Updated: June 2022

Moving house can be chaotic, even for the most organised! There’s so much to do at all stages of the process, and it’s a stressful time that everyone buying a home goes through. We’ve compiled a really useful printable moving house checklist that is easy to work through, as well as a full guide of what to think about when moving. 

If however you’re after some quick wins on how to keep track whilst you’re moving, we’ve listed our top tips to make you feel organised and in control of your move. 

Top Tips For Staying Organised During A House Move

Keep a digital notebook

Now you may prefer a physical notebook but in this day and age, a digital notebook can go a long way. There are many free options, such as Evernote, Microsoft OneNote, Apple Notes, or Google Keep. These allow you to jot down anything and organise it how you like - so whether you’re just a quick note and close, or you assign a category, colour code and file away, all your notes are safe and always to hand. You can also share your notebook or notes, so if you’re buying a home with someone, it means you both have access to all the information whenever you need it. 

Have a packing system

Packing can seem fun… at first. Once the novelty of having a bit of a sort out has gone, you need a manageable system in place to keep you organised (and motivated!) while you pack the whole of your life up. Trialling something like ‘keep, throw, donate and sell’ can be a good start, and something you can do gradually. This can be done by: 

  • Having a cardboard or lidded box for ‘keep’, where as you come across things you want to keep, but won’t use until after you move, you add it to the box (think sentimental bits, books etc). Once it is full, seal the lid and replace with a new box. 
  • A bin bag for ‘throw’, where you can throw things as you sort (think holey socks, those old full notebooks you’ve kept a hold of for 10 years, an old freebie stress ball etc). You can keep adding to this bag and just take out when full and then replace. 
  • Having 1 or 2 open boxes for ‘donate and sell’ means you can add to the box and either put it in your car to take to a charity shop, or take the time to photograph and list all the items once the box is full.

The idea is to keep the process ongoing, so your manic weekend days of sorting are few and far between. A lot of the work is done as you live your life and find bits and pieces along the way. 

Colour code by room

To help keep you organised on moving day, and your movers (or helpful friends and family) from asking you constant questions, look at colour coding your boxes by the room they’re going to in your new home. 

For example, all your kitchen boxes have a red sticker, or colourful piece of paper taped on, your living room boxes all have green stickers or paper etc. You could just write on them, but having a bright easy way to spot which room they are meant to be in is a lot easier for those holding the boxes. Plus, it can be a lot easier for you when packing to add a sticker to each side of a box, than having to write ‘kitchen’ on several sides of about 15 boxes. 

Top Tips For Keeping Track Of Money Whilst Moving

Though practical tips for moving are great, money is also a huge part of the process too. Hopefully you have some idea of the average costs associated with moving house, and you can now focus on how to keep on top of your financial information organisation. 

Have some love for the spreadsheet 

Having a clear idea of your finances is something you will already be familiar with, but it’s important to track all of the costs that come with buying a home. You’re not just saving for a deposit now, you have surveys, removal fees, estate agent fees etc. Not to mention anything unexpected that may crop up during your buying process. 

Having a simple shared spreadsheet that you can detail all your expenses and compare them against your (and anyone else buying the house) available funds, makes it a lot more simple to see in black and white where you stand. You can get fancy and add formulas in to show you exactly how much money you have left, or if you need to cut costs somewhere. 

Gather your paperwork

When moving house there’s a lot of paperwork that comes with each process. Firstly, taking the time to gather all these bits of paperwork (like the utilities bill that is on the noticeboard, the passport that’s tucked in a ‘safe place’, and your banking statements that need to be downloaded etc), is a task in itself. These should definitely be organised by type and date and stored in a folder. As time goes by, you can add to the folder with any other relevant paperwork. You then have a singular place to go to that you can find all your hard copies will be a life saver. 

It also makes sense to have a digital folder, or something free and shareable like Google Drive. As most of your paperwork will also need to be sent over digitally, having a scanned in or downloaded copy of everything in a folder that you (and anyone else you may be buying a home with) can access makes it a lot quicker and easier when you’re suddenly asked for documents. 

Remember you can download our handy moving house checklist to print, and you can also find loads more useful information in our moving house news category.