Moving Hacks

Its been a wild weekend over here! We closed on our house (Fairview Cottage) on Friday and took up a small load of things up that night. On Saturday, the real fun started and we moved everything out of our storage unit to the house. Ever since, I have been unpacking as quickly as humanly possible!

It was pretty exciting getting our items out of the storage unit- I’ve had some items in there for 7 months that I’ve been missing. Side note, why I didn’t bring my record player with me to Florida is beyond me. I’ve sure missed it!

I stored my items at Extra Space Storage. They had a big unit available so that I could actually store my car! Some of my most prized possessions were in that storage unit, so I really appreciated that there was good security and a surveillance camera. Everything looked perfect as we unloaded- I sure loved knowing my stuff was in good hands!

I thought you might like to see a few pictures from how the house looked on Saturday morning and how they look now (I took the pictures Sunday afternoon). I have a very, very long way to go, but I am excited about the progress too! Its been fun setting things up and seeing how they look in a new place. Especially items I haven’t seen in ages!

master bedroom before

master bedroom progress

Don is sleeping in the master bedroom because his room will get a BIG redo shortly (the first project we’re tackling). Side note, since we’ve been staying in hotels or with relatives for the last month and a half, Don has slept in our bed. Him having his own space has been SO nice!

Don’s room before

don’s room progress

You can’t really see the progress, but his closet is all hung up. That huge fort will be coming down. I’ll do a whole post soon with the plans, but the dark blue will be painted and the wallpaper will be removed.

family room before

family room progress

My husband and I are sleeping in the family room while we redo Don’s room. This space is still a mess (please don’t judge- lol). This room is also desperate for wallpaper removal and a paint job.

living room before

living room progress

The living room is the closest space to being complete! Its more cramped than it’ll actually be because there are empty boxes just out of the frame. I still have plans on drapes, painting, wallpaper removal, hanging art, and a new light fixture. But for now, its so nice to have a put together space to lounge!

kitchen before

kitchen progress

I have spent so many hours in this kitchen! First of all, the owners left the whole house a huge mess. So cleaning up throughly before moving anything in, was a must. Secondly, there is WAY more cabinet space than I’ve had before, but I didn’t want to store ugly stuff up in the glass cabinets. Which meant that it took awhile to put things away. Soon I’ll be painting the cabinets and I think it’ll be a huge transformation!

office progress

I don’t even have a before photo of this room because we were in such a hurry to unload the moving truck. But the office is where everything got dumped when we unloaded. I’ve been slowly chipping away at this space because I cannot wait to have this office come to life! I did style this bookcase which was insanely fun!

my top 10 moving hacks

Since we’ve done 3 big moves in the last 6 months, I wanted to share some moving hacks that I’ve learned along the way-

• If you’re moving a small dresser or end table with drawers, fill the drawers and move them full. That way you are using your space smartly and efficiently! Bonus points if you can keep the contents of the dresser full of what they usually have in them so you spend less time unpacking!
• Make sure to use moving stretch wrap to keep the doors closed on dressers as they’re transported. If you have containers full of items without a lid (like a silverware organizer), wrap the container so everything stays in place.
• Utilize the moving stretch wrap on all furniture to keep the surfaces protected during the move. You can also use blankets over your sofas or table tops to keep them extra cushioned before you cover them in plastic.
• Use small rugs between pieces of furniture when you’re loading your moving truck to keep furniture from rubbing against other pieces and getting damaged.
• To move lots of hangers, use packing tape to keep a small set together. That keeps them from getting in a big tangled mess. Side note, always buy extra packing tape than you think you’ll need. This is one thing you really don’t want to run out of!
• If you’re not doing a move where space is a premium, leave your clothes on the hangers. Just put a garbage bag around 5-7 hung up clothes and tie at the neck of the hanger.
• Utilize any rolling travel bags and hampers for packing. That way you need less moving boxes, plus they’re super easy to transport!
• Use shirts or dish towels to protect your breakables when packing. That way you have less trash to throw away at your new house
• As you take apart furniture (before you move), keep the hardware in a plastic bag. Either tie it or tape it to your piece of furniture so you can easily put it back later.

My last big tip is to set aside things that you’ll need on your first night in the house. Think cleaning supplies, box cutters, and you cell phone charger! I made a check list to make sure you have the most important items when you first get into the house!

free checklist- what you need your first night in a new house

As I was typing up this post, I wanted to share the must have items for your first night in a new house. When you’re packing, make sure to set these items aside so that your unpacking is nice and smooth! This box will be the first thing you’ll put in the house so that you have everything you need.

You can get the password to my resource library that has ALL of my free downloads including this checklist by filling out this form. Note, this also subscribes you to my (free!) newsletter.

tips when helping someone move

I think that I might have the best friends and family ever! They did a TON to help me move and I so appreciate their assistance. Here are some things they did to make our move a breeze. If you’re helping someone move, you might consider doing a few of these:

• bring cleaning supplies, toilet paper, scissors and/or box cutters as a house warming gift. That way if they don’t know where there’s are, you have some and help the move go smoothly
• offer to order or bring them dinner. My sister picked us up some food and it was SO helpful and sweet! We were focused on unpacking, so it was super nice to have someone bring us something
• If the family you’re helping move, watch their kids for them. My sister brought my 8 year old nephew who played with Don (aka, kept him out of the way and happy) while we unpacked. While my mom was helping, she sang songs with Don as he played Legos. Not having to worry if Don was cared for was really nice
• When you leave, offer to take their trash/boxes for them or take a trip to the donation center for items they decided they no longer need. My sister did this and even though I has a small pile of items to be donated, it was nice to not them cluttering up the house.
• Stagger the time you help your family/friends move with other family/friends. For example, we had people come first thing in the morning, but then my sister came later in the afternoon. Honestly, we were losing steam at that point and she helped us refocus and get way more done than we would have on our own.
• Make sure the key things are set-up for their first night. Especially making sure their beds are assembled and they have bedding is key.

I’m excited to share you how this house evolves and progresses. I have some big plans and can’t wait to implement them. And if you’re moving or helping some move, I hope these moving hacks have been helpful to you!

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