Lessons Learned: Moving

Funny thing about renting... your landlord has considerable amount of control over your life... our landlord decided to sell the duplex we have lived in for almost 3 years now. As it turns out, the new owners would like to move in. And it would be terribly crowded if we were still there... Thus our search for a new place to live began.  It has been an interesting journey for me. We have lived in that little duplex since we got married. The appraisers, inspectors, real estate agents, prospective buyers, appliance guys, and every other stranger you could think of has come through to look at my little piece of life...

We didn't move far, but we did change cities. And we still had to pack all of our stuff... Our new place is another duplex, but it is not on a busy road and has a fenced back yard for my little guy to play in safely. The added bonus is the raspberry bush and the pear tree! :)

We are sad to leave our old place. We lived there ever since we got married. A lot of our "firsts" were there. Our first job change, our first baby, his first steps, first Christmas... This new chapter of ours is scary, exciting, and new. I cannot believe we have already been here at our new place for a week! There are still boxes everywhere, but we are almost ready to have people come over... almost...

I have learned a lot through the process of moving and thought I would share some of the more... helpful lessons I have learned.

1. Attitude is everything. Moving can be a chore or an exciting new adventure. Once I decided to make it the latter of the two, things got so much easier.

2. There are a lot of places where you should change your address...After living in the same place for almost 3 years we have accumulated a few things that have our address on it...More than I thought. I took some time to compile a list of all the places that are suggested that you make sure your address has changed. I used it as a checklist for us (even though there are more on the list than we needed for now. It will be helpful next time we move too.) If you are interested in my list you can see it here.

3. Boxes can be found for free, just about anywhere. Call the grocery stores in your area to find out what time they get their produce. Then meet them there to haul away their boxes. (It was early in the morning for us.) The liquor store has sturdy boxes with separators that are perfect for things like glasses, glass jars, soaps/shampoos, etc. And I was even told that you can check behind stores like ROSS and TJMaxx because their boxes aren't dirty, but still sturdy.

4. Purchasing real packing tape goes a long way... when your boxes hold together it makes the process a whole lot easier...

5. The dollar store is a great place to find cleaning supplies that you can throw away when you are finished cleaning.

6. Unpack the kid's room first... arrange it as close to normal as possible. The more comfortable he is, the more sleep we all get.

7. Make sure the utilities are switched before you move... especially the gas... no gas= no hot water... and a cold shower after a long day of moving is not ideal, though it is refreshing.

8. When unpacking it is important to keep an open mind regarding where your stuff should go. If it isn't terribly useful, get rid of it. Otherwise, creativity can be your best friend as you fit your stuff into a new place.

9. Bins are your best friend. (As are diaper boxes.)

10. Plan on spending more money than usual on food... cooking becomes a thing of the past as you pack and clean (especially after you pack your kitchen...) so eating out is a easy solution. But what I didn't count on was the few days after the move when my kitchen was still in boxes... Thanks to our wonderful family members for taking care us!

11. Now that I live in a place with no AC my creativity in cooking has had to rise to the challenge. What things can I make for my family, that do not heat up the house? I have crock pot, rice cooker, electric griddle, microwave are all options for heating food... salads and smoothies help keep things cool. More on those adventures in detail over at What's Cookin'?

12. Take it and run with it. A move is like a new beginning, with new opportunities to become more like the person you want to be. Change will happen. Why not make it for the better?

I am sure this adventure will be a great for us. We are closing a chapter in our lives and are opening a new one as we situate ourselves in this new place, new neighborhood, and new start! Wish us luck!