Moving House With The Kids: How To Save Money and Stress

Moving house with kids in tow can make it an even pricier and stressful venture. Not only do you have to find the time in between and after work to go to house viewings, but you also have to undergo the process of tidying up your old house and re-doing your new property. The kids might even find this to be a tough process, and you’ll need to find ways of making your new property exciting and just as welcoming as your previous home. However, there a few ways to make your new place fit your style and truly feel like a home and not a house.

Set a budget first

When you have kids in tow, it’s inevitable that sometimes organization will have to fall to the sidelines while you prioritize other more important tasks such as getting dinner ready, taking kids to afterschool hobbies and doing general household tasks. However, the one thing that you should not allow to escape your attention is setting a budget for your move. This will allow you to save money by giving yourself financial borders to work in. It’s recommended that as well as setting a budget, you pick out color themes for your new house in advance – as this saves you picking out multiple expensive tins of paint. Work out how much paint you will need and buy it in bulk – just one way to save money.

Get the family involved with re-decorating and tidying

Here’s the first tricky part: tidying. It can be tempting to worry about how good of a job your kids will do of tidying their room but encouraging them to do this will help to normalize the process. Providing them with boxes and trunks to fill with books and toys and showing them what to pack first and why will mean that you won’t have to go back in an hour later and re-do half of the packing. Show them how to stack books neatly and organize awkward items. It’s advisable, too, to let them keep a few items in their room which can be packed on the day of the final move. Sleeping in an empty room is never fun, no matter what your age and a few comforting items that look familiar will make the process much easier for them.

When it comes to decorating, it’s given that your children won’t be capable of some of the much bigger jobs. Paint-rolling the ceiling is tough on adult arms, let alone children’s. However, encouraging them to help paint much smaller sections of wall and help with dusting down fixtures and pieces of furniture will give you one less thing to do. If you’re feeling generous, you might even let them choose the color of the paint.

When it comes to re-decorating in your new home, you might want to treat your kids to some décor that is particularly child-friendly. For example, putting in beanbags and poufs will add furniture to the room in a way that is both useful and playful. This allows you to cater to their needs without completely pandering to them or designing the house around them.

Slim-line the back yard yourself

Your back yard will inevitably affect the value of your property, and so it’s wise to give it a bit of an overhaul before you start showing people around your home. However, this doesn’t mean you have to undergo an entirely new project to create a state-of-the-art back yard with expensive features. Instead, spend some time ruthlessly removing overgrown weeds and shrubs, and being honest about what’s an eyesore and what needs to be taken out as a result. If you want to improve the appearance of your flower beds, particularly around the front of your home, then getting the kids involved with planting flowers and small shrubs can be a great bonding appearance, and teach them a few useful skills.

Ultimately, you want to improve the value of your home, and your back yard shouldn’t be neglected – as this will also feature as part of its selling point. If you’re looking to get your home valued quickly, then using a real estate agent, such as the Otranto Real Estate Co, should help to give you a sense of what your property is currently worth, which could help you decide what to spruce up and change.

Spend quality time in your new neighborhood

Don’t start off your new life in your new neighborhood feeling awkward and new. Both you and your family should get used to your new town and what it has to offer. Before you move in, spend time enjoying local cafes and restaurants, so you have memories of the place you’re moving into before you arrive. If you feel it would be beneficial, it’s sometimes recommended that you take your children to their new rooms and build excitement by asking them how they’d like it decorated, and what color they’d like to paint it.

If you’re feeling particularly bold , introduce yourself and your kids to your new neighbors. This will help you to feel like less of a stranger – you may even find your kids some new playmates in the process. Avoiding busy hours such as mealtimes and during working hours is always recommended, and instead, find a time such as the weekend to knock on their door and simply say hello – particularly if you’ve noticed that they too have kids.

Keep your family routine

If your family always gets up at 7am for breakfast, or if Wednesday is always film night, then it’s important to keep these routines the same. Maintaining your family’s routine will help everyone feel a bit less strange in a new neighborhood and new house. It also reassures your kids that their life hasn’t been fundamentally tipped on its head and that the feeling of being in an unfamiliar new house will pass.

Moving house with kids is never easy, but know that by getting them involved and saving money along the way you can make your life much easier. A little bit of forward planning and encouraging them to help with the process can lift a load of work off your shoulders as a parents, and save some money in the process.