Two weeks ago we moved during the hottest ten days of the summer. Loading a U-Haul, unloading a U-Haul, and unpacking, painting, and remodeling during 100-102 degree heat (don't get me started on the obnoxious humidity!!) does not make for a smooth move! However, we worked hard to make our transition as easy as possible.
My Tips for a Smooth Move
1. Put your real life on hold for at least a week.
If you're working, take vacation time. If you have small children, spend some money on new toys/books/activities to keep them occupied, or, better yet, have someone watch them. You might not have phone service, Internet, or a television for several days. Just remind yourself it won't last forever. Life will be normal again!
2. Get the beds set up ASAP! You can live among boxes for a long time, but everyone gets grumpy without a good night's sleep.
3. If you're without phone, Internet, or television service, make appointments to get them installed. I actually had Internet and satellite television installed the day before we moved. Sure, I had to sit in an empty house for 4 hours, but it gave me time to clean. :)
4. Take an hour to check out the new neighborhood/town. We moved across the state line to an adorable town. While we haven't had time to visit the shops yet, we have walked the neighborhood and checked out the new schools.
5. Tackle the chaos one box at a time. Normally when we move, the first room I unpack is the kitchen. I cook most of our meals, and the kitchen always has the most to unpack. Besides, I love having an organized kitchen. The more boxes I can empty and break down, the better. However, our kitchen won't be fully functioning until the end of July, so we moved all of the kitchen boxes to the basement. In the meantime, we unpacked the bathrooms, organized bedroom closets, and dealt with my office.
6. Realize every home will have ongoing projects. We love our new house, but we have so many plans for it, we couldn't possibly get them all done soon. By prioritizing our most important projects, we can relax about the ones that won't get done until this fall, winter, and next year.
7. Celebrate! I bought a bottle of champagne the day we loaded the truck. We were going to toast our new digs when we arrived that night. Unfortunately, the bottle fell out of my hands in our old driveway and shattered everywhere. That's okay--life isn't perfect!
I always forget how many things are involved with a move. Changing the address on all of our accounts, signing up for new library cards, ordering new checks--all of these things take time. I just do a little each day, and eventually, everything is transferred.
I've missed you! How is your summer going? Anything new you'd like to share?
Have a wonderful day!
You've got a great attitude. Ugh! I hate moving, and have done it three times in the last few years. The good thing is now that I moved to Mexico, I have to start with all things new...except my books. I bring over a stack each time I visit the States. I need a Kindle!
ReplyDeleteYour move to Mexico was about a fresh of a start as you can get! I'm with you, though, about the Kindle. I donated 90% of our books before this move!
DeleteI'm glad your move is done. Ohhh, it's been so grossly hot here, I can't imagine moving in that weather! I think I can take your fifth tip--tackling the chaos one box at a time--to heart in my own life, even though I'm not moving. One to-do at a time, Melissa, one to-do at a time. :)
ReplyDeleteI know. I'm going to be doing the one-box-at-a-time thing for a LONG time!
DeleteWish you many happy times in your new home.
ReplyDeleteThanks!!
DeleteGreat tips, Jill! Congrats on the move. I'll bet your former neighbors were sorry to see you go...except for the champagne-smashing thing, LOL. (Psst...you're supposed to christen the NEW house, haha, sort of like a new ship). Hope you got a replacement!
ReplyDeleteGood luck with your transition, and all the projects, and enjoy settling in to your new home!
I know! I could have at least aimed at the house, right? Ha! Thanks!!
DeleteI agree, if you can get your internet/phone/cable/etc hooked up BEFORE you move, it makes things so much smoother!
ReplyDeleteFor our last move, I packed all the bedding we needed for our first night in a separate box from the rest of the linens and brought it over in our car instead of the moving truck. It made making up the beds so much easier! Also, a suitcase or duffel bag with a few outfits for each person helps, too - in case the clothing boxes get buried at the bottom of a major pile. ;-)
Smart! Having the bedding ready to go is genius! And I have to admit, my son arrived at our new house in baseball pants and cleats--all of his clothes were in a suitcase in the middle of the moving van. Ugh!
DeleteWe haven't moved for several years. Our son moved a few times. When it was across the state, we loaded and unloaded a rental truck. I had a shoulder problem at the time. But a mom's got to do what a mom's got to do. Last time he moved-- almost 18 months ago, he made all the arrangements himself. He moved 600 miles away from us. He went out to find an apartment a few days early and changed his cell phone number while he was there that trip. He then came back and finished what his dad and I couldn't get to because of the ice storm(s) we had.
ReplyDeleteMoving in the middle of winter is the worst. Once, we moved right after the holidays. I don't recommend it! We really didn't enjoy the holidays that year. But your son sounds mature and responsible! So glad it worked out!
DeleteI'm glad your move went fairly smooth. I've moved like three times in the last five years (apartment to apartment to apartment to finally a house) and almost every time it was in the summer heat! Ugh!
ReplyDeleteI got back from my vacation and have been trying to settle in. It's so hard to get back to normal life after being away for over a week, but I'm blessed to have been able to take the time off. Looking forward to ACFW!
I'm feeling your moving pain, Lindsay. We've moved more times than I care to count. I'm hoping this is the last time!! Your vacation sounded amazing! I'm so glad you were able to get away. :)
DeleteSo glad you're moved and (mostly) unpacked, Jill! We've missed you, too. :)
ReplyDeleteShh...just don't look in the basement! :) Can't wait to see you!
DeleteYikes on the bottle! Doesn't that figure? lol Hope you had some chocolate on hand. My summer is going fabulously. :-) I hope you enjoy your new home and that the schools are amazing!
ReplyDeleteI know! My husband looked at me and said, "Do you think that's a bad omen?" I assured him no! :)
DeleteGlad you're in! I send you many blessings for happy years at the new home. Hope you get that kitchen functional soon!
ReplyDeleteThanks! We get counters next week--woo-hoo!
DeleteOh, the poor champagne! I like your tips.
ReplyDeletePoor champagne! It broke into a thousand pieces too. That's moving!
DeleteWelcome back! So glad you've gotten moved, but what rotten weather to do it in!
ReplyDeleteGreat tips. I hate moving, but I think moving across town is harder than moving across the country!
I'm with you on that one, Erica! We moved ourselves this time. Having movers do it makes it MUCH easier! But we were able to spend more money on remodeling, and in the end, it will be worth it!
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