Moving without Movers (and keeping your sanity!) Part 3:

Last week we talked about living out of your suitcase for a few days (or week), so you could pack the majority of your things ahead of time.  (Which is also fantastic for the first night or two in your new place--everything is easily accessible!)

When you move without movers, there are 2 sides of the process: packing and unpacking.  The uphill and the downhill... (unless you like packing more than unpacking!) 

This week we talk about how to unpack your stuff efficiently and effectively.

The key to efficient unpacking is this: unload the rental truck correctly.

Ok, there are no 'right' or 'wrong' ways to unload a truck.  But I want to talk about a way that could potentially save you from doing double the work--and help you get unpacked and settled into your new place within a few days.

That's right--I said "unpacked in days".

Here is how you do that:

When you're carrying boxes and items from the rental truck--take them directly to the room they belong in.  Remember how you packed 'like with like'?  That makes it much easier to unpack the box--and know exactly where to take the box right from the truck:

• Kids' stuff to the kids' rooms
• Kitchen stuff to the kitchen
• Bathroom stuff to the bathroom
• Office stuff to the office
• Garage stuff in the garage

This will save you from unloading the truck, and then moving the boxes AGAIN inside the house.  Who wants to move boxes an extra time when moving?!  

Not this lady.

You have your suitcase of essentials, which you can 'live out of' for a day or two (or more!)--so there is no need to tear open boxes all willy nilly in the desparate search for toothbrushes and underwear.  This will keep your sanity long enough to get a semi-decent night of rest and be ready to really tackle unpacking the next morning.  

Personally, I like to get our kids' stuff unpacked first.  

Entertained children = more enjoyable unpacking by mom.

After that, it's usually the kitchen items.  {Remember how we used the camping supplies at the old place?  They will also come in handy at the new place because breakfast & lunch can occur even if the kitchen isn't completely unpacked!}  

Kitchen items are my most favorite things to unpack!

I know.  It's a sickness, really.

I think it's the thrill of getting to 'change up' how the kitchen is laid out...unless you're moving into the exact same kitchen, the layout will be different and you'll need to figure out where things will go.  That's what it is--that puzzle aspect of unpacking the kitchen--figuring out what to put where.  If you can approach it like a puzzle, maybe it will be more enjoyable?!  If not--get a friend who loves doing puzzles to come unpack your kitchen!

After the kitchen is usually the bathroom items, linens, etc.  Followed by adult clothing, books, garage items, and lastly: decorations.  Remember Part 1?  

The first to get packed is the last to get unpacked.  

Here we are--unpacking the decorations.  

The finish line is just a few steps away!  We're almost there!  

If you can keep up your momentum, you'll be unpacked (I didn't say 'completely decorated' because that can take a bit!), in just a few days.  Avoid the temptation to leave those one or two straggler boxes "for later" because later might not come for a few months (or a year!).  Keep pushing yourself to the finish line and then crash out on the couch and put your feet up while you admire your unpacked house!

Moving without Movers (and keeping your sanity!) Part 2:

If you missed Part 1, you can find it here.  We talked about packing up all of your decorative items.

Part 2 consists of the main packing--your 'everyday' items.  Please--please--do not pack things you don't love or use anymore!  Moving is the absolute perfect time to purge your stuff.  Don't box it up, load it up, unload it, unpack it...and then still never use it!  Sell it--or better yet--donate it!

I like to have a donation box right by the door and as I come across things we no longer need or use--and I put them directly into the box.  Then the next time I leave the house, I drop it off at the local thrift store.  It feels good to think about moving one LESS box!

So--back to packing:

Obviously you'll need to be ready to load your rental truck on the date you reserve it...but how do you get from 'everything is unpacked' to 'everything is packed' when you still need to use things?

Simple: pack a suitcase like you're going on vacation.

Pack your toiletries, vitamins/medicine, clothes, the book you're reading, a couple of pairs of shoes, jacket/sweater (depending on the season), towel & washcloth, cell phone charger, laptop, etc.

