We made the move! So many of you offered some great moving tips, so I combined those with some of my own to create a post that will hopefully help you next time you move. Here we go…
Holy crap, we did it! We made the move, and it all happened very quickly (30 days!) but I learned a lot during the process. Here are my top moving tips for a smooth transition into your new home.
MOVING TIP 1: SPLIT THE RESPONSIBILITIES
If possible, try and split the responsibilities with your husband, wife, partner, or roommate. For instance, Mike handled a lot of the money side of things (mortgage, moving costs, etc.) and I handled the majority of the packing and keeping the house we were currently living in for house showings. It was still hectic, but splitting the responsibilities made it so much easier to tackle.
MOVING TIP 2: DO A MASSIVE PURGE
There were things we’ve had FOREVER that just lived in the garage or in the back of a closet. Some things are sentimental and you just can’t get rid of, but anything that doesn’t hold a lot of value to you personally – purge that shiz babydoll!
I went through my closet and sold/donated a lot of the things I don’t wear that often. My rule of thumb is… if you didn’t wear it all season, chances you’ll wear it next season are slim. Donate.
MOVING TIP 3: PACK BY ROOM & LABEL IN DETAIL
This is probably a “duh” statement to some, but it really is so helpful when getting your new home set up. Label your boxes on top, and on all sides. The movers were able to put all the boxes in their appropriate rooms, which made it so easy to unpack everything. I also like labeling the boxes not just by room, but also by the contents in them. The room is in large caps, and underneath I included the contents.
MOVING TIP 4: BE SMART WHEN BUYING BOXES
We went to the Sam’s Club by our old house and picked up a bunch of boxes for little cost (they were about $2 per box). They also have a spot for you to write all your contents. Even our movers were impressed by the durability! The last thing you need is for a box to break during the move.
MOVING TIP 5: WARDROBE PACKING
This is a tip I got from one of my Instagram followers and it is GOLD. If you want to easily hang your clothing once you move in but don’t want dust and grime to get on your clothes, pack them by throwing an XL trash bag over your clothes and poke a hole in the bottom of the bag for the hangers to peek through. Keeps everything ready to unpack and protects your clothing. Also, you don’t have to iron/steam everything once you get into the new home!
MOVING TIP 6: BRUSH UP ON YOUR TETRIS SKILLS
Packing is a science and an art. I packed a lot of things inside one another to save space. You can also use your towels to wrap delicate items like plates and glassware. Just make sure one box is too heavy. You definitely don’t want the items to fall through the bottom.
MOVING TIP 7: IF POSSIBLE, MOVE SOME ITEMS BEFOREHAND
We were lucky enough to only be moving 20 minutes away. So, we moved anything that we could a few days before the “big moving day”. It’s a little more work, but in the end you can probably save yourself some money if you’re hiring movers by the hour.
MOVING TIP 8: MY HUSBAND’S TIPS ON HIRING MOVERS
This was Mike’s job, and he is the one sharing this tip right now. He called several moving companies and found that while one company was cheaper, they had a bunch of extra add-in costs (truck rental, fuel charge, per-mile charge, transport tax, blah blah blah). The easiest way for us, was to get several quotes, and figure out the entire pricing combined per quote. We ended up hiring a company that had one flat fee per hour with two guys.
Also, pay attention to how they charge per hour. Is it by a full hour, or by quarter hour? If they only worked 2 hours and 15 minutes, but have to charge you 3 hours… that’s expensive and unnecessary.
Mike’s last tip: Break down anything you can ahead of time (beds, tables, cribs) because it saves the movers time, and saves you money.
MOVING TIP 9: MOVING DAY NECESSITIES
The only things we didn’t pack were one outfit for each of us, Ollie’s diaper bag of course, a few snacks and water, some towels and multi-surface cleaning solution, and some extra laundry baskets. There will be SOMETHING you forget to pack the day of… so laundry baskets are helpful.
MOVING TIP 10: FIRST THINGS TO UNPACK
The first things we brought into the house were salt, sugar and rice. We put them in the pantry as it’s supposed to bring good luck to your home. It’s an old-wive’s tale, but I figured… why not?!
As for what to unpack first, I’ve always heard to get the Master Bedroom in order first. After all, that’s where you’ll have to sleep that night! It’s also the heart of the home, so I feel like it’s important to put that together first while you’re excited and not stressed. Take your time and enjoy it. We put our bed together first, followed by Ollie’s crib, and I also got the kitchen put away as much as possible.
MOVING TIP 11: REDECORATING TIPS
Probably the most exciting part of the move (outside of a fresh start and new beginnings) is decorating your new home! I find myself wanting to buy everything, but I stop myself because my impulse home purchases are typically bad ones. I would suggest figuring out what style home you want, and go from there.
If you don’t know your personal home style, there are plenty of quizzes to find online.
Here are some quizzes that I like:
HGTV // HAVENLY // BED BATH AND BEYOND // POPSUGAR
After taking a few, we realized our style is a mix of mid-century modern, modern and bohemian (hence the mid-century furniture, modern decor on our bookshelves, and plants EVERYWHERE).
(Curious how we decorated our last home? Here was our Living Room and Ollie’s Nursery. You can also check out a dresser DIY that I did by clicking here.)
One piece of advice I learned from decorating our other home, use color on pieces you can easily change out. I love color because I think it makes a home more inviting, but I also get sick of big color pieces quickly. We’re sticking to neutrals in our new home, but adding touches of color with pillows, throw blankets and decorative books (I found a bunch of blue books on sale at West Elm for $1 a piece!)
OK friends… I hope these moving tips help you with your move! I know it’s a lot of information, but we learned a lot during our move and wanted to share it all! As always, thanks for stopping by!
Love, Lindsey
1 Comment
First off, your photos are so pretty! You making moving look almost glamorous! I liked your tips on hiring moving companies a lot. I think there is a lot of pros to hiring movers but I know it can be overwhelming to a lot of people. It’s not something you hire for every often (typically) so knowing the right questions to ask doesn’t always happen. Anyway, this was great! Glad your move went smoothly.