We are all set in our new apartment. I can't get over how much I love it, from the back porch to the 70s-tastic wood paneling. I'm already in full swing decorating mode.
While it's fun to have a blank canvas, the moving process can really suck. This time wasn't so bad, but when I moved out of my first apartment, it was a nightmare. I barely got anything packed because I was working two jobs and by the time actual moving day rolled around, I almost had a nervous breakdown. Not fun.
This time, I buckled down and made sure that everything was ready for a relatively painless move. Here's a few things we did that made all the difference:
1. Start packing immediately. This made everything go more smoothly. As soon as I knew for sure we would be moving - about 3 weeks before we actually did - I started packing. Even if you only pack a couple boxes a day, getting things done in increments is so much easier and less stressful than trying to get it all done in a day.
2. Get out. Our old apartment was completely overrun with boxes in the week leading up to the move. Being in chaos like that is enough to push anyone over the edge. Caleb was gone on a business trip the week before the move, and since I'm a chicken, I stayed with a friend and went to the apartment a few days out of the week to get everything cleaned out and packed. Since I had a bag already packed with everything I needed for the week, I knew that everything at the apartment was fair game to be packed up. It really made everything a lot simpler. If you can stay elsewhere for the couple of days before the big move, it makes the packing process less stressful, and you are less stressed out because you aren't living in an episode of Hoarders.
3. Spread the moving out over a weekend. Every other move I've made, it seemed like everything had to be done in one day. If you can, give yourself more time. We brought over all the boxes on Friday and got things put away, and then brought in the furniture on Saturday. We were done with everything around 1 in the afternoon. Painless!
