When you buy and sell a home, typically you will only be given a couple of weeks to organise how you are going to move all your belongings from A to B. 

I promise you, this is nowhere near enough time to properly sort out moving your stuff – unless you are renting and don’t have to move furniture, or you only have enough stuff to fill a one bed property. 

Whenever I put my property up for sale or know I have to move, the first job I take on is to empty my food cupboards and try and eat as much as I can from them, or make sure I throw away everything which is out of date. 

Next, I pack or put into storage (see our storage checklist) anything I don’t need until after I move, so if it’s summer, I put my winter stuff away and vice versa. I also pack away stuff I can live without for a month or two such as CDs and books (if you have any in this digital age!). 

Outbuildings and areas we don’t go to so often, such as a garage, shed or loft, are easy to forget, so start with them first – you never  know what you have in them and some of it could be sold on-line or via local auction houses. Alternatively, you can take things you don’t want which are of a decent quality to charity shops. If you are taking stuff to your local tip, make sure you know what have to put where.

When moving my mum’s stuff in 2012, I couldn’t believe how complicated tipping rubbish was. There were around 10 different skips which I had to work out what went where. Fortunately, the staff were very helpful, so it wasn’t too bad, but make sure you leave an hour or two for each trip – it will definitely take longer than you think.

These things just start you off moving your belongings from A to B, so it’s essential to read our storing your belongings checklist and if you are thinking about hiring a van, we have a checklist for that too. Sign up to access – it’s FREE!