Picture the scene: moving day is over, the boxes are finally unloaded into your new home, you are ready for a nice cup of tea and you realize… you’ve forgotten where you put the kettle!
Wouldn’t life have been so much easier if you had created a box of essential items ready for the end of the big day? Well, here we give you our advice on what to pack in your ‘Open me first’ box, so you never have to face scrambling through your belongings to make that much needed cup of tea!
Tea making facilities
The first item on the list is of course going to be a kettle, along with teabags (or coffee granules if you prefer) and a teaspoon. At the end of a long day moving, popping the kettle on and having a well needed hot beverage is going to be unbelievably satisfying. If you aren’t a tea or coffee fan, pop in your favorite soft drink to crack open instead. Alternatively, a bottle of champagne and a few glasses are always a great way to christen your new home. Paper plates and plastic cutlery may also be useful, particularly if you are ordering takeaway on the first night.
Tools
Your tools are going to be needed almost immediately to reassemble furniture that you had to take apart to transport to the new house, so pop your screwdrivers and hammers in a specific container ready to go. Ideally when you packed you taped the relevant screws and nails to the back of each item, but pack a bag of spares just in case. Other things to bring include a pair of scissors, some masking tape, any instructions for assembly, and notepaper and a pen.
Relevant papers
Whenever you move house there is a multitude of documents that you may need to find at a moment’s notice, and it is essential that you keep the most important with you at all times during the moving process- ideally in a handbag or rucksack so they can be accessed immediately. However, you may well have other, less important papers that you want to hand after you have settled into your new home. A folder of these should be included in your ‘open me first’ moving boxes so you know exactly where to look first.
First aid box
A first aid kit is a really useful thing to keep in your essentials box, particularly if you have small children. This could include plasters, painkillers, antibacterial wipes, hand gel and bandages so you are ready for all eventualities (of course, any important medication should be kept with you at all times rather than packed in a box).
Toiletries
Toilet paper and hand soap are an absolute must for your new home, so unless you decide to go to the supermarket straight away remember to get these packed up in advance and installed in your bathroom as quickly as possible. Other useful items include travel sized shampoo and body wash so that you can scrub off the grime of moving on your first night, leaving you feeling refreshed and ready for unpacking the next day!
Chloe is a writer and when she isn’t writing, she can be found pursuing her other true passion- salsa dancing.
Shared and published by: Don Zilleri
