Out With The Old…

Have you had a look at all the stuff you own lately? Imagine if you had to move today, how long would it take you to pack up your life? Moving house can be a cleansing experience, and I’m not just saying that!

Some big changes have happened in the last week at Caroline Serviced Apartments. They’ve finally kicked me out of my apartment at the Brighton property!

How can one room look like this.....

Did they really kick me out? Ha ha, luckily no. But that didn’t make the moving process any easier. It’s right up there as one of the most arduous tasks in life. Some people have the unfortunate(?) pleasure of going through this several times.  Don’t get me wrong, it can be exciting finding and planning for that new place to move to, I was so pumped to have found the perfect new pad in the best location – it just never makes the process of packing and unpacking any easier.

I’ve lived in about 15 different homes over my life, and thought that my hoarding days were well behind me after living like a backpacker in the UK for a few years… but this recent move has taught me a few things:

1. Never underestimate the value of regular spring cleaning
2. In the weeks leading up to the move, give some areas of your current place a good clean. It’ll make it so much easier once you’ve moved out
3. If you haven’t looked at or used an item in more than 6 months, then there’s probably no need to keep it. Why not have a garage sale???? Be ruthless here!
4. Keep nic-nacs to a minimum, they take a fair bit of time & effort to wrap and pack (not to mention the regular dusting when they’re on display)
5. Pack smaller size boxes so they’re easier to carry
6. Label all boxes with the contents, so you know exactly which room to put it in at the other end
7. Arrange items to give to charity if you no longer want them – best to sort this stuff out before the big move (less to carry – refer to point 3 and consider that Garage Sale or eBay account)
8. Organise your utility connections at least a week before you move, and don’t forget your internet connection (like I did)
9. Don’t forget to change your address with all the companies you use, or at least create a mail re-direction service with the post office
10. And last, but not least, never EVER agree to moving yourself with only the help of your hubby/wife.  I would highly recommend using a removalist company to do the hard stuff for you! *Insert big grumble here* after my tearful plea to the hubby that I couldn’t possibly instantly “get stronger” in order to get our seemingly 200kg latex mattress into the moving van!

Then become a mess like this? Try moving house sometime...

So finally, at Caroline Serviced Apartments in Brighton it’s been ‘out with the old’ and … ‘in with the new’. Anna is now in the process of moving into my old apartment and taking over as the Resident Manager. A new and exciting chapter is unfolding….