Meet Rick – planning for success

As Rick says, home wasn’t built in a day, but he shares some valuable tips after his recent move into his own SDA apartment.

Moving is hard. No matter how many times you tell yourself that “it’ll be easier” there are hiccups to remind you that it’s not. The parts you think are going to be easy often don’t go as smoothly as you expect. Hopefully, with planning, the end result is you’ve moved, and with not too many war wounds.

Yay: I’m moving!

Although I was keen as mustard to leave the SDA where I was living prior to my move, I still wanted to make sure my transition was as smooth as possible. Luckily my SIL provider allowed me to move larger furniture and tubs of belongings in earlier than the designated moving date, leaving only my bed, television and a chest of drawers to move on the day.  

Omg: I’m moving!

So, your happy dance is out of the way, and those phone calls and social media updates are done. Now it’s time to get down to Faaark! part of the move.

Make a list and check it twice

Never under estimate the value of making lists. I used an A4 notebook and made the heading: BIG MOVE 2024. On this you write everything, including lists of jobs that need doing prior to, on the day of and after the move; and a spreadsheet of anticipated expenses to allow you to budget (including items such as your upfront rent or connection fees). You can find average costs for electricity, gas, water, etc for a 1 room apartment in your suburb online.

Trim the fat

Make sure you’re organised so you’re not running around on the day of moving. You may need to cull if you are moving into a smaller space. It can be a good opportunity to shed the extra 27 chopping boards you have – my ex-housemates were happy to receive parting gifts of kitchenware. I bought bubble wrap from Bunnings and plastic tubs from the Reject Shop to pack my things into. I left clothes on the hangers and used garbage bags as suit bags so that I was able to transfer them straight out of the car into the wardrobe.

The NDIS will not pay for a removalist, but they will pay for extra hours for your support workers to assist you. You realise how willing people are to pitch in at times like these. I had access to a ute to move my things – fully laden it evoked the Beverley Hillbillies, with my still fully assembled bed, lamp and other furniture aboard.  A number of my support workers (and my coordinator) went above and beyond to help me. I was lucky enough to have 2 DIY Dads helping me, who came prepared to use my new Aldi toolkit and screwdriver set to assemble my table and other furniture.

Getting set up

Shop around for your utilities. This can be quite daunting, but there are comparison sites online such as https://compare.energy.vic.gov.au/ Don’t sign up to them before you’ve decided – you’ll hear from them relentlessly if they get hold of your details.

A lot of utility providers  will do both internet and electricity, giving you a discount if you purchase both from them.  

Connecting utilities never goes smoothly. Gas and electricity are pretty much a phone call. Your patience will be tried, but stay charming as you can get an even better deal and unknown concessions.  But with NBN nothing is smooth. If it’s a new building, there may be issues with internet set up, especially with NBN. In my case, I had to pay an extra $300 for the box to be set up. Budget for other hidden costs and talk to your landlord – they may reimburse you for these.

Know your physical limits – don’t try to carry too much.

Home wasn’t built in a day

You’re in, and overwhelmed by the boxes surrounding you. Don’t be. It’s OK just to sit back and let it go for a day, and then it’s the old eating an elephant analogy – you can only eat an elephant 1 spoonful at a time. Start with 1 box and before you know it you’ll be motivated by your progress.   I have the attention span of an ant, and I managed to get it done.

Get your zhuzh on

And then comes the fun part – decorating. 

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