K.C. and I are approaching our 1 year anniversary of the big move from our tiny 2 bedroom apartment to our first home. Before we moved, we were bursting from the seams in our old apartment. We also had a storage unit that we needed to unpack and move. The storage unit held Christmas decorations, small pieces of furniture that we’ve collected for the new space, and some of the more fun wedding gifts that we didn’t have the space for yet. So needless to say…we had more stuff to move than we would have liked or for what seemed normal for two people. We wanted to share some tips to serve as a quick guide to help you when moving from any space, no matter what size, to a new space. It all boils down to organization and having the right supplies on hand.
Banker’s Boxes: You know, the ones you see people moving offices use! Also used for document storage. We got a set of these to help with our packing and they were our favorite thing that we purchased. They were easy to assemble, durable, and easy to stack. The best part is we really didn’t need to tape them shut so unpacking was much easier. We just noted the fragile boxes and stacked everything else on a dolly.
Gaff Tape: If you don’t already have a few rolls of gaff tape on hand, go get some. This is the tape that professionals use on movie/tv sets to set markers, etc. They come up easily and don’t leave a sticky residue. We designated each area of the house a color (living room, office, main bedroom, kitchen, spare room space) so our movers would know exactly where to go with each box or piece of furniture. So we would slap a few pieces of tape on a box, on any furniture, or any odd object. Made the unloading process take just about an hour!
Before you get packing in those beautiful banker’s boxes, it is time to organize and sort your stuff. Make a pile of things to donate, things to sell, and things to sell. Don’t pull the rookie misake of waiting till you move before you do a good sort. It’ll help you have some control over the chaos.
Lastly, if you hired movers be sure to have waters and snacks on hand. We kept the fridge full at our apartment and at our new house full of water and kept snacks at both spots. We moved in September and it is normally very toasty out here still and we didn’t want the moving crew to regret letting us hire them.
When you’re all settled in your new space, crack open a bottle of champagne and take your time setting up your new home.
Thanks for following along! Stay tuned for some upcoming home projects.
Melanie and K.C.