I lived in the same house for the first 19 years of my life. Then in university, I moved a lot:
- When staying in college in my first year, I had to move out during term breaks. For Xmas break, I went to a temp room. For Easter break, I bunked in with LS.
- Other years were great as I could stay in my room for term breaks. At least one summer though, I had to rent a temp room after my lease ended and before I came back to SG.
- But in my fourth year when I had to do a summer dissertation, I had to move for the summer as the college wanted to renovate the house.
Then during the upgrading in 2006-2007, I moved to Grams' place for a while to avoid the dust - and back again.
These were small moves. As a student, I didn't have much beyond personal goods, and I brought only a suitcase to Grams'. The idea was to keep it simple. The major moves came with marriage... First was to move in with Sito in 2009 :)
But I didn't expect more moves to come - to Evanston in 2010, back to SG in 2012 but to a serviced apartment for a month before pulling our stuff out of storage back into our home just two weeks before Kai arrived!
I actually started a one-line draft to this post back in Evanston (!) but I think I'm now more qualified to talk about moving...
Yes, must plan first!
1. Decide what to dump, what to move, so that you can go to #2.
This means time for some Konmarie. If a blender is seldom - or god forbids, never! - used, Carousell away. I find it easier to list stuff as free - moves way more quickly. No loss to me since I don't use it.
For the frequently used stuff, two ways:
- Buy new ones for the new place and dump old ones on moving day, e.g. TV (not as smart by then), well worn magic mop sweeper
- Pack in the last couple of days / last day to bring along on moving day, e.g. kettle, facial moisturiser
Don't need to say which is more convenient but sometimes, no choice.
For example, we bought new bed frames and mattresses when we moved to BP in 2018 so I set up everything nicely before moving day. Our old bed frame was falling apart and the kids were then on small mattresses. But for the move back to HV in 2023, we decided our sleep gear were still in very good shape so we dismantled the beds three days before moving, slept on mattresses on the floor, moved, reassembled after the move, and cleaned everything to sleep on moving day!
2. Estimate number of (a) moving boxes required and (b) big items requiring separate handling.
You need to tell the moving company so that they can provide enough enough boxes and give the correct quote, usually in terms of number of truckloads. Sito estimated our 2023 number based on 2018 number, plus more coz of accumulation. He also went around the house to look see and his estimate was pretty accurate!
For disposal of big items, movers will usually give a separate quote. HDB dwellers can also tap on town council to dispose of them for free, but nice to give some drink money to the workers who help you :)
3. Decide when to start packing.
Which depends on how much stuff you have and how much time you have. Remember that packing does not happen every day coz there's regular life to attend to as well. Also remember to factor in cleaning time for the new place. For our 2023 move, we started packing things that are less used three to four weeks before moving day coz had to...
4. Find space to store the boxes.
Best enclosed to protect kids, else isolated enough that the kids wouldn't bother, especially if there's a need to stack high. We had to dismantle Kai's bed and used his room as a store room. He slept on a floor mattress in his brothers' room for a few weeks, oops :p
#3 and #4 can be combined if you decide to get white glove service - the packers will pack everything for you within a few hours max, just a couple of days before the move. You just eye power. I got a quote for this ~ $300-400 but decided to save the money. If you do this, you can go straight to Part II :p
Next, how to pack...
First, get ready the boxes, tape, marker and pen and paper - need to label the boxes and write down in a list what's in each box to facilitate unpacking.
Remember to take a video for the memories before packing!
Less used stuff
This is easy. Memorabilia, decoration, books. Even if they don't fit into boxes, just remove them from their hiding places anyway. Like our memorabilia boxes at the top of our wardrobes - empty those shelves early and forget about them.
Btw, don't pack boxes of books and books alone. They're very heavy! Our books took up max a third to half of the box, with lighter things on top.
I would exclude winter gear here to avoid cardboard smell - see below on clothes and linen. But go ahead and throw in the shoes!
Oh, army stuff - Sito is already done with reservist but otherwise, pack them in one well-labelled box in case really suay kena called up!
Work, school and play stuff
Pare down to the minimum. The monitor can't fit into the box so can use to the end :p All documents, document trays, files and writing materials etc can be packed early. If the kids must lose that last eraser, here's $2 for the school bookshop!
No need to do drawing or painting in those last few weeks. No need 1,001 toys too. Play with Toy X or just read library books. Remember to return said library books before moving :) Just don't accidentally pack library books into boxes...!
Big Lego structures may need some dismantling and packing into bags before putting into boxes.
