Moving

Alongside divorce and bereavement, moving is one of the most stressful occurrences that can happen to you. The degree of stress is directly proportionate to the distance of the move and the amount of property you have to move. For example, a move from one apartment to another in the same block is nowhere near as stressful as moving a whole house, two dogs, three cats and a car from the Eastern Cape to North Carolina. The more planning that you can do ahead of a move, the better. By eight weeks before a move you should have singled out the removal company that you’re going to use. By seven weeks you should have made a list of the things that you have definitely decided to leave behind. By six weeks, have all the documents you need (passports, medical, dental & bank records etc.) in one folder. Now is also the time to start canceling subscriptions (DStv etc) and sending out forwarding addresses. Four to five weeks ahead make final appointments with the moving company and let the post office have a forwarding address.

When you are moving to another country it is best to have the removal company pack every last thing for you, especially if it is going by container – this will make clearance through customs so much easier in your destination country. During the final couple of weeks before moving return any borrowed items you may have and start putting stuff together for the packers. A little extra planning can remove some of the extra stress.