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A Seachange

Forestwood

A Home by the Sea

How does one handle change?

Change might be disruptive and jolting, a shock to the system but it also heralds new possibilities and opportunities.

I will soon be moving to a new location. A new house, new area, new neighbours. It is exciting but a little daunting.

Some of you know that we have been prepping for this move for over a year and soon it will become reality. Add to that, I will be semi-retired- whatever that means?

Have you some moving tips for me? Last year when I moved to my current townhouse, I become stressed out and exhausted. I used to be an ace at moving house, when I was in my twenties and moving flats every year or so.

Thirty years on, I am older and need some tips on making it less stressful.

I would love to hear your suggestions.

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Published by Forestwood

A philosophic Aussie writes here at StPA, one who will readily admit to loving Scandinavia. I'm interested in global politics and what drives us to be who we are. Scratch the surface and you'll find a practical Environmentalist with an egalitarian bent, trying to unleash a little creativity via the written word. Scandinavian culture, literature and traditions are close to my heart, even though I'm Australian. Travel and courteous discussions greatly broaden the mind, so I travel if I can and am always up for a vigorous, respectful discussion. I'm an avid reader, a writer and I enjoy photography and crafts, particularly traditional art forms. I hope you'll find 'Something to Ponder About,' in my WordPress Community.

46 thoughts on “A Seachange”

  1. Don’t go at it like a bull at a gate. PLAN the move and what you will pack. Personally, having moved here in Geelong 6 times in 3 years, I can tell you that you should only pack stuff like books: leave the entire kitchen and bathroom to the moving company. You’ll be amazed how quickly they get through it. I actually have a heartfelt recommendation for you re moving companies: they have a Queensland office ! – WAT RELOCATIONS. Look ’em up. Ring ’em up. Tell Wayne (the father) that I sent you. Or do your own thing ! 😀

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    1. Thanks M-R. Great advice. The MOTH wants to do it ourselves though over a week or so. No removalists, just a small truck and trailer.

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  2. I have moved house many times and our last move was pretty organised. Lists, pre-pack and label. Separate ‘urgently needed’ from ‘can be unpacked later’ it really helps reduce the stress! List change of address paperwork to be done urgently and later separately. Down size, minimise and take less than you have right now. Look for groups with similar interests and find out where your new locality networks – through community or social media. Walk regularly or go to a park which is small enough that you meet people over a period of time. If you don’t meet people, at least the fresh air and sun will help you feel happy. Good luck!

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    2. Great advice, Anitaelise. I especially like the division of unpack first and unpack later! That will help. Labels also are essential I think. We will have about a week to move. Last time it took several weeks!! We do have less stuff now – this time we don’t have to sift through 30 years of accumulations. We have a dog so that helps make conversations with strangers when walking.

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  4. Pack the bedding and bed last so that they get unpacked first when you get to your new home. A good night’s sleep will help tremendously during a stressful time. Also label all the boxes with contents and which room they go in. That made our moves go much smoother. 🙂

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    1. Fabulous suggestion to move the bed last. Actually that is the way I am planning to do it as I want to leave for work from the closer location. My office is quite some distance from the new home. I am off to buy some labels and a good sharpie!

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  5. Listen to M-R, Amanda: get a good moving company and have them pack all the seriously-bothersome stuff (like the kitchen). It will save you at least a day… and lots of stress.
    Label everything.
    Don’t move into the new home until it is ready for it – if it needs painting, for instance, that is much easier before you have filled it up with boxes!
    And once you have moved, start unpacking the major stuff right way – the bed is a very good bet (as Inca says).
    And finally – make sure you unpack at least a box every day. Don’t (!) wait with unpacking until next week … or you will end up with boxes littering your new home for months and months to come! (happened with me :D).

    Oh – and do enjoy it! It really should be an adventure in itself, not a bother! After all, you now have the perfect excuse to remodel your home as you wish… 😉

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    1. Sound advice from the Dragon. One box a day – I have heard that previously. The painting is all done, at least. As I have to work at least one day the week after we move, I am likely to do one box a week! I hope to have it sorted by Christmas! Lol!
      However, I will try to be less stressed about it this time. And less exhausted.

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  6. Tons of luck on the move! When is it?

    A couple of ideas that helped us:
    – if you can, clean the bathroom and kitchen in your new place in advance, before you move. Great to be able to use them right away!
    – easy clothes packing trick if they’re on hangers: slip a large (clean! :)) trash bag on them and move as is… easy packing, easy unpacking!
    – not only label the boxes, but also color code the labels (write the labels on colored tapes) by room. Not a lot of overhead (tape per room) and easier unpacking

    And don’t forget to eat and drink when packing and unpacking. It’s easy to forget, and hunger and thirst makes every little thing so much more irritating…

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    1. You are so correct, E.W. – I must remember to eat and drink. That was probably why I was so exhausted last time. I just thought I would knuckle down and get it all done, and it was … well endless!
      Love the tip on colour coding boxes, as long as I remember what colour goes where! Less time needed to write labels. And the clothes tip I will most certainly use. It sounds like you have really well organized – you have moved many times, no?

