Image description: A pair of hands opening a box, inside is a gift wrapped with red paper and a blue ribbon around it.

Moving homes during the holiday season

Moving is painful, but it can become harder during the festive season when you have a lot of distractions, deadlines and distances to travel — it’s hard to be excited, let alone practical.

Here’s a guide to help you get through the silly season — it’s possible to save time, money and the stress! It’s all about planning your move well.

The trick is… be prepared!

Source: Pinterest — Image description: Scar from ‘The Lion King’ with text Be Prepared above

Holiday season means people are on holidays…

You need to be time conscious at this time of year, with summer holidays, Christmas and New Year’s all in one big chunk. Be wary, it’s a pretty hectic period and some businesses will be closed.

As part of the pre-planning, you’re better off doing some research on the places that will be open during your move. It’s best to book two to three weeks ahead for a removalist, keeping in mind things like trips to the dump, hard waste pickup, real estate, and furniture stores too.

It’s plausible that moving on a weekend during the holidays could cost more, especially if you consider that some companies may charge penalty rates. So go ahead and compare prices for different companies and dates.

Remember, with the holidays approaching, people will be rushing to relax, which means the roads will be busy. Combined with shoppers, there’s usually a sweltering clump of congestion.

Source: Pinterest — Image description: Traffic jam with text *horns honking * people shouting*

It’s going to cost ya $$$

Naturally, the holiday season requires a bit of money to keep up with festivities. Buying gifts during the holiday season can throw your budget around a bit. But don’t be alarmed, we have some helpful budgeting tips from the specialists.

When it comes to your rental agreement, it’s important to note that there’s usually the bond and first month’s rent, which are typically paid upfront. You’ll also need to allocate funds for end of lease cleaning if you’re a renter. These are some cost-effective community alternatives:

· Ride Share Rentals: You can hire a car (utes or vans) yourself for super cheap through places like Car Next Door

· Airtasker: An online and mobile marketplace that provides a platform for users to hire locals to complete the tasks you don’t want to do based on your budget.

Cleaning services with reasonable rates that pay their employees properly:

· Friends of Refugees Cleaning Enterprise (FORCE):
Cleaning bonds to gain practical work experience and access to rebuilding their lives

· Earthworker Cooperative: A Melbourne-based organisation that brings people together to solve social and environmental problems faced by local communities and the planet.

· Cardboard boxes: Start scouring and saving boxes from grocery stores or your workplace. Also, keep those old newspapers and magazines, it’ll save you buying bubble wrap, which can be costly, plus it’s no good for the environment.

· Gumtree & Facebook Marketplace: For either a buck or just getting it out of your hair, get rid of all your invaluable possessions here. Once you’re settled in — be the customer! You can collect a lot; bed frames, mattresses, tables. It’s all there.

Source:Bekia — Image description: Leonardo DiCaprio in ‘Wolf of Wall Street’ throwing money off a boat

Does it spark joy? How to ‘Kondo’ your plans…

· One word for you — compartmentalise. Keep your Christmas stuff separate with clearly labelled boxes for the move.

· Take this opportunity to Marie Kondo up your life. Either a great way to pack, learn that folding technique or say goodbye to the things you’ve been holding onto for a little too long.

· Donating to charities: While you’re sorting what does and doesn’t spark joy, know that these might for somebody else. This is a super busy time for Good Will stores, so consider that one man’s trash, is another man’s treasure.

· Council pickup: Most places in Australia will give householders a free kerbside hard waste collection. Side note — you have to book it well in advance.

Source: The Big Smoke — Image description: Marie Kondo with yellow text ‘This one does not spark joy.’

It’s gonna be a hot summer

There’s no debate about Australian summer — so there’s a chance you could slip and slide from your own sweat on a 40-degree day. It’s important to be conscious of the hottest hours of the day, start bright and early to avoid mid-to afternoon heat.

Bonus Tip: Don’t be afraid to ask for help. The more help you get from friends and family, the easier it’s going to be for everyone. Sometimes it’s hard when people don’t pull their weight when it comes to things like moving out, so be prepared and inundated with help from others. Once you’ve got your crew, be sure to look after each other, stay hydrated, sun-protected and lift with your knees!

Source: Giphy — Image description: Monica from ‘Friends’ spinning around on a floor polisher

Something else that probably isn’t on your list of priorities is The Internet. Planning your internet in advance is a good move. Check to see if your address is compatible with Belong, and what plans suit you the most. It’ll save you the time and the troubles later on.

Source: Giphy — Image description: Moving gif from ‘Mean Girls’ three people waving in front of Christmas decorations. With white text ‘Happy holidays, everybody.’

We’re all about keeping it simple. Stream, download and play the way you want to with our flexible month-to-month internet plans.