After Moving Tips

I am rounding out my series of moving/packing tips today with some after moving tips. You can find the previous tips here and here. Our overall move went very smoothly. We got 99% of our belongings moved in on the first day. I'd say that's success.

To Change

• Your address. Its important to change your address with the post office. You can actually do this ahead of time on the website. Its super easy!
• Billing address. Don't forget just because you changed your address with the post office that your are good to go. That will only forward mail for a short time. So change your address with the credit cards, phone, etc. 

To Unpack

• The necessities. When we first moved I wanted to unpack everything. But that's not possible so we concentrated on unpacking the master, bath and kitchen. From there we just slowly opened a couple boxes at a time

To Be Grateful

• Your new shelter. With all the craziness on moving day it easy to get lost in it all but step back and take it all in. Be grateful that God provided you with a wonderful shelter. Thank the ones who helped and always remember your house is not a trophy for how much you can afford but a gracious gift from God. 

Hebrews 13:2 

Do not forget to show hospitality to strangers, for by so doing some people have shown hospitality to angels without knowing it.

Moving Day

Moving day was crazy but in an organized way. Most our family came to help, which we greatly appreciated. While packing I labeled the boxes "bedroom 1", "bedroom 2" etc. Instead of "master bedroom" or " Alex's craft room". I then labeled the room doors with the corresponding number. It made it easy for our family to get the boxes where they needed to go.

Once we got our first load (we have more stuff than we thought) in the truck and cars we met my mom and sister at the house. They were getting lunch ready and finishing some last minute cleaning. Our lunch was our traditional moving day lunch we have done for every other move...sloppy joes! My mom are the bomb! As sides we had pasta salad, pretzel salad and chips. For dessert there was cookies and homes made brownies.

Shortly after lunch Jesse and I ran out to the appliance store to get a washer and dryer with my dads help. We came back and installed them both and headed off to a relaxing dinner at CiCi's.

I'm so thankful for all the help we got from our family. House tour coming soon! 

Before Moving Checklist

Moving can be hectic and unorganized if you don't plan properly. A few weeks ago I talked about packing tips while moving. Today I have come up with a before moving checklist.

To Call

• Utilities. Its a good idea to call them about a week before to make sure you aren't out any necessities like power. 
• Cable and Internet. Same as utilities I would suggest calling approximately a week before.
• The City. Or area you will be moving to. For us we will want to know more about the city and important information as a new resident.

To Rent

• Moving truck. If you don't have vehicles big enough to move all your belongings like most, it is likely you will need to rent some sort of moving truck.
• Supplies. You can rent anything from cardboard boxes to dollies. 

To Gather

• Movers. Make sure you have confirmed with friends and family who is available to help you move. You wont want to be short handed on moving day.
• Food and Drinks. Its always nice to provide some sort of food and drink for you helpers. We are moving early morning and plan to be done around lunch. I have organized my mother and mother-in-law to help with food. I will provide drinks and a side dish for the lunch.

Here are just a few tips. Happy moving!

Packing Tips

As I mentioned before my husband and I bought a house! So this means the packing and moving process begins. I want to make it as smooth as possible so I have come up with some tips. 

Write it down

Make a schedule. We both work full time so to come home after a full day of work and pack is not happening. This means we only have weekends to pack which limits our available days to get it all done. Planning out ahead of time is key. 

We only have 6 weeks from Saturday till we move (eeppp!) so I have broken each area or room down to a weekend making the spaces we used most last. 

Purge then Pack

DONT.PACK.JUNK. In this process I refuse to pack junk. Use the rule "have you used it in the last 6 months". If not its out of here.

Label everything

On moving day you want to make sure your boxes are clearly labeled so the people that are helping you know where the box goes or whats in the box... fragile. Another point when it comes to labeling  make sure not only your box is clearly marked but the room to where the box is going to go should be clearly marked. It maybe obvious that "kitchen" boxes go to the kitchen but what about the bedrooms? My plan is to have the bedrooms labeled 1,2 and 3 as well as the corresponding box. That way there is no guessing and makes it easy on everyone.

What are some tips you have when it comes to pick up your whole life and relocating? I have only done it a few times in my life so I am not an expert and would love to here some suggestions!