Moving House Tips
For First-Timers

The Ultimate Moving
House Checklist

 

Moving house is an exciting time and whether you're moving out of home with friends or finding a place of your own, it's important to give your new house some love to make it feel like a home. Discover our moving checklist to find the best TV, fridge and washing machine for your new home.

Your First Kitchen

While it's a good start, you can't live off Mum's frozen leftovers and Uber Eats forever. Most places will already be set up with an oven, stovetop and, if you're lucky, a dishwasher. Complete your first kitchen with our top 6 essential kitchen appliances.

  1. Fridge
  2. Microwave
  3. Kettle and Toaster
  4. Rice Cooker
  5. Mixer
  6. Coffee Machine
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Fridge
Smart Home Security Smart Home Security
Microwave
Smart Home Entertainment Smart Home Entertainment
Kettle & Toaster
Smart Home Kitchen Smart Home Kitchen
Rice Cooker
Smart Home Laundry & Cleaning Smart Home Laundry & Cleaning
Blender
Smart Home Environment Smart Home Environment
Coffee Machine

Choosing Your First Fridge

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If you don't have a fridge where will the leftover Thai live? A fridge is without a doubt an essential kitchen item, but with so many to choose from it's hard to know where to start. Below are our top three things to consider when buying your first fridge.

1. Budget: Have a quick look online to get an idea of how much fridges cost. Talk to your new housemates to see how much everyone is comfortable spending to determine a reasonable budget - then stick to the budget. There are plenty of great fridges that are affordable.

2. Space: Bigger isn't always better, especially if it means your fridge won't fit in the kitchen. Unlike other appliances, there isn't a "standard" fridge size so you can't assume any fridge will fit in your kitchen. Measure carefully and make sure you allow a little extra room for ventilation, plugs and remember fridges can be a few centimetres wider when the door is open.

3. Features: Think about how you're going to use your fridge. If you have a few people in your house consider a fridge that has a shelf for everyone, that way you'll always know what food is yours and can avoid labelling everything. If you're a bulk budget shopper then extra freezer space will be important.

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Choosing Your First Microwave

microwave

A microwave is a saviour when you're short on time or need to reheat leftovers, plus it's one of the safest ways to defrost food (a quick blast in the microwave or overnight in the fridge - but whatever you do, don't defrost your leftovers in the sink!). For the truly culinary challenged, you can even make whole meals in the microwave, from risotto to cakes (yup, just Google it).

1. Type: There are two types of microwaves - conventional and convection. Conventional microwaves are the standard microwave used to heat food quickly. Convection microwaves (or microwave ovens) can microwave food but they can also have a heating element and a fan so they act as a mini-oven.

2. Size: If you have a cavity for your microwave then measure carefully because you want to make sure it fits, including room for power cords at the back. Some older house can have small kitchen bench depths, so even if you choose a benchtop microwave always double check to make sure it fits.

3. Functions & Features: For the truly culinary challenge, modern microwaves have plenty of features to help you become a microwave master. Some microwaves have sensor cooking or have special settings that can help figure out how long to cook food for depending on its weight.

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Choosing Your First Kettle & Toaster

Even motel kitchenettes contain a toaster and a kettle, so you know they're household essentials. If you can't have a cuppa and a slice of Vegemite toast in the morning, then you're not really living.

1. Toaster: If you're partial to a slice of seeded sourdough, chances are your bread is going to be artisan shaped, not a standard loaf shape. Rounded artisan loaves don't have standard sizes and can be extra long so you'll need a toaster with extra long slots. These are more often found on 4-slice toasters with two extra long slots that each hold two standard pieces of bread, instead of four shorter slots. On the other hand, if you're a Tip Top fan you can choose practically any toaster that takes your fancy.

