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Big news, guys: I’m moving!
Ok, maybe it’s not big news to you, but it’s big news to me. I swore I would never leave my current apartment until I was ready to move out on my own (which means — in New York terms — 35ish).
But, a new apartment just fell in my lap. I’m moving in with a friend, and the new apartment has a yoga studio on the first floor, a gym around the corner, laundry in the building, a dishwasher and a PATIO. A patio, guys. Oh, the things I’ll be blogging about this spring, just you wait!
So, I’m waving good-bye to the old brownstone charm that is this gorgeous room:
And waving hello to amenities.
But wait. It’s not that easy, as you well know. Until I’m settled in to my new place on Saturday, my apartment looks like this:
It’s enough to make a type-A girl like myself go nutty.
And you’d think that since this is my 14th move — my fourth in New York alone (I move a lot) — that I’d be a packing pro.
No, no.
I’m an awful packer. I get overwhelmed and stressed and end up just tossing things into boxes, which inevitabely get broken.
The silliest things stress me out. Like my hanging plant and bamboo — see them in the pictures? How do you pack those? I have other houseplants too, and can’t figure out how properly pack them for the movers.
And bedding. How does that work? You have to sleep on your sheets the night before, so do you pack them up dirty the day of the move? Then wash them at the new place? What do you make your bed with at the new place when your duvet is dirty from the move?
These are the things that keep me up at night.
HELP: Share your moving and packing tips!
Tags: how to, moving, packing
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March 09, 2011 10:20 AM
I just moved a week ago and I feel the stress for you. I got this advice and I used it and it worked great! Number your boxes and then in a notebook write Box 1 and list the contents of the entire box, and so on. It's definitely an organized way to move and when you get to your new place you will not have to dig through every box to find that one item. Good luck with everything.
March 09, 2011 11:05 AM
Super smart. Thanks!
April 01, 2011 2:13 AM
I agree I have moved many many times. I have always done this. It makes it so easy to unpack. and this way you can find everything you need right away. We have been in our home for appx 13 years and are thinking about moving and I am looking forward to it should it happen. In fact I have a wall of book cases ten feet high and about 20 feet long. This christmas I packed some of the nicknsacks away so I could put my huge santa collection up. I packed the boxes and put exactly what is in each box in my note book. Right now I still have them packed and by the way the Sant's too. I will need to repaint the book cases before we move if we do and I will pack the books by author and then make note in my notebook which books are packed together. When packeking I will also make note of title and author and list them in my computer so I came a complete listing on what I have. I LOVE to move. It is such a fresh start to life. I Love the home I am in but it would be a joy to make another home just as comfortable as this one is.
March 09, 2011 10:26 AM
I find it really helpful to put the stuff I need right away into the same box (or boxes) and write OPEN FIRST on them. Then if I can't get to unpack for a while, at least I can find what I need!!! Happy moving!
March 09, 2011 11:06 AM
Oh, yes, I already know what's going in this open-first box! A bottle of wine Ha. And a toothbrush. Thanks so much.
March 09, 2011 10:41 AM
Place your hanging clothes in your sheets and transport them that way. They stay in tact and you don't have to worry about packing them (creating wrinkles). It makes it so much easier b/c you can literally move your closet in 1 or 2 trips.
March 09, 2011 11:04 AM
Love this tip! Definitely going to try it. Thanks!
March 09, 2011 10:52 AM
We moved recently from London to the US and the move was simple, however preparing for the move was a nightmare. Sorting, shifting, donating, selling, organising, packing...the list goes on. The most important thing I learned was to make a list of essentials that you will want when you first walk through the door — keep that box close by and easy to get to, then label everything meticulously, and last but not least, use this time to sort through things and purge all the unwanted baggage. If you are wise, you will arrive at your new destination with a takeaway menu in hand, so hunt around now for the best takeaway, you want your first meal in your new place to be a nice one....to reward yourself for all the hard work. Here are a few posts written during my move (oldies, but still goodies) http://www.housewifebliss.com/category/household-management/moving/ All the best, Coryanne
Thank you, thank you. Takeout the night after a move is the best, isn't it?? Your posts are fantastic — kudos to you for making an international move. Mine pales in comparison!
March 09, 2011 3:28 PM
Get rid of stuff like Coryanne mentioned above. I might be moving soon too and I am going to force myself to take a hard look at all my stuff and only keep what I love. In my growing up years we moved a lot and my mom would prefer to move to another state vs. within the same city because in the same city packing has a tendency not to be as organized and out of state. You justify it by saying “Oh I will just throw such & such in the car, etc.” Enjoy your new place:) it sounds lovely.
March 09, 2011 9:14 PM
That is so true — when you move close-by, you think it won't be as big a move, so you throw away less. But I'm taking your advice to heart and giving.stuff.away. Thanks!
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