These will be your 'everyday' supplies.

Now you're free to pack everything else!  {Obviously a suitcase is needed for each member of the family and their own personal belongings will go into it.  Don't forget the kids' favorite books and stuffed animals!}

I'm sure you're probably thinking "But what about the kitchen?  Food, dishes, etc!"

Here is my little secret to packing up the kitchen items days before you're ready to move out: camping supplies.  

We use 'real dishes' for camping, which are nice and neatly contained in a plastic tub.  As I pack all of the dishes in our kitchen, we'll still have silverwear, cups, plates, and bowls available in our easy-to-access camping tub!

If you don't have camping supplies, just create a 'mock tub' and put a single set of dishes for each member of the family in the designated box or tub, so you can access it easily and it doesn't accidentally get boxed up and piled underneath a lot of other stuff.

You can do the same thing with food.  Pack a few days' worth into a separate box and leave it accessible.  Then you're free to pack up all of the remaining food items and you'll only have one box of food to toss into the truck at the very end!

It may feel a little weird to 'live' out of a suitcase in your own home for a few days (or a week!), but trust me--it will make the packing phase a little easier--and you don't have to wait until the entire last minute to pack the majority of your things.  No pulling 'all-nighters' to pack while your kids sleep...only to be exhausted for the entire moving process.  Especially if you're renting and driving a big moving truck--you want to be as well-rested as possible!

Hopefully this will help you with your next move without movers!

Here are a few more packing tips & tricks:

• Put drinking glasses inside old socks and gently stack inside boxes
• Use kitchen and bath towels to wrap around plates, bowls, and dishes
• Keep untensils inside the organizer (if you have one), wrapped in a towel
• Don't get a full load of groceries right before you move!
• Use 'dead space' to pack things: inside the toaster oven, microwave, etc
• Keep clothing in your dresser drawers while moving (remove drawers to carry the dresser, then replace the drawers once it's loaded in the truck)
• Keep hung clothing on hangers, simply slip a garbage bag over them (from the bottom up-- and tie around the top of the hangers)
• Use a comforter to wrap around the tv and place it on a seat in a vehicle (if you don't have a box to pack it in)

And--last, but not least:  

If you have young children--an empty box and lots of crayons--can provide hours of entertainment for them (while you pack)!

Moving without Movers (and keeping your sanity!) Part 1:

In our (almost) 12 years of marriage, we've lived in 10 different homes (11 if you count the 3-month stint at my in-laws when we moved back to PA).  We've moved from PA to CO, back to PA, and then back to CO--all without ever hiring a moving company--so I feel like I've got the long distance moving thing 'down'.

Since we're moving back to Bayfield (400 miles away) in less than 2 weeks, I thought I would share my moving tips since I'm going through all of them right now!  These posts will show you  how to not lose your mind if you decide to do all of the moving yourself {...and you can!}.

When you stop to look around your home after you know you're moving, it can be very overwhelming...where do you start?!

The first things to pack are the last things to unpack: decorations.

This is when I'm very grateful that we live simply...

This picture shows all of our decorative things from the entire house:

If you're in that 'I can't start packing yet, because I'll still need to use things for a while' stage--packing up your decorative items is the perfect place to start.  

Here's a quick breakdown of how to do it efficiently:

Step 1:  Gather every single decorative item you own.

This step requires you to be very observant!  It's easy to miss things that you're used to looking at everyday.  (I had our 9 year old walk through the house after I thought I was finished, and he found another picture that I missed!)

Find a nice workspace to lay out what you have, so you can pack similar-sized items together. {A dining room table is perfect for this!}

Step 2:  Get your boxes and packing material ready.

Different sized boxes make packing fragile things easy...they aren't as likely to break when packed in a smaller space.  I had some sewing material that I was considering donating to the thrift store, but I realized that it would be the perfect thing to wrap the 'breakables' in when we move...glad I kept it!

