

Step 3 – Fits and starts is best

This is probably the most difficult part because it’s a ‘big picture’ task. However if you break that task down into smaller chunks such as rooms, then you can plan when they need to be packed. This saves a ton of time unpacking things you suddenly need that have already been packed. In addition you can start with the room that gets used the least, maybe a junk or storage room if you have one, and finish with more popular rooms where items are used up until the last minute such as the lounge or bedroom.

So there you have it, 3 steps to packing bliss!

If you’re searching for a removalist to help you with your local move then you might want to contact On The Move Removals. We’re Brisbane’s most trusted local movers and not without good reason. Call us on 044 992 2603 for a quote today You won’t be disappointed.