I am moving in 6 months! My partner and I bought a brand new house which is still being built. The thought is almost surreal as I have lived in the same place for most of my life! However, I am embracing it because as difficult as it is sometimes, change is good! One thing I am grateful for is the time I have had to prepare myself! It's been almost a year since we've purchased our home so we've had plenty of time to collect things, because lets face it besides my bedroom furniture we had NOTHING. "Had" being the operative word :-). Although there are things we still need (and can't really get until we move) we do have collecting quite a few things.
So, since moving can be so stressful and if you've never done it before, like myself, I thought I would share some tips on how to make it easier on moving day:
1. Check It Off: Simply put. Make a checklist. This way you won't feel like you've missed something. Also, a tip within a tip would be to Google some Moving Checklists. They can give you ideas that you may not have thought of.
2. De-clutter The Small Things!: I feel like this tip is somewhat obvious, but it really is easier said than done. Over time it is so easy to collect things, that once you really stand back and look at all your crap, it's overwhelming. However, just by simplifying your life and getting rid of unncessary items will not only make your move easier but will help you start fresh in your new home. Get rid of small nick nacks, loose papers that really aren't all that important, old clothes, even old pieces of jewelry that you know you'll never wear. Give them away to a family member or friend, donate to charity, throw a yard sale one morning or just simply throw them away if they have no use.
3. Get Around The Nooks & Cranny's: I'm talking about those dark places deep down in your linen closest or that unforbidden area in the back of your bathroom cupboard. Old shampoo and body wash, empty prescription bottles, old sheets and towels you forgot you had. My rule of thumb is if you haven't used it within a year...wait...even 8 months, get rid of it! If you have 2 of the same shampoo bottles and both are half full, then fill one up with the other and get rid of the empty bottle. If you're not going to use those old sheets or towels and you feel awkward giving them away, then cut them up for spare rags to wash your house or car with.
4. One By One: Don't overwhelm yourself. Bouncing from one room to the next, trying to get everything done at once because you feel that it will get finished faster, will just become more stressful and you'll easily get discouraged. Focus on one room at a time. Work your way through to the rooms you use the least to your main areas like bathrooms and kitchen. Empty out closests and drawers in one room and keep the boxes there until moving day with the main furniture. Once you're ready, start packing away items in your bathroom and kitchen that you use less frequently and work your way through the whole room.
5. Clean As You Go: This tip is in conjuntion with # 4
. If you're moving out of your parents house, then this would really just be appreciated by your parents. However, if you're moving out of your own house then the universal rule is to leave your house clean for the new owners. It's only fair. Even if you're a clean freak like myself, realistically you can't clean everywhere...all the time. So, as you pack up one room, vaccum and wipe down the baseboards and walls. It will make it much less stressful on moving day knowing that all of that is done.
