6 Things to Consider Before Moving House

Moving houses takes a lot of planning, energy and brainpower. As the date looms closer, you may feel overwhelmed at certain tasks and feel completely unsure of where to start. To make the process a whole a lot easier, check out six things you should consider before you whip out the packing tape and cardboard boxes.

1. Should you keep it, store it or bin it?

Sometimes it’s impossible to know if you should keep that family dining table or invest in a new one for your next home. If you’re finding it difficult to find some direction in organising your belongings, work through Fort Knox’s handy chart below to see what should stay, what should be thrown or donated and what can be packed away in secure storage.

2. Stay connected

Don’t start packing the moving trucks before you’ve organised internet and your landline for your new place! If you require some help in getting your internet, home phone and Wi-Fi set up, talk to a technician in advance – they can sometimes be booked with jobs for weeks. Try to time the set-up before you start moving so you aren’t disconnected at all once you step foot in your new home.

3. Update your address

There’s nothing worse than loving life in your new home until you receive a call regarding overdue bills you completely forgot about… because you didn’t redirect your mail to your new address. To avoid unnecessary stresses, be sure to notify your post office, government offices and any companies you’re linked to about your move. In particular, notify your car registration and insurance company, banks and subscription services, and update your details on the electoral roll.

4. Insurance

Call your insurance provider before you move to ensure your current policy expires the day after you’ve moved out, and that your new policy starts before you move in. This means all of your belongings are covered the moment you step foot in your new home.

5. Get to know the new area

This could be something you and your family do once you’ve moved into your new home, but changing neighbourhoods is often easier when you are already familiar with the streets and main facilities. If you haven’t already, take a drive around the new area to discover local gems, like a fantastic Thai restaurant, great shops and local parks. Meeting your neighbours would be an extra bonus as well; transitions are often easier and more enjoyable if you have a few friendly faces around.

6. Prepare a moving box

Avoid last-minute trips to the hardware store while trying to set up your furniture in your new home by preparing a moving box. Fill it with Allen keys, screwdrivers, screws, scissors and anything else you may need to make your new house a home.

While moving houses takes a lot of work, it provides the opportunity for new memories, new friends and the chance to change up your home décor.

What are your must do’s before moving house?

This is an S2 POST.

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Building your dream home can be stressful. It can be irritating and can be very daunting. But it is also one of the most rewarding experiences and one that has left Mr C and I feeling accomplished. We moved into our house 18 months ago after months of picking and choosing, second guessing and taking a leap of faith. Being handed the keys to our house was a surreal moment but also a relieving one. It took months to get to the point of having the keys in our hot little hands though and months of learning the ins and outs of the building process before that. I want to share my top 10 tips for designing your family home that I have learnt through the course building our house.

Tips for designing your family home

1. KNOW YOUR BUDGET AND STICK TO IT

It’s great to dream that we will have the huge house with all the bells and whistles but that will only lead you down the path of disappointment, especially if you haven’t got the funds to support this dream. It is possible to build a beautiful home that is smaller and just as spacious, just design your layout to suit an open plan living. This brings me to tip #2.

2. DON’T BE AFRAID TO CHANGE THINGS

If you have found a floor plan you like but want to make some changes, do it. Keep in mind that all internal walls can easily be moved however once you start moving foundations it can increase the cost of building.

3. WHAT DO YOU WANT?

Do you want your living space to open plan living or divided rooms? Bells and whistles or just homey? It is very important to know what you want. This will make looking at house plans / floor layouts much easier; there is no point looking at 2 storey homes if you only want a single storey. Do you want side access on your block or a drive-through garage? These are also something that is worth keeping in mind for resale value.

4. ASK QUESTIONS

You will often think a question is too silly to ask but it’s not! Ask as many questions as you possibly can. Big or small, nothing is too trivial – ASK THE QUESTIONS. If you think of anything you want to know write it down so you don’t forget to ask next time. There are a lot of things you won’t know to ask and we learnt that the hard way. Things like does the splash back in the kitchen go to the top of the range hood or end below it? We were under the impression it was to the top however when we did the key handover it was apparent that was not the case. This also ties in with the next tip – know your inclusions.

5. INCLUSIONS

Every display home you walk into will be upgraded to the best of the best. Do not be fooled into thinking that is what you get for your money, it’s usually far from it. Ask what is upgraded when you visit display homes so you know from the beginning what you are and aren’t getting. Make sure you also take an inclusions list home with you to look over later. Does it include fly screens and sliding doors, flooring, light fixtures, outdoor area, better yet concrete to outdoor area, driveway, etc? What is the power points/tv points allowance? There are so many things like this that you just assume are included but that’s not always the case so it’s better to find out at the start.

