Moving homes is much like parenting. The second time around is much easier, you know the little tricks, and generally, there are far fewer arguments. This is no longer just a feeling but a fact, as a Fantastic Services survey shows that around 2/3 (65%) of the younger generation start an argument over moving homes, while only 17% of those aged 55+ do the same.
Boomers seem to be much calmer when moving homes, which is hardly a surprise. They have far greater experience in this than those aged 18-34, and naturally, they stress much less about the whole ordeal.
What Do People Stress About When Moving Homes?
In general, those aged 55+ will stress over moving homes about 13% less than millennials. While almost all stress over how they will move their belongings (67% of youngsters and 66% of boomers), the elderly are far calmer when it comes to damaging the old or the new place. 33% of those aged 55+ will stress over damaging the place they are moving out of, while the younger generation will lose sleep over it in 59% of cases. When it comes to damaging the home they are moving into, the difference is even bigger. 63% of those aged 18-34 will worry about this aspect of moving, while only 1 in three of the older generation will feel the same.
Why is There Such a Huge Difference?
As mentioned in the beginning, the older generation has much more experience, and just like with motherhood with every following case, dealing with stress becomes easier. You’ve already found some proven tactics to deal with stressful situations, and you tend to have different expectations from your first try. A Fantastic Services survey has shown that one of the secrets of Boomers is that they are far more likely to trust a professional crew to move their property. Around 52% of them will go for a paid service rather than move on their own or with friends. Only about 38% of millennials will do the same. Naturally, since removal companies ensure your belongings as well as the property they are moving in and out of, the stress of damages is significantly lower. The only thing to worry about in this case is the payment and choosing a reliable service provider. Naturally, stress levels between both generations in this aspect are close (55% for 18-34-year-olds and 50% for those aged 55+). The same goes for finding a trusted removal company to do the job. Around 51% of the younger generation find it worrisome, while 48% of the elderly feel the same.
From Stress to Arguments
As it most often happens, stress leads to anger, and typically, younger generations are far more hot-headed than the elderly. As a result, they tend to argue mostly with their partners, as 35% of all house movers between 18 and 34 will get into a fight with their spouse. On the other hand, only 8% of those aged 55+ will get into a squabble over moving with their partner.
Family is the next most common target of our frustration when moving homes. 27% of young adults will get into arguments with a family member, while only 6% of the elderly will do the same.
Young ones are more hot-headed when it comes to neighbours and friends as well, as they will start a fight 20% and 16% respectively. On the other hand, boomers are far more restrained as they will get into a fight with neighbours only 4% of the time and only under 1% will risk losing a friend over moving homes.
In both age groups, the rarest target of vending your frustration is the professional crew they hired to do the job. 18-34-year-olds will get into an argument in 9% of cases, while those aged 55+ will do the same around 3% of the time.
What is The Outcome?
More than half of all arguments end with some consequences. Only about 45% of the fights won’t change anything. Once again, the younger are far more impatient and emotional, as 72% of them declare that their relationship will be tarnished in one way or another. The 55+-year-olds, as it seems, know that holding a grudge is in no one’s interest, so they do it only in 32% of the cases.
Regarding millennials, 23% will stop asking for help, 21% will give the silent treatment, and 17% will hold a grudge for an extended period. Just as many will take the issue to court, and about 10% of all arguments over moves will end up a relationship.
For boomers, arguments are not so serious, as 15% will stop asking for help, only 8% will stop talking to their friends, and about 3% will develop a feud. Almost no one will go to court or end a relationship over moving, which goes to show that the elderly are far more emotionally intelligent.
Taking a page out of the boomers book
While we often make fun of boomers and their way of doing things, every now and then, there is an aspect in life where we should just accept that they have far more experience. Moving homes is definitely one of them, so if over half of the elderly prefer to pay a professional to help them move and thus reduce their stress significantly, maybe it’s not such a bad idea to follow in their footsteps for once.
Are your homes take a page out the boomers playbook? Visit MUM CFOs Blogs for tips and tricks to moving less stress.
My name is Eva Bowker and I’m home improvement coordinator at Fantastic Handyman Australia. My passion is to help people build the home of their dreams by sharing home renovation and interior design tips with them. I love to think out of the box in order to create lovely spaces.