2. Kettle: Kettles are inexpensive and versatile kitchen appliances. Think tea, coffee, noodles, packet soup mixes, couscous, porridge and more. While basic kettles are fine for most, there are kettles that have pre-set temperature functions, ideal for tea aficionados who live by the knowledge that green tea should never be brewed above 80 degrees.

3. Colour and Design: Most kitchens have a neutral design so benchtop appliances like kettles and toasters are an opportunity to splash out with a bit of colour and show off your style.

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Choosing Your First Rice Cooker

If you're moving out of home on a budget, then there's probably going to be a substantial amount of steamed rice in your future. Forget gluggy boiled rice or pricey microwavable sachets, rice cookers create perfectly fluffy rice every time.

1. Capacity
A non-stick coating is a must when dealing with sticky rice. Look for a rice cooker that will be easy to clean to stop household chore wars.

2. Easy to Clean
Most rice cookers' capacity is measured in uncooked cups of rice, which roughly doubles in size once cooked. When choosing a rice cooker, remember that a serve is roughly half a cup per person, so a 5 cup rice cooker can cook enough for 10 serves of rice. Also, the bigger the capacity, the bigger the machine so keep this in mind if you want to hide the rice cooker in a cupboard.

3. Features
While a rice cooker cooks rice, most can do so much more. Lots will have functions to cook brown rice and other grains, as well as steam functions for quick healthy dinners like steamed veggies or fish (and not so healthy steamed dimmies).

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Choosing Your First Mixer or Blender

Depending on your cooking style, you'll eventually need at least one type of mixer or blender in the kitchen. The type you choose will depend on how you use it.

1. Blenders could end up saving you money in the long run if you're someone who buys lots of juices, smoothies and frappes at cafes. Compact blenders mix and go style blenders, like NutriBullet blenders, are affordable options and won't take up much bench space. Plus, they're great for whipping up a batch of strawberry daiquiris at home.

2. Hand Mixers or beaters are great for baking. They take all the effort out of beating cake mixes or whipping cream. Plus their small size means they can be easily stored out of site.

3. Stick Mixers, also called hand blenders, stick mixers often come with a range of attachments making them versatile (and cost-effective). Stick blenders can puree soup when it's still in the pot to save you washing up dishes, while whisk attachments make light work of cream and egg whites. Some even have choppers to finely chop herbs and nuts.

4. Food Processors are another versatile kitchen appliance that can save you plenty of time. Depending on what model you buy a food processor can help with preparing ingredients in the kitchen by chopping, slicing, shredding, grating, kneading and mixing. Some can even peel potatoes for you.

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Choosing Your First Coffee Machine

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Although not a true essential kitchen appliance, if you drink multiple cups of coffee a day a coffee machine can save you money in the long run - those $4 lattes really do add up. There are 3 main types of coffee machines so think about when and how you will use one.

Capsule Coffee Machines or pod coffee machines take up very little space on your kitchen bench, fast, and are incredibly easy to use. Just pop your pod into the machine and you're ready to go.

Manual Coffee Machines give you greater freedom, allowing you to choose the coffee beans you want. Most also have a steam wand so you can even have a go at creating coffee art. Manual machines are fun, but they can take a little time to master - but at you'll get to practice your latte art! You'll also probably need to buy your coffee pre-ground, or invest in a grinder.

Automatic Coffee Machines let you experiment with different types of beans but remove complicated tasks, like tamping and dosing. Some also have integrated grinding so you can buy whole beans - because grinding fresh is best.