6. DON’T BE PUT OFF BY BASIX

While it sounds scary and expensive, it is only a small blip on scale of how costly building a house can be. Majority of the time BASIX are straight forward and require barely any effort on your behalf. It is beneficial to you in the long run any way as it focuses on: Water use, greenhouse gas emissions due to energy consumption and thermal comfort.

7. PICK COLOURS CAREFULLY

Do some research on colours before committing. We chose black tiles in our bathroom and while it looks amazing, it is very hard to keep clean. Unfortunately we also made the decision to have black cupboards and drawers in our kitchen and every time someone touches them it leaves fingerprint marks. I advise against getting black!!

While bright fashion colours look great, they are a fad and will go out of style before your kitchen/bathroom needs a revamp. Stick with neutral colours and add bright vases/pots/kitchen goods to give the room a splash.

8. ENSURE EVERYTHING IS DOCUMENTED

It is one of the most important things to remember. You must make sure everything you want is written in the tender, if it isn’t the builder can and more than likely will say no. We encountered this issue when we added an extra zone to our ducted air conditioning (3 zones in total); we stated numerous times where we wanted the zones to be: 1. main bedroom and office – 2. living rooms, study and rumpus – 3. remaining bedrooms HOWEVER for some some reason it hadn’t been written into the tender and we didn’t realise it wasn’t in there until it was too late. The zones ended up being put in wrong: 1. bedrooms (all of them) and office, 2. living rooms and study, 3. rumpus. We were and still are annoyed that this happened but there is nothing that can be done about it now.

9. STORAGE STORAGE STORAGE

You can never have too much storage. Make sure you have adequate pantry, kitchen, bathroom, bedroom storage. We had a small space next to the internal garage door that was wasted space so we turned it into a broom closet. Hallways are also wasted space so maximise their practicality by adding linen storage into them like Coral Homes do in many of their floor plans. Maximise the space you have!

10. PRIORITISE

To keep your budget under control, prioritise the wants and needs of your family over the fancy dressings. You can always invest in the expensive handles and fixtures later down the track once you are all settled in. Practicality is much more important.

You will not get it right the first time. You can put as much thought into your home as possible but there will always be something that you will want to do differently next time. Take notes for future reference. ENJOY YOUR NEW HOME!! 

Do you have any tips you would add?

This is an S1 POST.

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Keeping kids rooms tidy is a struggle at the best of times and even when you have the kids trained to put their toys away it often still doesn’t look neat because of the storage tubs we use. In our house we use the ‘pack away before you move away’ theory and it works like a charm (except for Poppet, she’s still learning). For years now we have used those large clear plastic storage tubs or butchers tubs for the kids toys, as a decent toy box is hard to find at a reasonable price. That is of course until we discovered 3 Sprouts and their fantastic kids range of practical storage from CoolKidz. The 3 Sprouts toy storage is absolutely gorgeous and great quality! We have got a 3 Sprouts Toy Chest and a 3 Sprouts Storage Bin and I love them. They have completely transformed Poppets’ room and are absolutely adorable.

The 3 Sprouts Toy Chests are the perfect size for a childs’ room and is surprisingly spacious. It hold so many toys without taking up a lot of space. It is made from hard-wearing canvas and reinforced with cardboard. Don’t be fooled by reading cardboard; it is strong and will hold the weight of a child leaning over it! The toy chest makes organising a room full of toys easy and have 3 great designs to choose from. RRP $49.95 the 3 Sprouts toy chest stands at almost 40cm high and 60cm wide. Worth every cent!

These 3 Sprouts storage bins are just the most perfect size for kids to store all their most prized possessions (approx. 43cm high and 42cm diameter). Great for storing toys, books and even laundry! The storage bins are made from tough cotton canvas and have cute animals on the front; there are 12 gorgeous ones to choose from. They are easily folded so are a great space saver when they are not required to be in use but if you had one you wouldn’t want to pack it away. The 3 Sprouts products are a great gift idea for babies, toddlers and kids. RRP $49.95

3 Sprouts have more than just these storage options available and their range varies in size, purpose and price. Storage, bath, nursery and even organisation. Check out the CoolKidz website for the full range.

2 PRIZES UP FOR GRABS!!

Each Prize Contains: 1x 3 Sprouts Toy Chest. RRP $49.95 each. Total prize pool: $99.90

 **As the winners are chosen based on skill and not chance; you will be sharing for 0 extra entries however I’d love you to share the giveaway with friends and family. Sharing is caring and karma loves kind people. **

a Rafflecopter giveaway

If you are wanting to enter more giveaways click over here.

