It’s moving weekend! Finally here! I’m so excited for this new season to start. I also can’t wait to start unpacking because I WANT MY STUFF BACK!
As I’ve gone through this process, I began making a list of things I did that helped me stay sane during this whole process. I thought I’d put it here to help anyone who is in the process of moving or thinking about moving to a new home. I pray this is as helpful to you as it was to me.
Make a plan.
One of the worst things to do when moving is to do it all willy-nilly. The only way to keep stress levels low when moving to the new space is to make a plan and stick to it. If you’re a list maker, make a list. Buy a notebook and start writing out what your moving process will look like. Pinterest and the rest of the internet can provide you with any number of printables to help you get organized.
If you’re able, I highly recommend taking time off work before and after you move. Plan on taking the day before your scheduled move date and at least 3-4 days after. Speaking from experience, you’d be amazed at how much there is to do the day prior to your move. And taking a few days off after your move is essential to at least getting some stuff unpacked so you’re ready to go back to work. Also, give yourself time to sit back and enjoy your new home once all the hard work is done. After all, your new space is just that – new – and it will take some time for you to get to know it.
Purge as soon as you decide to move.
Before I get into this, let me let you know I’m really not the sentimental type. Both my girls are grown and anything of value has already been given to them. So I keep very, very little out of sentiment alone.
Let me also be blunt here: it’s dumb to move junk. I’ve done it before when I was married to someone who couldn’t let go of stuff and I vowed never to do it again once I got free from him. So before you do anything else, start going through stuff. Go through everything. Search through it all. Take it room by room. Spend a day in your basement or attic and touch everything. Then ask yourself these question – have I needed or wanted this at all in the last six months? In the last year? Is there some hugely significant sentimental value to keeping this? Is it holiday related and even if it is, is it time to let go of it in favor of something new and updated? If you’ve answered ‘no’ to most of these questions, chances are whatever it is can go into the donation pile or junk pile.
And for pity’s sake, do NOT hang onto anything “just in case you need it later on”. Chances are, you’ll forget you even have it and buy something new or updated. Trust me on this one. When we were clearing out the house we shared with my mom, I found 4 glass coffee pots all belonging to coffee makers we no longer had. Mom kept them “just in case” we needed them. We never needed them!
Getting rid of stuff is a great way to start having a bird’s eye view on what exactly you’ll need to move which will help determine the amount of space you need in your new place.
So I urge you to purge, purge, purge!
Pack early and pack often.
The worst thing ever is to be unprepared the day of your move. Take it from one who knows. I’ve sorta “been there, done that”. Anytime I ever was completely prepared, not only did my move go well and take way less time than usual, but unpacking was easier . Organization is key and you won’t get that by packing at the last minute.
Every Pinterest post will tell you to start packing 2 months before your move. I recommend 3 months. Yes, it’s hard to live among boxes but again, the success of your move is dependent on your ability to be organized. So start with stuff you don’t use often. Seasonal clothing, shoes you don’t wear every day, special glassware and any dishes you don’t use on a daily basis can all be packed away. Empty out any storage and pack everything there.
Go room by room and pack what you don’t need three months out. Then go through each room again two months out and pack up some more. By the time you get to one month before your move, pack up everything except what you absolutely have to have out. Trust me, by the time it gets to your final week, packing will be a breeze! And if you’re in an apartment where you need to do some deep cleaning to get a deposit back, you’ll have time to do that.
Remember, it’s hard to pack stuff up because it feels like it’s going to be packed away forever. It’s not. It’s just for a short time.
Meal plan like your life depended on it.
The last time I moved four years ago, I wasted a LOT of money. We ate out way more than we should have in the two weeks leading up to the move and the week after the move. By the time we were all settled in, I felt so sick and tired. My body craved water and vegetables and I struggled with low energy levels. It was really unnecessary.
This time, I decided to be meticulous with my meal planning. Trying to figure out what’s for dinner each night is stressful enough when you’re not moving. But during a huge change like this, it’s easy to develop some bad habits that can cost you your health in addition to a lot of money.
I’m a meal-planner by nature so this wasn’t really new to me. What was new was taking a mental inventory of everything in my pantry and freezer and trying to find meals geared towards using up those supplies. I used a journal I found on Amazon (or any notebook will do) and wrote out what we were going to be eating two weeks prior to our move date. I stayed focused on what I already had so we didn’t need to spend hardly any money on groceries. We planned, on purpose, to eat out our last night here with the intention of packing up the remainder of the kitchen.
So now, not only have we not spent a lot on groceries but we’re also not moving a ton of food to the new house. Win and win.
Hire movers!
Why is there an exclamation point on this point? Because it’s so important. I know movers are expensive. VERY expensive. But I’ve been in situations where well-meaning people told me they would help me move and then didn’t show up. When I moved out of my mom’s house, I had about 5 people who didn’t show up and it made a huge difference in amount of time, effort, and stress. Family tends to get older as the years go on and soon, there just isn’t anyone young enough or able enough to help with something like this.
The last time I moved, I did hire someone. One someone with his son which meant I was paying for movers but I also was moving, lifting boxes, furniture and the like in addition to renting the truck and all. It was still very stressful. Much more than it needed to be. And that wasn’t their fault. They worked very hard. But two people who are not professional movers and who do not have all the equipment necessary are still different than hiring a reputable company.
Here’s what hiring a reputable company looks like. My sister moved into our house a month ago. Five strong guys showed up with all sorts of equipment to help them move stuff. They told my sister to sit down and relax which is exactly what she did. Within a few short hours, the truck was completely loaded! We were able to do some last minute clean up and then she was done in her old home. Once they arrived at the new house, again, they told my sister to sit down and just direct. Which is exactly what she did.
Do you know what this does? It leaves all sorts of energy to start unpacking. It gives peace of mind. It allows for this huge change to be made a little easier. It turns the mountain of moving into a molehill.
If you have people you can rely on to help – REALLY HELP – then by all means. But if there’s even a hint of a doubt they’ll be there for you, do yourself a favor and hire some professional movers. You’ll thank yourself in the long run.
Also, don’t forget to tip well if they’ve done a good job. 😊
Leave out something fun to help pass the time.
Moving is stressful!! Change can be hard. You may find yourself running the gamut of emotions including excitement, sadness, joy and maybe even some grief. Moving to a new home is wonderful but there’s a lot of moving pieces that disrupt your daily life. So my last tip is to make sure not to pack the one thing that calms you.
For me, crochet and embroidery are my therapy. I left out one crochet project to work on up to the last week. I also borrowed some e-books from the library and treated myself to a new Apple iPad – all creative outlets for me. Like anything else, I planned to make sure I had something to distract me from the chaos going on around me. If crafting isn’t your thing, plan a mani/pedi, or a night out with some friends. Take some extra long walks around your neighborhood and say goodbye to it. Get a great haircut! (I did that, too!)
Anything you do for yourself during this time is so very important.
Well, it’s that time. Time to pack up my laptop. Tomorrow is moving day! I’ll see you all from my new home! I hope these tips help you and if you’re in the process of moving, “may the odds be ever in your favor”.
Photo by Michal Balog on Unsplash
Faith Love n Joy 