Making a how-to move to Australia list sounds easy when you are creating a list using colourful markers on A4 bits of paper in your living room.
The daunting bit was to tick off task by task! But finally, Charles and I started to feel like we were actually achieving something.
Let the list begin:
Save Save Save.
We needed to save a good chunk of our pay to make this move possible. Saving around one-third of our pay is and was hard, but it will be completely worth it when we are sitting on the beach in Australia.
Quitting work
This ‘To Do’ was the hardest for me, I LOVE my job and the colleagues I work with and part of me felt really guilty leaving it all behind.
Telling my colleagues and my bosses loomed over me for what felt like months on end. Every drive to work I questioned when the right time was to make the announcement. I gave my work four months’ notice as my circumstances were different than just starting a new job here in the UK and wanted to help with the transition.
My bosses were completely understanding and supportive of the choice to move and the girls at work were sad but excited for my new journey ahead (and they can’t wait for new Instagram posts!).
Charles, on the other hand, leaving his work was a reason to move. Charles was bored in his 9-5 job and needed a break from the repetitive days. He gave work his one month notice and wished the company all the best in the future.
Selling all our furniture
Selling all of our belongings (other than a couple of suitcases each) was so satisfying. It’s amazing what stuff you can hoard, from old videos to 12 spare pillows. Having a real deep clean and selling rubbish is a great way to feel super detoxed plus if you sell all items and clothes on eBay/Facebook/Gumtree you make a small fortune to help you save for the big move.
It’s truly amazing what other people want and what you are happy to throw away. Most items I sold for over £1 to £20, but it soon adds up, when your selling 20-30 items a month.
Another good way to sell is at a car boot. We did a car boot as the last resort to shift the final amount of items, this includes all our kitchen utensils, plates, and crockery. We couldn’t sell these items before because we needed to use them, right up to the point of moving.
Top tip:
It’s never too soon to start selling, really. You’ll end up throwing more things away closer to the point of moving rather than selling them because it’s quicker and easier or you just panic.
Update: We finally move to Australia in November 2020, click here to see the best places to visit!
