A Complete Guide to a Stress-Free First Night in Your New Home

Moving to a new home is exciting. But it can also drain you more than running a marathon.

You have to carefully pack everything you own, coordinate all your family members and get them ready for the move, work closely with your moving company to make sure everything goes smoothly, switch service providers, update your address, ad so much more. And that’s all without even taking into account the emotional aspect of the move – and the stress it brings with it.

And by the time you get to your new place and think you’re finally done, you realize you’ve just reached the next stage.

At first, your new home will feel cold and empty, lacking that joyful, home-y feeling you’re used to. But we’re here to tell you that it’s perfectly normal to feel that way – and to help you be prepared for your first night in a new home.

Here are a few tips to start enjoying your new home right away:

Prepare boxes to get you through the first night

We rarely stop to count all of the things we use on a daily basis. Until they’re not within reach.

That’s why it’s essential to have a box (or boxes) prepared with all your IDs, medication, personal hygiene items, pajamas, and a full set of clothes for the following day. And the list grows with each family member – or little furry friend.

For a little help on what items to store separately for your first night, here’s a helpful checklist (though I’d personally add a phone charger):

Infographic courtesy of Kim Hughes

Get the stress of cleaning out of the way

You’ve just finished the hard part: you cleaned out your old place and taken all your things to the new home. Surely you won’t feel like scrubbing out your new place.

But getting this out of the way will take some stress out of the way and help you sleep better in your first night home. Why? Because we have the nasty tendency to lay awake at night, worrying about that long to-do list that awaits us in the morning. Extra benefits: it’s much easier to clean the place before you unpack all your stuff; and a clean home is much more inviting, helping you accommodate much faster.

Set up your curtains and rugs right away

Rugs and curtains instantly liven up a room, so make sure you place them in a clearly marked box that you’ll keep within reach.

Once you get to your new home, take them out of their box and set them up. The house will look less empty and they will make it feel cozy. To take it up a level, professional cleaners say they often advise their clients to take the rugs and curtains to the cleaners when prepping for a move. That will make your new home smell and look great, making it much more inviting.

Make dinner plans

When your entire household is packed in boxes, the very thought of dinner can turn into a painful headache. So make sure you plan ahead!

Packing a separate box with the kitchen utensils you’d use for dinner is a good idea. But since your fridge will likely be empty, it’s better to have a pamphlet or menu from a nearby delivery service. This will save you the anxiety of not knowing what to make for dinner, while also adding an element of reward – the kids will be more motivated to help out if they know they’ll be rewarded with pizza.

Have a camera ready

This is your new home, a place for your family to grow and make lifelong memories. Why not document the event by taking photos with the empty home, before you even start unpacking?

The photos will not only serve as a great memory in the future but will also give you a feeling of accomplishment – as you’ll be able to see your new house turning into an inviting home for you and your loved ones.

Guest author: Georgiana Mihaila is a writer on a quest to make home living easier, one useful tip at a time. She’s also the human behind all those Fancy Pants Homes.