There’s no denying that moving house is stressful. According to America’s Employee Relocation Council moving is the third most stressful life event you can experience, beaten only by death and divorce.

It helps if you are prepared and organised. We have put together a list of hints and tips to take the pain out of relocationg:

• At least one month in advance decide whether you are going to rent a van, hire a removal company or a packing company. The amount of work you need to do depends on this


• A packing company is the most expensive option. If you decide to go down this route find out exactly what the service covers – and get it in writing! Some packing companies won’t enter attics for health and safety reasons. Others will expect you to have disassembled any flat pack furniture. Make sure you know where such a company is going to store your belongings.
  
  
• If you need self-storage arrange this in advance. At Elephant Self-Storage you can move your boxes in straight away if we have the space available. If not, we may be able to accommodate you with two or more smaller units but it pays to plan ahead
  
  
• Check your insurance. You may need to arrange extra insurance while your goods are in transit or in storage. Furthermore, you need to notify your insurance company that you are changing address
  
  
• Log onto www.newaddress.ie and change your address details. This is a lot simpler than individually notifying banks, ESB and other service providers that you are moving. Anything that saves time saves stress
  
  
• If you are packing yourself you’ll need a lot more boxes than you think. Elephant Self-Storage sells boxes, packing tape and wrapping materials so please feel free to call into our shop or order on line for delivery to your home. You will find that using 'throw away' boxes from supermarkets, etc, is false economy as they collapse more easily (so will your goods inside them)
  
• Get a couple of marking pens and labels. Boxes should be labelled clearly on the sides. Using an inventory label is a good idea particularly for goods you’ll need soon after arriving at your new home
  
  
• Pack all non-essentials first. Try and do this a few weeks in advance. Books, CDs and DVDs are easy to pack. Extra crockery, good china and appliances or clothes you rarely use won’t be missed for a few weeks. Getting all this done in advance makes moving a lot less stressful
  
  
• Keep important documents such as passports and driving licenses together in a safe place
  
  
• Any medicine that has to be taken regularly should be kept on you
  
  
• Keep one or two large boxes handy for your first night in your new home. Pack into them the bedclothes you used the night before moving, a kettle, tea, coffee, snacks, toilet paper, paper towels, headache tablets, bandages, one or two much loved children’s toys, toiletries, towels and anything you will need straight away. These should go in the car with you if you are driving. Alternatively mark them very clearly and ask the removal company to leave them in the kitchen of your new home
  
  
• If possible, arrange for a cleaning company to clean your old home for you
  
  
• Do not pack perishable food. It may spoil