My number 1 Tip: Stop the gifting and present giving.
If you know in advance that you are planning a big trip which involves packing up your house and storing belongings you can’t take, ask family and friends to hold the Birthday and Christmas gifts, and if they must by something and don’t like to put the sneaky $50 into a bank account then suggest; Woolworths/ Coles gift cards, caravan park gift cards or adventure and activity vouchers.
If, like me, you had a few people that insist on buying the kids something physical, we were prescriptive on suggestions (torches, walkie talkies, STEM learning kits, fishing rods etc.).
This greatly reduced the amount of unnecessary materials coming into our house for the 18 months before leaving for our trip.
Don’t pay for moving/Storing boxes.
People are always moving and with that comes a heap of boxes once unpacked that need to find another home. Put up a post on your local community pages through social media and you will get a heap of offers. Often there will be people already posting offering unneeded boxes and bubble wrap. This can save you a pretty penny.
Start decluttering well in advance.
You think you have so much time, but in reality, you don’t! The 12th hour will be upon you before you know it. Start ditching old kids clothing that they will have grown out of by the time you return, sort through old food in the pantry, bathroom cabinets and get to sorting the garage (where all our junk kind of just accumulates) ASAP.
Start talking about the pack up with your kids early.
Packing up your home means greatly reducing the number of kids toys you currently have to a small box or two. Engaging your kids early in the plan allows them to process the outcome and genuinely help you sort out their toys. Sure, it often means a resurgence of a few toys for a week or two, but with time our kids were fantastic at donating to charity shops or leaving on the kerb for other neighbourhood kids to take home.
We also helped the kids along in this process by selecting toys they no longer played with and putting them into black bags. We put them in the garage for a short period and if the kids didn’t ask about said toy, they were then donated.
The toy stash is now down to magnet tiles, a few monster trucks, Lego, a train set and a few trains, some transformers and some puzzles.
Understand your storage needs
Using online tools such as this Space Estimator will allow you to understand what size storage shed you will need. From experience I’d definitely recommend adding in some flex. We were spot on with furnishings but underestimated boxes. Dismantle things like beds to take up less space, and reduce the likelihood they will be damaged. You can always do this prior to moving day and have a few days with mattresses on the floor.
Storage is definitely negotiable: Negotiate, Negotiate, Negotiate!
Make sure you get storage quotes from several places. Most have different promotions each month (upsize for free. X number of free months), make sure you ask what offers are on and see if you can overlap several offers. If you can, offer to pay upfront for a further discount. 12 months pay for 11 etc. How can the storage facility secure your business? Can they include a credit for packing boxes etc. or do they have a moving truck you can use at no charge?
Be brutal
Once you have your storage sorted and you have already done your initial cull It’s time to get brutal. Chuck, donate, sell, keep/store or take. Get your partner on board and just go for it without too much thought. The adventure you’re about to embark on is about seeing more and having less, embrace that in the house pack-up and you will see results.
A rollercoaster of emotions, memories and money, but remember the end of the tunnel is near.
Have a plan for the things that don’t sell.
What are you going to do with the things you want to sell but they don’t? Will you reduce the price, will you cut your losses and donate? Or will you box them up to put in storage?
Have a plan for moving and off-load the kids if you can.
Once you have included the kids in the process, particularly around their toys and the belongings in their rooms, you’ll definitely get the rest of the house packed up much quicker without having to parent as well. On moving day there’s a lot to do, especially if you’re doing it yourself. Lots of heavy items and stress levels might be high. Having a family member watch the kids is always a good shout, and way more fun for them too.
Allow yourself time to clean or get in help
After packing up an entire house the last thing you want to do is clean. If you’re saving every dollar for the trip and a professional cleaner is off the cards, give yourself time. After moving day you will be sore and tired. If you can’t stay with family for a few days before you head off to ensure your place is sparkling clean for your new tenants, then I suggest staying close by at a caravan park just to do the finishing touches without tiring yourself out before you even start off.
Packing the house is a big job, but once you’re done you are seriously close to making this dream a reality!