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      1. Oops, I forgot to mention that… also create a couple (they’re very cheap to make, and surprisingly easy to misplace :)) of legends, meaning a sheet of paper with a small piece of each color tape and its corresponding location (wish I could attach a picture here!), as in blue—>kitchen, etc.

        We did have more than our fair share of moves, and while it’s not always easy to appreciate them as they’re happening, in retrospect, they were all for the better. Sometimes it just takes longer to appreciate that 🙂 How’s the move coming along?

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      2. At the moment we are still processing paperwork and preparing for utilities. We can’t do terribly much packing until closer to the time. I like that you saw the positives in the moves you made. You sound quite the professional, at it?

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      3. How about a practitioner by necessity? 🙂 What the moves we’ve experienced taught me is that while going through them, it’s easy to “drown” in the (very 🙂) many details that weigh one down, which is why it’s so important to take a break and eat, drink, and be merry. In retrospect, the changes have (so far 😉) all been for the better, which is what helps us look at the next move as an adventure! I know it’s hard to see many adventures in the thick of paperwork: that’s a multi-headed ferocious hydra… How are things progressing?

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  8. You have very good advice here. I’m an expert mover having done it my entire life. My daughter says I’m a Jenga master with the way I pack so nothing gets broken. I take my time and enjoy the process of paying attention to the things I have. Marie Kondo style. I loved her Netflix videos. Be prepared to laugh a lot at anything that goes wrong. Something will go wrong. Keep us posted..

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  9. If you’re downsizing too, think hard about what to discard. We decided we had to take a grip and get rid of many, many books. I still regret most of this, even though most of the collection rarely got read from one year’s end to the next. Which is no help. I seem to be saying on the one hand ‘Get rid of things’, and on the other – ‘Don’t get rid of things’……

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    1. It is a dilemma, Margaret. One that I know well. Books are treasures that you can read from time to time or in sitting. I tend to get rid of novels that I have read and try to make use of the library now, rather than buying new novels. But there are some special books that one likes to keep and I think we should. It’s just finding that balance between what to keep and what to to discard. Thanks for the reminder not to throw too much out- sometimes Marie kondo goes a little too far. Charity shops here are closing of donations because of her TV shows. Because they now have so many donations ……

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  10. Dear Amanda, my mother’s colleague said that she loved putting her home in order, when moving.
    My mother, shocked, asked her – “Why? What joy is there in it?”
    Well, the lady replied – “it feels so good after!” 😀

    Home by the Sea sounds truly great! I hope you will have years and years of happiness and beauty there!

    Just remember … the big meaning of small pauses where you breathe deeply, relax, and think about something wonderful and peaceful… 🙂 🙂 🙂

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    1. Thanks for the reminder to appreciate the small moments to take in what is happening! I understand both sides of your anecdote. The effort of moving and the joy of putting it all together. I will comment about it after and let you know how it turns out. At the moment, it still feels like the distant future.

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  11. Have a special labelled box that goes on the truck last, and comes off first. That’s the sanity box, for remote controls, nuts and bolts To put items such as beds back together – a pen and paper, . Also put your kettle, cups, and coffee and some biscuits into that box. When that box comes off you can put the kettle on for a cuppa while you’re waiting for everything to be unpacked.
    Buy butchers paper (from where you get your removal cartons) for wrapping your China and glasses – newspaper is to messy, butchers paper is clean.
    Only use large boxes for light weight things. You’ll need at least twice as many book/wine sized cartons as tea chest sized.
    Move the clothes from your wardrobe yourself. It’s easy to leave them on their hangers and drape them over the rear seat of your car.
    Leave clothes in the drawers of your bedroom dressing table and tape the drawers closed. The removalists don’t have any trouble with the added weight.
    Take your cutlery inserts from your new house to the old house for packing your cutlery.
    Label all the boxes for the rooms they need to go into.
    Make sure you have chilled wine.
    Enjoy!

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    1. I do like your tips, Chris! You sound so organized. Moving house with you would be a breeze.
      You could even write a Marie Kondo style book on the subject! I am definitely going to have the sanity box! Great tip also on the butchers paper and cutlery inserts! And a will have a chosen ‘Prosecco’ for you to christen the new balcony!!
      Cheers!!🍹

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      1. I’ve had lots of experience in moving Amanda. We’ve moved 15 times in 40 years, and have owned nine of those. One we built, one was a new spec home, and one was still in new condition. The other six have all been doer-uppers! So. – well experienced in both more moving, and and Renovating/decorating. It’s a bit of a hobby, and I’d still be doing it again if Paul was willing. He’s a bit over it though.

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  12. Hope all is coming along well for you and the packing/move stuff.
    I enjoyed reading the tips and also got a feel for where you are at – so it seems you do not have 30 years of stuff to sort – huge plus for that! woo hoo
    and the only thing I can suggest is to remember to do some deep breathing
    one of my yoga teachers just said that we tend to use 1/20 of our lungs when we go about our day – and it is less if stressed.
    A few deep inhales – hold it – and exhale slowly can help a lot.

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