Ask people what they forgot when they moved house and the answers sound different but are really the same: the phone charger, the kettle, the toilet paper, the children’s pyjamas, the box with the sheets in it. None of them were left behind. They were packed, and they were somewhere in the truck or in a stack of forty identical boxes at the new house when they were needed. The most forgotten thing when moving is the first night itself.
The answer is a first-night box: one box, or one bag per person, packed last and opened first, holding everything the household needs from the evening of moving day to the next morning.
What goes in the first-night box
- Bedding. Sheets, pillows and a doona for every bed, so the beds can be made as soon as they are in place.
- Bathroom. Towels, toilet paper, soap, toothbrushes and toothpaste, and any toiletries you use every day.
- Kitchen. The kettle, mugs, tea, coffee and milk, a few plates, cutlery, a sharp knife, a tea towel and dishwashing liquid.
- Charging. Phone and laptop chargers and a power board.
- Light and tools. A torch, light globes, a box cutter, scissors, a screwdriver and some tape.
- Cleaning. Cloths, spray and a few bin bags: the new house may need a wipe before anything goes in the cupboards.
- Clothes. A change of clothes and pyjamas for everyone, and work or school clothes for the next day.
- Medicines and anything the household cannot go a night without.
A box for each child, and one for the pets
Children settle faster when their own things come out first. Let each child pack a small box or a backpack of their own: a favourite toy, a book, the night light, pyjamas and whatever goes to bed with them. Pets need a box too: food, bowls, a lead, bedding, litter and any medicine. Our page on residential removalists in Adelaide has more on moving with children and pets.
What the first morning needs
The first-night box is really a first-night-and-morning box. Breakfast for everyone, the coffee, a frying pan if you cook in the morning, school lunches if it is a school day, and the clothes for work or school all belong in it. So do the things you need to get out of the house: the car keys, the school bags, the work pass and the wallet. A first morning spent searching boxes for a uniform is a poor start in a new house, and it is the easiest part of the move to plan. Write the morning on your list as well as the night.
When to pack it
Pack the first-night box on the last evening in the old house, after dinner, and finish it on the morning of the move with the kettle, the mugs and the chargers. Until then, keep a list on your phone of what needs to go in, and add to it as you notice things during the week.
Why it travels in your car
A box on the truck is unloaded when the crew reaches it, and goes to whichever room is written on it. A box in your car is in your hands the moment you arrive. Carry the first-night box with your documents, keys and medicines, and label it clearly in case it does end up on the truck: big letters, on every side, saying open first. Our article on what to keep off the truck has the rest of the carry-yourself list.
Making the first night work
The first-night box is half of it. The other half is the order the house is unloaded. Tell the crew which rooms matter most, and the beds for those rooms can be placed first so you can make them up while the rest of the house comes off the truck. Check before moving day that the power, water and internet will be on at the new address. Then, when the truck has gone, the house works: the beds are made, the kettle is on and the phones are charging.
How a whole house move is planned around that first night is explained on house removalists in Adelaide, and the full order of jobs in the weeks before and after is on our moving house checklist.
Other things people often forget
- The ceiling space, the shed and the meter box. Check them before the truck leaves.
- Things on loan. Return borrowed items and collect yours before you go.
- The remote controls and the garage remote. Leave the old house’s for the new owners or the agent, and find the new ones.
- Your address. Service SA says you must update your address within 14 days of the change.
Planning a house move in Adelaide? Call Moveall and we will plan it around your first night.
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