 Disclosure: I received the above items for the purpose of this review. All opinions are my own.

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The hot season is on its way. You will be wanting out with the winter jackets and in with the summer shirts. Either you have no room for both, or your wardrobe is simply getting too muddled and you want to be able to reach a singlet without accidentally pulling out a sweater. Never fear as there are ways to overcome this dilemma that you might not have considered and you don’t have to go above and beyond to achieve them. The answer could be right under your nose. So without further ado, here are some handy storage ideas for your wardrobe space this summer.

Wardrobe Space with these Storage Ideas

Designated Storage Space
Depending on how much of a shopping junkie you are, the space in your immediate surroundings might not be enough to store all your clothes. If this is the case, you might have to designate another room for storage. For instance, the spare room or perhaps the attic or basement. If neither of these are an option, box all your unwanted clothes and transfer them to a storage facility. Based in Queensland, Fort Knox provides its customers with a wide range of storage units suitable to whatever you need taken care of, whether it’s short term or long term storing systems.

Extra Hooks and Hangers
Use the wall space in your room as an extension of your wardrobe by inserting hooks on which to hang clothes. For example, the space on the back of the door could be used to hang scarves and handbags. Alternatively, buying extra coat hangers can go along way. You don’t even realise how much space you have in your wardrobe until you hang as many coat hangers as possible in the space provided. In short, use the space you have before considering other options, particularly if you have room to spare or you’re on a budget. This option should appeal to students who would much rather spend their savings on a new laptop than on fancy bedroom storage.

Baskets and Containers
Plastic containers are probably the handiest form of storage space. They’re easy to move around and they can fit twice as many clothes as their size would suggest. Containers can live under your bed, in your closet, or up in the attic, and they take up very little space out in the open. Baskets are also a great way to save space. Placing one large basket at the end of your bed will get rid of a lot of unwanted wardrobe clutter in one go. Baskets and containers are ideal for your casual footwear and foldable clothing, which only really excludes winter jackets and maybe headwear. Keeping them within reaching distance (such as under your bed) is a suitable for smaller pieces such as socks and underwear.

The trick to storing clothes is to be versatile and, moreover, creative. While jackets aren’t able to be folded, they can be hung up, and while shoes are difficult to hang, they can be neatly tucked away. Whether you pick all three options or settle on one, you’re minimising clutter and in turn expanding your summer wardrobe space.

This is an S2 Post. 

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It really does not matter how large or small your pantry; to make the most of the space you have, your pantry needs to be effectively organised. You need to be quite ruthless in determining what stays and what goes, and take advantage of storage solutions outside of your home (such as storage at a Fort Knox Storage facility), for items that are used infrequently or really do not belong in your pantry. Here are some great tips how saving space can be quick, easy and budget friendly.

Getting started…

Pull everything out of your pantry

To get really organised, you need to remove the entire contents of the pantry and commit to disposing of everything with an expired use by date. Items that are not out-of-date, but are open and look to be past their best, should go too.

Clean while the pantry is empty

With a completely empty pantry, you have the perfect opportunity to give the space a thorough clean. If drawers are a feature of your pantry, start by vacuuming them out, and then give all surfaces a complete wipe down.

Logically sort and group pantry items

With items still outside of your pantry, sort them into logical groupings, such as flour and baking items, tinned food, pastas, sauces and cereals. Before you return these items to the pantry, think carefully about how they can be best positioned and arranged.

Keep heavy appliances on trays

A great tip that has been practiced for decades, is to sit heavy appliances like food processors and blenders on trays. Doing so makes it easy to slide the appliance from the back of the shelf to the front where it can be more easily lifted out.

Saving space with tins and bottles

In most pantries, tins and bottles can be difficult to store, because of their bulky size and shape. It is now possible to purchase expanding racks for the pantry which are attached under the shelf. You will be adding extra storage and creating a space where all tins are visible and neatly organised.

Use containers for your dry goods

Stop the chaos and loss of space that results from opened boxes and packets falling over in your pantry. It’s far better to empty your dry goods into containers and containers that are clear glass or plastic are preferable, as they make it easier to find particular products.

To optimise space, use square or rectangular containers, rather than round ones which do not fit beside each other quite so well. Use labels for the easy identification of products and ensure that all containers have airtight lids.

