It's official! We finally live in a our new home! This past month has felt like such a long month, and at times I felt like "are we EVER going to be living in our home?" It just felt as if it was NEVER goin to happen. But finally... alas here we are!
We have moved a total of 4 times together! So I think the past few moves have taught us a thing or two about how to plan our move. Wether you know these tricks already, take a look and leave in the comments some tricks of your own! We won't be moving for a while, but I'm interested to see what's out there!
1. Donate/Sell
As soon as we knew for sure we were going to be moving into our new home by March, the first thing we started doing was donating items we didn't need such as kitchen ware, clothes, shoes, bags (in my case), jewelry.. basically anything that had been sitting for a while. We didn't want to bring things we weren't going to use into our new home because we don't want to build on clutter. This also helps because you then take "less" stuff to your new place when you donate and clean out the things you won't use or need. We didn't really sell anything for this move, but I have sold things in the past to get rid of the some stuff and make a little extra on the side :D
2. Move the Little things First
We closed on our home 1 month before we moved in. This gave us a chance to move the "little things" . Little things for us was the patio bench, some kitchen items we weren't using, picture frames, spices, etc. Things that we weren't using we figured we can slowly start moving. It may not seem like much, but once you move some things... you'd be surprised how the small things add up and then for actually moving day, it's not that bad!
3. A dolly will save your life!
If you don't have a dolly, invest in one! They have saved us so much energy! The transition of the heavy stuff to our cars was more smooth than it would of been without one.
4. Plastic bins for glass
It's good to have plastic bins for extra strength and protection against your glassware. Plastic bins will also help you identify what items are glass versus plastic (or non glass).
5. Plastic and paper bags in place of Bubble Wrap
Bubble wrap can get a little pricey! Especially if your like us who own a lot of glass items. I used plastic bags, and paper bags we had accumulated (and weren't using) over the year to cover glass cups, plates, etc. I then placed these items in plastic bins and of course we just made sure we carefully transferred them.
6. Trash bags for drawer clothes
We have so much clothes; pants, shorts, socks, winter gear, workout clothes, sleep clothes...etc. The clothes we had in our drawers, we folded and set them in trash bags. we didn't want to purchase and use up all the cardboard boxes we had on clothes we were just gonna fold and store away. We decided to save the cardboard boxes for when we really needed to use them!
7. Leave clothes on Hanger
Again with more clothes! We kept the clothes on the hanger to save time. Yes we took several trips to the car but hanging the clothes once we got to the house made it easier because they were already on hangers!
8. Drag heavy furniture over a Blanket
This one saved us! Only Ivan and I moved everything and if you haven't noticed, I am a skinny noodle (insert laughing hysterically emoji here). To avoid ruining floors, set your heavy furniture such as dresser drawers, on a blanket you are not using. Then gather the blanket with both hands and tug at it. Meanwhile, your partner is pushing the furniture towards you (or vice versus). This way, you are not ruining your floor, but getting the furniture where it need to go.
9. Leave a few Empty Boxes
Leave at least 3-5 empty plastic bins or boxes at the end because there is always miscellaneous stuff you need to take. Usually these items are the last minute, "I forgot to pack this!" items. Trust me, it happens.
10. Pack a Suitcase!
Moving can get a little crazy! I have always packed a suitcase for the week with all my essentials until I slowly get this settled. It always looks like I"m going on a vacation or something but it definitely brings me comfort knowing I set aside everything that I will need day-to-day.
What are you moving tips and tricks? Add them in the comment below to add to the list!