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  • Samsung 40L 1000W Stainless Steel Microwave Samsung 40L 1000W Stainless Steel Microwave
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    ME6144ST
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  • LG 25L 1000W NeoChef Smart Inverter Microwave Black LG 25L 1000W NeoChef Smart Inverter Microwave Black
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    MS2596OB
    $249
    4 payments of $62.25
  • LG 23L 1000W NeoChef Smart Inverter Microwave Black LG 23L 1000W NeoChef Smart Inverter Microwave Black
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    MS2336DB
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  • Sharp 34L 1200W Inverter Microwave - White Sharp 34L 1200W Inverter Microwave - White
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    R350EW
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  • Russell Hobbs Paddington Kettle - White Russell Hobbs Paddington Kettle - White
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    18941WHIAU
    $59
    4 payments of $14.75
  • Breville The Toast Control 4 Slice Toaster Breville The Toast Control 4 Slice Toaster
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    LTA670BSS
    $139
    4 payments of $34.75

  • Sunbeam 7 Cup Perfect Deluxe Rice Cooker Sunbeam 7 Cup Perfect Deluxe Rice Cooker
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    RC5600
    $59
    4 payments of $14.75
  • Kambrook 10 Cup Rice Cooker Kambrook 10 Cup Rice Cooker
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    KRC350BSS
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  • Panasonic 5 cup Rice cooker Panasonic 5 cup Rice cooker
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    SR-DF101WST
    $119
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    4 payments of $29.75
  • Panasonic Deluxe 5 Cup Rice Cooker Panasonic Deluxe 5 Cup Rice Cooker
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    SR-CN108WST
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    4 payments of $49.75

  • NUTRIBULLET Nutribullet 600W  - 5 Piece NUTRIBULLET Nutribullet 600W  - 5 Piece
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    NBR-0507LG
    $79
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    4 payments of $19.75
  • Ninja Nutri Ninja Duo Ninja Nutri Ninja Duo
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    BL642
    $259
    4 payments of $64.75
  • NUTRIBULLET Nutribullet Deluxe Upgrade Kit NUTRIBULLET Nutribullet Deluxe Upgrade Kit
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    NBM-0507M
    $49
    4 payments of $12.25

  • Breville The Dual Boiler - Stainless Steel Breville The Dual Boiler - Stainless Steel
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    BES920BSS
    $1499
    4 payments of $374.75
  • Nespresso Citiz and Milk Black Capsule Machine Nespresso Citiz and Milk Black Capsule Machine
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    EN267BAE
    $299
    Ticket¤ $349 DEAL DAYS
    4 payments of $74.75
  • Nespresso Nespresso Citiz Coffee Machine Nespresso Nespresso Citiz Coffee Machine
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    EN167B
    $249
    4 payments of $62.25
  • Nespresso Essenza Mini Solo - Black Nespresso Essenza Mini Solo - Black
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    BEC220BLK
    $178
    4 payments of $44.50
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Your First Living Room

It's fine to start with some bean bags and milk crates for chairs, but you're not going to have as much luck attempting to DIY a TV or speakers. From sizes, to brands, to features, there are plenty of televisions to choose from and with a little research you'll snap up a bargain that'll put your friends' hand-me-downs to shame.

  1. Television
  2. Media Player
  3. Speakers
  4. Heating & Cooling
Television
Smart Home Security Smart Home Security
Media Player
Smart Home Entertainment Smart Home Entertainment
Speakers
Smart Home Kitchen Smart Home Kitchen
Heating & Cooling

Choosing Your First TV

You might get away with watching Netflix on your laptop for a bit, but movies were made to be experienced on a big screen. Besides, if you're having friends over for the footy there's only so many people you can crowd around a computer screen.

1. Budget:
TVs can vary in price enormously so have a chat to your new housemates to make sure you're on the right page. Price can change a lot based on advanced picture quality technologies like OLED, QLED and 4K screens that transform your living room with cinematic qualities.

2. Size:
When it comes to TVs, bigger is often better - but make sure your TV isn't too big for your living room. Generally speaking for a Full HD TV you need to be sitting at a distance that's at least three times the height of the screen, but for 4K televisions with higher resolution you only need to sit at a distance that's 1.5 times the screen height.

3. Smart TVs:
Most new TVs are smart televisions but their features and ease of use can vary. If Netflix or Stan is important to you check to see which TVs have your favourite apps built-in.

