DotcomBlinds: Things you do and don’t need when moving into a new home

A first time buyer guide to the essentials you’ll need for moving day

If you’re moving out of your family home, and into your own place for the first time, it can be tough to know what you do and don’t need in your house the first day you move in, especially as many items you’ll have to buy new for your home.

But it’s not practical to purchase everything you could need before you move into your home, as you’ll end up hauling more items than you need to. Many things you may consider as essentials can wait a week or so for you to settle into your new home, before ordering them to be delivered once you’ve settled in.

So, what items are essential to have from day one when you move into your new home? And what items can wait a couple of weeks before being purchased and delivered to your home?

Do Need: Bed

Once you’ve moved your items from your old home to your new home you will likely be incredibly tired. Moving house is as stressful physically as it can be mentally, with you hauling everything you own into your new abode, meaning by the time you’ve finished bringing boxes in you’ll want nothing more than a good snooze.

So, having somewhere comfortable to sleep from the first day in your new home is incredibly important for you to recharge after a busy day of moving. You don’t need to have the bed put together, even just a mattress on the floor will suffice for a day or two, but you should ensure you have a comfortable space to relax after a hectic day of moving.

Don’t Need: Sofas

Sofas can be a nightmare when you’re moving home – they’re heavy, hard to move, and will take up a lot of space in your moving van. Add in the fact that you’ll have to struggle to get sofas through tight doors and spaces, and the stress of moving with a sofa will be greater than the benefit of having them from the day you move in.

Rather than buying a sofa, then moving it to your new home, wait until you’ve settled in and order a sofa to be delivered. It’s much easier to have someone else bring the sofas to your new home than trying to move them yourself. For the first few days or weeks in your new home, a couple of camping chairs or garden chairs will do just fine and be much easier to move.

Do Need: Window Shades

This is an unexpected must have, if you’ve never lived alone before you may think that you can wait a few days before putting blinds or curtains up in your windows, but they are essential items to have from day one so that you can block light in your bedroom to sleep easier and secure your privacy from nosy passers-by peeking through your windows.

Sometimes, the previous homeowner will leave their blinds or curtains in the home for you, but before moving you should check with them. If you will need your own blinds, visit the property before moving to measure up the windows and order some made to measure blinds online, so that you can secure your privacy in your new home and sleep undisturbed at night.

Don’t Need: Storage Units

On the day you first move into your new home, it’s unlikely that you’ll unpack all of your personal items, knickknacks and clothing. With all the items you would store in a wardrobe or cabinet staying in their moving boxes for a few days, you don’t need to worry about having storage units with you when you first move.

Wardrobes and cupboards can be hard to move, tricky to put together, and take up a lot of space, so it’s better to wait until you’ve settled in to buy your storage solutions. You’ll find moving in day a lot easier when you don’t have to worry about moving and putting together large pieces of furniture.

Do Need: Cleaning Items

When moving into a new home, the previous resident should have given the house a nice clean before they left, but this isn’t always the case and when moving into your new home, it’s easy to create a lot of mess as you bring in boxes and furniture.

Having some basic cleaning supplies handy when you move in will allow you to ensure that your home is nice and clean from the get-go, which will take away some of the stress of moving into a new home.

Don’t Need: Kitchenware

Realistically, you’re not going to be cooking a meal after a long day of moving into a new home, in fact, you’ll probably order in a takeaway pizza for dinner that first night. So, if you’re not going to be cooking food for a few days, why worry about carrying cookware, kitchenware, plates and bowls into your home when you first move?

For a few days, you can get by on takeaway food eaten off of paper plates while you settle in and unpack your belongings. Once you’ve had some time to unpack and get your new home set up, you can then pop to the shops and pick up all the kitchen items you need.

Share to Buy is a one stop shop for affordable homes. On our website, you can search for properties, compare mortgages and find out all you need to know about alternative home buying schemes such as Shared Ownership via our article index.