Make the most of baskets

Baskets are an invaluable resource in a pantry as they provide a place for all manner of items, from cake sprinkles and food colouring, to garbage bags and aluminium foil. Save space and stay organised with baskets that are clearly labelled and logically arranged.

Generally speaking, space is at a premium in most people’s pantries. It really doesn’t matter how large or small your pantry is, it can be well-organised so that space is maximised and all items can be easily located and used. What are your tips to saving space in the pantry?

Disclosure: This is a sponsored guest post.

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Moving is one of the most stressful experiences in the human condition. It involves moving a huge amount of stuff a long distance over a protracted period of time. If you plan to move with someone it’s also a sure fire source of conflict and annoyance. It costs you money, it takes time and it is endlessly frustrating. Here are some easy ways to make moving safe easy and relatively relaxed. Once the job is done you can get back to a good relaxed life in your new home.

Image Credit

Plan Everything

The best way to cut down on the little troubles is to have a plan. Know where everything is going to go, measure your old place and your new one for size. Know the right way to get everything important interstate without risking destruction or damage. Do your research on moving vans and companies. You should only proceed when you have a really good idea of how you’re going to manage the move. This won’t solve all of the problems you will inevitably have, no plan is perfect, but it should help plan it out.

Be Cut-throat with Disposals

Sadly when you’re disposing of things when moving house you have to be colder than you’ll like being. You’ll have to get past the sentimentality that leads to people wanting to keep everything no matter what happens. No matter how much you may want to, bringing everything makes the experience so much more frustrating. So decide what you want to keep and what you need to throw out. You may not want to lose the old memories but you have them anyway. If you don’t have any particular sentimental attachment to something and you haven’t used it in a year it might be time to throw it out.

Seek Help if you can

No one likes to do anything alone and moving is basically impossible. Call in every favour you can get, in the old state and the new one. Every strong back to lift a couch, organised mind to load up the truck and friendly face to raise your spirits is one job you don’t have to do. You have friends for a reason, use them if you need them. While there may be some tensions between you and them during the process it will be a better experience over all.

Take it in Stages

Doing things in steps is a good idea, a big job is made up of a lot of smaller jobs. If you have to be out right away feel free to load your possession into a truck and move it to a temporary storage facility. Doing this will give you time to make a few trips and prevent mad rushes of moving back and forth just to get all of your stuff to the new place. Visit www.fortknoxstorage.com.au for more information.

Moving need not be horrible. Just take your time, think of s plan, don’t be afraid to ask for help and be realistic with yourself about what you really need.

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Guest Post written by Mick Cutcliffe.

Bio paragraph: Mick Cutcliffe leads a very busy life, a single father of 3 boys, working through the day and writing through the night. Cutcliffe is an avid writer for Fort Knox business storage.

There is too much stuff in our garage that only my car fits. Mr Dad has to park his car on the driveway ;)

A garage can be a really useful space for storing things and depending on how well you organise the space you can usually have room for storing the car and some of your stuff. One important thing to do to ensure that you are making the best use of the space is to declutter, and only keep things that you really need to in the garage. Here are 5 tips to decluttering your garage.

The shelves are great but a tidy up wouldn’t hurt!

Have a Chuck Out

First things first, before you can really utilise the space you will need to have a chuck out, and get rid of everything that you no longer need. Often the garage space can be a place where we dump anything that we don’t have a place for, and it builds up in piles and becomes a really untidy space. Getting rid of the things that you don’t need will free up your space, both physically and energetically, and your home will feel a lot clearer.

Store What You Don’t Need Now

If there are things in your garage that you need to keep, but don’t need to use on a day to day basis then an option that might work for you is to put them into storage. Often we may need to store papers and other things related to business etc, and only need to access them once a year, or once every few years. Business storage would be a good investment for you, but make sure you keep your storage facility in a place where they will be kept safe and sound for future needs.

Define the Space

One great way to utilise the space as well as it can be used is to work out what you want to use it for, and plan accordingly. If you are using it to store your car then you will want to organise the remaining space accordingly so that you can make the most of it. If you decide to use it as a studio or work space then shelves, benches and cupboards will be of great assistance to keep the place clear and uncluttered.

Overhead Shelf

If you are using the space to store your car but still have a lot of stuff to keep in the garage then you might want to think about installing some overhead shelving above the car. This way you can use that space that would usually be left unused. There are some really interesting designs for this that can be made easily and attached to the roof to make this shelving unit.

Tool Board

An interesting way of storing tools is to create a tool board with hooks where you can have your tools hanging on display so you know where they are and can easily grab them when you need them. The display board can be used for storing other things in your garage according to what purpose you are using the area for.

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