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Choosing a Media Player

Sometimes free-to-air live TV just doesn't cut it. Modern media players can do so much more than your standard DVD player (or VHS player if you're old enough).

1. Type of Media Player
The type of media player you end up choosing will depend on what sort of content you like watching. If you've got some old DVDs a cheap player is fine. On the other hand, if you stream most of your entertainment (and your TV doesn't have built-in apps) then devices like Apple TV or Chromecast let you stream with ease.

2. Game Consoles
While your PS2 may have been a one trick pony, today's gaming consoles are entire entertainment centres. Not only do they play games but most can play DVDs and some even let you download apps like Netflix and Stan.

3. Quality
If you've got a 4K TV you'll want to take advantage of it with a media player that can play 4K content. If you're thinking about buying a gaming console remember that just because one function (like gaming) supports 4K, doesn't mean all functions (like streaming) have 4K.

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Choosing Your Speakers

Playing music out of your phone is great, but once there's more than 2 people in the room the old phone-in-a-mug trick just won't cut it. Here are the top picks for speakers in your first home.

1. Sounds Bars
Sound bars give you great quality sound from your TV without the investment and complicated set up of an entire home theatre system - and the best news is there are affordable options out there. When choosing a soundbar make sure it's suited to the size of your room, matches the size of your TV and that there's room on your TV cabinet so it fits neatly.

2. Portable Speakers
Portable Speakers let you bring the party with you. Just because these compact speakers are light, doesn't mean they're not powerful - but make sure you check the battery life so you're not stuck with silence.

3. Smart Speakers
Smart Speakers, or voice-activated speakers, let you play your favourite songs without taking your phone out of your pocket. Plus they help you multitask so you can say "Hey Siri", "Ok Google" or "Alexa" to check the weather, your calendar and more.

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Choosing Heating & Cooling

If you're lucky you're new home will have heating and cooling. If not, well, you're in for a very long summer and a very long winter. Don't stand for alternating your year between shivering and sweating there are some affordable heating and cooling options that don't require installation.

1. Portable Fans
Portable Fans are an affordable way to stay cool over summer. Generally, pedestal fans are more powerful than tower fans, but tower fans are often quieter and can fit in smaller spaces. Pro tip: Once that cool change hits, open the windows and move your fan close to the door and have the fan facing outwards, it will force the hot air out of the room faster than just opening the windows.

2. Portable Air Conditioners
Portable Air Conditioners are a bit more of an investment but can make a world of difference. It gives you a quick fix without waiting (or paying) for installation.

3. Portable Heaters
Portable heaters are notoriously power hungry little devices but on those freezing nights, you'll be glad the option is there. Fan heaters are great for small rooms because they heat up quickly, while column heaters are slower but are safer to leave on overnight.

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Your First Laundry

The laundry might not be the most exciting part of your new home but you probably won't be able to avoid it for more than a week. While borrowing Mum's washing machine is a good excuse to visit the 'rents, you don't want to get stuck mid-week with no clothes to wear. With the right tools and appliances you can clean your clothes in the comfort of your own home.

  1. Washing Machine
  2. Clothes Dryer
  3. Iron
  4. Vacuum
Washing Machine
Smart Home Security Smart Home Security
Dryer
Smart Home Entertainment Smart Home Entertainment
Iron
Smart Home Kitchen Smart Home Kitchen
Vacuum

Choosing Your First Washing Machine

The first step to doing your laundry is washing the clothes. Not all washing machines are created equal so take some time to think about what washing machine you'll want.

Top Loader or Front Loader Top load washers usually have a lower purchase price and faster wash times - plus you can open them halfway through if you find an extra sock in the corner of your room. Front load washers generally have lower running costs, can be more water and energy efficient and are gentle on your clothes. Front load washers also let you stack a dryer on top if you want (just make sure you secure it properly) and if you buy a new one it might come with bolts in the back of the drum to stop it spinning during transport. You'll need to remove these before you turn it on for the first time - just trust us on this one.