Kitchen stuff
No time to make anything fancy while busy with final reno touchups, delivery of goods and packing. In fact, best to eat out or pack food in the last couple of days. So almost all appliances, cutlery and utensils can go into the boxes, save a small pot for comfort food aka instant noodles, kettle and cups.
For opened goods, put them into big boxes or clean plastic bags before packing into the boxes. Not nice to have cardboard smell in food??! Not all the boxes provided by movers are brand new too...
Don't forget the fridge until it's too late. Must disconnect early to cool down the hot parts, and after the move, must let it stand for a couple of hours to ensure compressor/refrigerant etc has settled before turning it on. That means it's best not to stock up on ice cream, frozen meat etc. From when? Could be from weeks before you start packing so the planning is important!
But what about regular items like dark soy sauce, garlic salt and dried scallops? Get help from family/friends or an ice box that can last at least eight hours*. We pack our stuff in a cold bag and brought over to my in-laws' place that day before the big move.
* More is better. It's at least two hours each before and after, and another four hours for the actual move - weather and traffic may not be kind, worse if you have to dismantle the door and put it back again *.* Speaking from experience...
Cleaning materials
Sito had a good laugh when he was packing some six 3L unopened bottles of laundry sanitiser. Coz I bought a lot during a sale months ago.... Oops...
Anyway, make sure you have enough cleaning materials including laundry powder, toilet cleaner, general wipes and rags for the last days and for cleaning up after moving - need to hand over the house properly to the next occupants.
Clothes and linen
I cannot put clothes and linen directly in moving boxes. If I do that, I'll have to wash them all over again. Yes, I'm OCD like that. Even if the boxes are new. This is where an old duvet cover or bedsheet is very useful! Heck, I would use my fave duvet cover if that's the only one available!
Just line the moving box with the duvet cover/bedsheet, and dump the stuff inside together with the hangers (if any). Keep them clean between the old and the new wardrobes :) Then just wash the duvet cover/bedsheet. Done!
I cannot put clothes and linen directly in moving boxes. If I do that, I'll have to wash them all over again. Yes, I'm OCD like that. Even if the boxes are new. This is where an old duvet cover or bedsheet is very useful! Heck, I would use my fave duvet cover if that's the only one available!
Just line the moving box with the duvet cover/bedsheet, and dump the stuff inside together with the hangers (if any). Keep them clean between the old and the new wardrobes :) Then just wash the duvet cover/bedsheet. Done!
Also make full use of suitcases - they need to be moved too so might as well put clothes in them, assuming they're clean, else there's always the duvet cover. In fact, I kept bringing clothes over when cleaning up the new house - might as well!
For clothes that should not be crumpled into boxes like suits, movers can provide a clothes rack - they'll hang the suits, wrap with clingfilm and move. It's unlikely they'll provide more than one or two though... If you have your own, they can wrap it up and move for you too - just remember to mention when asking for quotes.
Minimise dirty laundry to bring over by doing your last laundry as late as possible. Don't bother packing dirty laundry - just bring the whole laundry basket over.
Two things to remember:
- Prepare clothes and towels for moving day and perhaps the next couple of days, and put them in a suitcase for easy access.
- Pack clothes and linen last so they don't get much cardboard smell. Duvet cover is totally porous...
Big stuff
Things that don't fit into moving boxes, e.g. large paintings, furniture, white goods. See above for fridge.
Movers will secure doors to cabinets etc but good to empty them so things will just rock and roll inside during the move.
Some stuff needs dismantling to fit into the lift or to ensure safety for both movers and goods, e.g. bed frames. Note that dismantling and assembling attract fees. As it turned out, we realised that it wasn't difficult to DIY.
Finally, the move.
This is easy after all that planning and packing. Do a few checks to ensure nothing (big!) gets left behind. Tell the main guy on the ground what to move, what to dump etc.
Usually the movers' truck cannot take people. So someone must be present to lock up in the old house and open up in the new house. I think the latter is more important coz you want to tell movers where to put the various things.
We had 1.5 truckloads so the movers had to return for a second trip. So we left for the new house while they were still packing coz they drove and we took MRT :p I gave them the door code and the access card for the old house, to be returned after the move.
After moving
Not done yet, ok... I went back to the old house a couple of days later to clean up a bit. Lots of dust from the moving, e.g. under the fridge. Also found that the movers did not throw away our old duvets. I felt lucky it was just that and not the old washing machine! After clearing rubbish and checking that the keys etc were nicely laid out for the new occupants, I said a last goodbye and left with the last of my cleaning materials.
And that's it!
