We sold our home but weren’t sure where we should move to. We decided on building a new home for our family. This is how we organized our big move while waiting for our new home to be built. Check out our first episode on how we sold our home!
We are moving early
With our moving date creeping closer, and no permit to even start building yet, we decided to move early. The process to build our new home was taking way longer than expected so there is no chance of our house being ready in time. After looking at a few options to rent, we decided to move into my in-laws… this weekend!
The influx of people moving to our growing town has made the rent prices rise significantly, and rental places have become scarce. Gracefully, Ryan’s parents have let our large family move into their beautiful basement suite while we build our new home. We may be squished for a while, but maybe it will be quicker to clean? (I gotta look for the blessings in this or I will cry having to move twice!!!;))
WHICH MOVING COMPANY SHOULD WE GO WITH?
We looked around for the best moving company with the best price. We decided on Big Steel Box. The delivery of the big steel box right to our driveway met our needs perfectly. We were able to load and unload easily, storing our things for as long as we need while our new home is being built.
Usually, we just pay the big bucks and hire movers to move us. We have too much stuff with our large family. We want to keep our friends as friends, so we try not to ask them to move us too often. This time, however, we needed to divide up our stuff between what we will need to survive life living in my in-laws’ for six months, and what needs to be stored. So it made sense to ask friends to help us move this time.
The big move is happening! This just got delivered right on my driveway! I promise my sweet neighbors, it will only be here temporarily! Ryan and I are spending the week packing… and packing… and sorting… and throwing out stuff. We have been playing rock, paper, scissors, including some bribery to decide who should pick up the kids from school every day;).
ORGANIZING THE BIG MOVE
For a more extensive moving checklist, check out this post.
It has been difficult to narrow down what to throw out, and what to keep. Our whole lives must fit in a large metal box and my in-laws already furnished basement suite. So I made this lovely little chart to help me stay organized!
I narrowed it down to 4 categories, labeling everything;
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storage unit
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basement suite
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sell
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throw out
Moving day has come quickly. We have everything pulled apart and ready to go… with their labels I might add?!? You save your sanity having labeled your boxes too knowing where your things are as you unpack. We fed our friends who came to help lots of yummy food so they would come back to help us in 6 months again. 🙂
Being organized during moving saves time and money.Click To Tweet
And thus, we have moved out leaving a trail of stuff behind us… and dust.:0 How can a home get so dusty when you thought you cleaned it regularly?!? Thankfully we have a couple of weeks left to clean the house and sort through the items not coming with us.
WHAT IS THE BEST WAY TO ORGANIZE YOUR NEXT MOVE?
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Call around and get a few quotes from some good local moving companies.
Book them
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Pick up a lot of boxes and packing tape.
Local moving companies supply boxes you can borrow or purchase. Stop off at some big box stores and see if they have some empty boxes you could take off their hands.
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Start packing what you don’t use on an everyday basis.
Label the room it’s going into and its contents (you never know if you need to find that one item…). Pack daily a couple of boxes until you are down to just the necessities.
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Go through each room and cabinet one by one. Empty it completely.
When you empty a cupboard, go through each item you have piled in front of you deciding if it should be boxed, sell, give away, or throw out. Have the boxes ready in front of you along with a garbage bag to pack up or throw out right away.
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A couple of weeks before your big move, contact your post office for your new mailbox keys and address.
Make the necessary address changes for all of your bills to go to your new home.
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Have a dance party and shake off some stress
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Purchase easy to make dinners or do the drive-thru
It will save you much time and stress. You may not find anything to cook with anyway:)
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Set up help for moving day.
Bribe them with food
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Day before moving day; pack anything left in your cupboards, closets, and drawers.
Most movers prefer that all dressers are emptied. This way you will lose fewer items in the process. Carefully package your delicate items such as lamps and artwork. Decide if you will move them in your own car, or leave it up to the company to move them. Box all of your hanging clothes in your closet.
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Moving day buy coffee and breakfast to share.
Order pizza for lunch. Remember you want your friends to love you still after the move 🙂
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Box freezer and fridge items and move them quickly.
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Relax and get excited about your new space!
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Moving day;
Have someone stand by the entry of your new home to guide each furniture item to the rooms they need to go.
Label rooms and even furniture so they end up in the correct room. It is very difficult when you have these wonderful helpers, only to find all the boxes and furniture are in their wrong rooms and you have to move your dresser two floors up;).
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The days post move; Set up your furniture.
Empty out necessities from their boxes. Unpack a few boxes every day. You may find you want to get rid of more items as you unpack your new home. Its ok to let it go or start fresh to suit your new space.
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A month later,
have a housewarming party!!! This will motivate you to set up your new home while enjoying your fav friends and family.
How I am dealing with the move
I may sound all organized but I really feel like my own world is in chaos. Between infections, the kids end of the school year crazy, organizing our whole lives into a big steel box and basement suite, it has been a lot to process. I feel like all of this is more than what a very organized-messy mom can handle, but I am gaining a new perspective on what really matters in life. It is time to trust the Lord for every day we have been blessed with, and not to put our trust in the things we own
It is time to eliminate the clutter and simplify our livesClick To Tweet
How am I surviving the chaos? I pray…a lot, sleep less, eat chocolate, drink coffee, wine, more coffee, and eat more chocolate. Did I say chocolate? And I take it one big brown box at a time…
We have the help of our wonderful friends and family, and our children who have been a great help too (it is really nice they are old enough to help now)!
And here we are. A humbling experience it is. The bonus is the basement takes very little time to clean. I even get to hop over a desk to go to the bathroom at night;) (our home office is stuffed into our bedroom in the suite). But in the midst of the chaos, God is forever faithful and has amazing plans in all of this. We will continue to trust Him as he takes us through this journey. I could cry saying goodbye another dream home; but today I choose to be thankful for a cozy bed to sleep in at night, a place my kids feel warm and excited for a home to rest my head for a little while.
As I read my Bible this evening, this scripture is a perfect promise for this moment my life…
then you shall delight yourself in Yahweh;
and I will make you to ride on the high places of the earth…Isaiah 58:14
Now if our permit would just come out so we could actually start building… ? But an answer to prayer; we did finally find good framers to frame our new house.
Building tip
Stay patient. The building process may not always go as planned but know your builder is doing the best they can to keep things moving along smoothly. Check in often and keep open communication with your builder. Preplan with your builder the building and decor expectations early on so there are minor misunderstandings with the final result.
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