Size isn't as important if you have an entire laundry and you can be flexible with the depths of your appliances, but if you have a European cupboard-style laundry then you'll need to check the depth carefully to make sure the doors shut completely. Remember to leave a little extra room for cords and pipes at the back.

Energy and Water Ratings are an important consideration when buying any whitegoods. Not only do higher ratings mean lower running costs but you'll also be doing your bit for the environment.

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Choosing Your First Clothes Dryer

A dryer might not feel like a necessity but in the depths of winter you'll be glad you have one. There are four main types of dryers to choose from and be sure to check the energy ratings when comparing.

Vented Dryers can be the cheapest type of dryer to buy, but don't decide on price alone - vented dryers need to be installed with a ducting vent to the outside of the house (or placed in large, well-ventilated room to prevent mould).

Condenser Dryers don't need special installation so they're a good choice if you're renting. Some have a container that collects moisture and needs to be emptied after each cycle, but others have a hose that drains water automatically to save you doing extra work.

Sensor Dryers monitor how damp your laundry is and turn themselves off once your everything is dry to save energy and prevent damage to your clothes. Like vented dryers, most sensor dryers need to be ducted to the outside or placed in a large, well-ventilated room.

Heat Pump Dryers are energy efficient and don't produce large amounts of hot air and moisture. Although these dryers can have a higher purchase price, they usually have a better energy rating and can be placed practically anywhere.

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Choosing Your First Iron

Creases are an unfortunate certainty in life. There are some tactics you can use to prevent your clothes wrinkling, but you're not going to get your job-interview shirt looking crisp without a proper iron. Even if you don't iron every day, you'll have a couple of items in your wardrobe that need a quick iron before heading out. Keep these 3 points in mind when choosing your iron.

Temperature Control
Adjustable temperature is an important feature, especially if you are going to iron heavy items as well as delicate clothes. Lots of irons have the type of material on the temperature dial making it pretty much fool proof.

Safety Features
Auto-off is a sanity-saver. Irons with auto-off turn themselves off after it hasn't been used for a bit, so you'll never be stuck at work panicking that you've burnt the house down.

Cord Length
Cord length is an often forgotten but important factor when choosing an iron. Irons with short power cords might not reach from the power point to your ironing board so choosing an iron with a longer cord means you won't have to search for the extension cord when you're running late for work.

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Choosing Your First Vacuum

Your new home may start with freshly steam-cleaned carpets, but give it a week and those floors will start to look more spotty than spotless. A good vacuum is a worthwhile investment, but if you'll be sharing there are plenty of affordable options to choose from. Here are some things to consider when choosing a vacuum

Bagged or Bagless.
There's no right or wrong answer here as everyone has their preferred type of vacuum. Bagged vacuums collect dust in a bag so less escapes when its time to empty it. Bagless vacuums collect dust in a container so while it might require more manual cleaning, you won't be stuck unable to vacuum without a bag.

Corded or Cordless.
Yet another big debate when it comes to vacuums is corded or cordless. Cordless vacuums have the obvious benefit of leaving you free to move about without worrying about cords, but you can be restricted by battery life and cordless vacuums tend to have lower suction than corded vacuums unless you're looking at higher-end models.

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  • Sunbeam PROSTEAM SWIFT 2400W Sunbeam PROSTEAM SWIFT 2400W
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    SR4260
    $49
    4 payments of $12.25
  • Sunbeam Mode Ironing Board Sunbeam Mode Ironing Board
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    SB4400
    $129
    4 payments of $32.25

  • Haier 4kg Sensor Dryer Haier 4kg Sensor Dryer
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    HDV40A1
    $349
    4 payments of $87.25
  • Haier 6kg Sensor Dryer Haier 6kg Sensor Dryer
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    HDV60A1
    $449
    4 payments of $112.25