Moving for the first time

Congratulations, on your first big move. Moving home is one of life’s most stressful undertakings – up there with getting married, starting a new job and, believe it or not, retirement.  

Whether you’re renting or you’ve just bought your first home, here are some basic things that you should know so you can get organised before your moving day.  

Make a checklist  

The best way to ensure a smooth move and put your mind at rest is to make a plan and back it up with a comprehensive checklist.  

Plan for your pets  

If humans, with their logic and capacity to take on new challenges, find moving anxiety-inducing, imagine the toll it takes on those creatures of habit living under your roof. Your pets.  

Make a plan for your pets. There are so many moving parts on moving day, pets can be easily overlooked.  

Organise your utilities  

Contact your water, power and gas providers before you move – don’t leave this to the last minute!  

Make sure you open an account for your new house, so that you are only charged for the water, power or gas that you actually use after you move in.  

Set up your phone and internet  

Choose which provider you want to go with and set up your phone and internet.  

Change your address  

Change your address with organisations you have an account or subscription with. You may want to consider redirecting your mail with Australia Post. For a small cost, Australia Post will redirect your mail to your new house, leaving you free to focus on your move.  

Removalists or your mates?  

Whether you’re going to book a professional removalist or you’ve decided to make the move yourself, make a plan for your moving day.  

Start packing sooner rather than later  

There is nothing worse than leaving packing to the last day, then rushing around to shove everything into boxes. Make sure you set aside ample time to start decluttering well before you move.  

As you’re decluttering, try organising your things into the following groups: keep, donate, sell and repurpose. This will keep the mess at bay.  

Make a list of which rooms and sections to tackle first and set realistic deadlines. Work on one room at a time to avoid excess mess throughout your house and allow yourself time to dwell on what you want to keep or get rid of.

We recommend starting your house packing with the rooms you spend the least time in, so it doesn’t interrupt your day-to-day.  

More information

To help you when you move, we’re putting some of the best moving tips we’ve learnt over the past 25 years on our website, visit alintaenergy.com.au/blog.  

For more information about moving your gas account, visit alintaenergy.com.au.