Even for the biggest of foodies, moving day duties are likely to occupy so much of your time that food will be pretty low on your list of priorities.
Food is sustenance though, and you’ll need to keep yourself well fuelled on moving day if you want to complete your move as quickly and painlessly as possible.
Not only do you need to plan meals to keep you going on the journey to your new home and much needed snacks to keep your spirits up whilst unpacking seemingly endless boxes, you’ll also need to consider all the food in your fridge and cupboards.
Your coffee machine and wine cooler are no brainers, but it’s not as simple as just those things when you’re packing up and moving your kitchen into a whole other house. Canned items and dried goods can realistically be boxed up and taken with you, but fresh, perishable foods will need to be gotten rid of before you leave to start your new life in your brand new home.
Here’s our top 10 tips for moving with food:
Make a List
A month before moving day, it’s a good idea to make an inventory; write down all the items in your fridge, pantry and cupboards and determine which products are good to go to your new house and which products are needed to be used up before moving day.
Plan Meals
This way you can plan meals strategically in the lead up to your move to ensure you use up all the fresh food and don’t buy too much extra; you don’t want to end up with lots of wastage which you’ll have to throw in the bin – it’s a waste of your money and of good food resources! It’s a good idea to plan meals which include frozen items; although it may seem like frozen items keep well, they will likely thaw on the journey to your new home and hence may become inedible. Try also to use up open packets as once these have been exposed to the air they may lose flavour/texture; plus, it’s harder to pack open items of food without worrying about food falling out and creating an unnecessary mess.
Shop Smart
In the couple of weeks directly leading up to moving day, it’s a good idea to plan your shop down to the very last item; although it will be time consuming, it will also be worth it with all the money you’ll save and wastage you’ll avoid. Only buy items you are sure you will use immediately, and ease off on the impulse purchases, as more likely than not, you’ll end up discarding them outside the removal van…
Dry Goods
Depending on your removal company, some dry goods such as herbs, spices and canned food is fine to be packed up and moved – and this will be included in their service package.
Be sure to talk to the company you choose first and ask them to outline their exact policy when it comes to moving food so that you are totally clear about their policy and can plan your kitchen move accordingly.
Donate
If you wish to start truly afresh in your new home, then instead of binning all your unused, unperishable goods to make room for new fresh new produce, why not donate it all to a good cause?! Charities and food banks are always grateful for food donations and will be more than happy to take it off your hands. Not only will you be saving yourself the hassle of packing and unpacking goods that have been in your cupboard for years (and let’s face it, you probably won’t ever use), you’ll also be doing a good deed and your bit for society – it’s a win win!
Give Away
Neighbours and friends living close by are good places to drop off any produce you don’t want to take with you, and don’t want to see going to waste. Homemade frozen meals are good to give away to friends, family and neighbours as charities and food banks wouldn’t be able to accept them. Also, many friends and neighbours will be happy to take items such as condiments and jars which have recently been opened off your hands.
Staples
Make a list of staple food items you’ll need in your new property – that way you can go shopping as soon as you arrive and not waste time determining what it is you’re going to need. Milk, bread and tea are some of the most popular items that you’ll want to stock up on before you have time to do the big shop.
Dinners Out/Take-away
It’s pretty inevitable that in your first few weeks settling into your new house you’ll be dining out and ordering in more than you usually do. This tends to be because you may not have a fully working kitchen yet, all your utensils may not be unpacked or put back together properly, or you simply haven’t had time to do a big shop and stock your kitchen up with food. Do some research on good restaurants and take away places in the area so that if you’re ever stuck at a meal time, you’ll have a few go-to places on your list.
Healthy Snacks
Be sure to pack plenty of easy to eat, on-the-go, healthy snacks. Packing up and moving boxes, plus a long day travelling to your new location can be draining and you’ll likely need sustenance in the form of snacks to keep you going. You don’t want the inevitable sugar rush and then crash after a chocolate bar or cupcake though, so go for the healthy options to keep your body working optimally all day.
Things like fresh fruit, bags of nuts and seeds and large bottles of flavoured water are tasty, easy to eat and healthy – all the while keeping your energy up.
Keep Helpers Happy
Whether you’ve hired a removal team or roped friends in to help you with the big move, it’s always nice to have some snacks on hand to keep spirits up. Feeding the help isn’t compulsory, but it’s a small price to pay for keeping energy levels and mood up on what is likely to be a long, hard, stressful day for everyone involved. Pizza works well as an easy, non-messy food which will keep everyone’s spirits and energy up all day long!
