Buying a home is an exciting journey…but what happens after you move in? Too many homeowners fall back in their old habits and eventually find themselves disenchanted with their new house. Here are 7 new home resolutions to help your happily ever after last a lot longer!
Purge Before You Pack
Want to know the best way to ensure you’ll have a clean and uncluttered home to enjoy? Before you move, be ruthless with your stuff. If you never use those kitchen gadgets or wear that suit at your old address, that isn’t likely to change at your new home. Hold a yard sale and donate unwanted items to charity instead of boxing them up to deal with later.
Cut the Cord
When you move, you’ll need to change over all your utilities. But there’s one service you can probably drop without too much regret. Cable TV is a big expense, even when bundled with an internet service or cell phone provider. With all the streaming options available—not to mention the TV and movie titles offered for free from your local library—you may find that it’s finally time to cut the cord for good.
Build Better Cleaning Habits
New house, new cleaning routine. It only takes a couple of weeks to build a good habit, so make a new home resolution to keep things tidy. At minimum, aim for an empty kitchen sink, wiped-down countertops and bathroom vanities, and neatly made beds every day. You’ll be amazed at how little time it takes, if you’re not used to keeping a tidy home, and how addictive it is to have a clean and pleasant place to relax.
Keep Records of Home Repairs
Too many homeowners let routine maintenance slide or fail to keep records of when repairs occurred. Make a new home resolution to stay on top of maintenance—and write everything down. Not only will this information help you budget and track what needs to be done, but in the event that you decide to sell, the records can also help with capital gains.
Pare Down Subscriptions and Memberships
Remember all those catalogs you used to get at your old address, the ones you never actually ordered anything from? Don’t sign up for them again! Now is also a great opportunity to cut back on subscriptions, meal delivery services, club memberships, and other regular debits. Do you really need that monthly beauty box? What about the streaming service you never use? You can always sign up again later if you miss it—but chances are good you’ll be happier with that extra cash in your bank account.
Install Energy-Efficient Bulbs
Moving is a great time to switch out the bulbs in all your lamps and light fixtures for energy efficient LEDs, if you haven’t done so already. You might also consider install dimmers, which not only give you more control over a room’s lighting but also save money on your power bill.
Unpack Everything!
Be honest: Did you completely unpack after your last move? Or did you find unopened boxes shoved into the attic or basement? Hopefully you already pared down your possessions (see New Home Resolution #1), so unpacking shouldn’t be quite so hard. Pace yourself instead of trying to do everything at once, and make sure that your belongings have designated locations as you go.