I can pretty much 'eye up' spaces and know what will fit where...but if you're 'spatially challenged' (like my husband!), you might need to gently set the items into the box you want to use before you wrap everything up and start packing things, just to make sure they will fit in that particular box.

{Grocery stores, shoe stores, friends who just moved, and Craigslist are all great places to aquire free boxes!}

Step 3:  Carefully wrap, box, tape, and label your items.

Ok, this is more like Steps 3-6, but for your sanity, I am not writing out each of them!  Just remember to mark what's inside the box, so when you're unpacking, you're not surprised every time you open a new box!

Maybe it's because I've never hired anyone to pack and move our stuff, but I don't think I would love unpacking as much as I do, if someone else packed it up--I'd have no idea what is where!  I also think it makes it much quicker to unpack when you pack everything in 'categories' (like with like), as you're not distracted by bathroom items when you're unpacking clothing, etc.

There will be times when you need to put an unrelated item into the box, just because it fits so well (or you're running out of boxes!), but for the most part, try to keep 'like with like' when packing.  

Trust me--you'll appreciate this attention to detail when you're unpacking!

Other things to do in this 'beginning' stage of moving:

• Gather seasonal items/decorations (hopefully they're already boxed up)
• Change your address with banks, insurance companies, utility company, etc
• Kids' stuff: pack up hand-me-downs, out-of-season items, & most of their toys
• Sell/donate unused items...this is my absolute favorite time to purge!
• Reserve your moving truck online

Moving can be a stressful time in life, but with some planning, preparation, and patience--it doesn't have to be the 'worst' time in life!

A book, birthday, & a move to Bayfield!

June is shaping up to be a busy month for Simplify Your Stuff, myself, and my family!

Book:

I've finished writing my first book: Simplify Your Stuff: de-clutter, de-own, de-stress.

I'm so relieved to have it finished (my goal was July 1--not too shabby...).  I was hoping to have it published too, but it's still being edited.  As soon as it's officially published--you'll be the first to know!

It's meant to be a fairly quick read--sort of a 'weekend reader' that will motivate you to clear out your clutter and simplify your stuff--ALL of it, for good.

Here is a testimonial from a fellow professional organizer:

"Simplify Your Stuff is a lovely, easy to read decluttering guide for taking control of your stuff and simplifying your life. The friendly tone of the author is both entertaining and inspiring. If you're an overwhelmed DIY-er and don't know where to start, follow this guide in order by chapter and implement the action steps as you go. If you do, then you'll be well on your way to a simplified, decluttered life.                                               -Nealey Stapleton, The-Organizing-Boutique.com

Birthday:

I'm celebrating a birthday (today!)...and focusing on gratitude for the day.

For my health & well-being,

for my family's health & well-being,

for my tenaciously supportive husband,

for our wonderful, creative, & independent children,

for long-distance family,

for friends--new & old,

for following my passion and starting a business,

for all that we've seen and accomplished on this wild ride so far...

Bayfield Move:

We moved to Colorado Springs in the summer of 2012 and rented out the house we owned in Bayfield...after our tenant moved out (while we're in a month-to-month lease here), we decided to move back 'home' and fix up our house, plant a big garden, let the kids ride bikes on the street of our cul-de-sac, and shift back to small-town living from city life.  This is the house where we've lived the longest of our (almost) 13 years of marriage...where Brooklyn was born...and the street where Cameron was born (we owned another house on the same street--but that's another story!).

We really enjoyed living in the Springs, but things just started falling into place and pointing us back to Bayfield.  It's very bittersweet for us (and I've been a little teary-eyed these last few days!).

 A picture of the house when we bought it (January '09).

I'm big on talking about 'impermanence' when speaking about stuff...but it also applies to situations in life:

  

I wasn't an author before...but now I am.

I was 34 yesterday...and today I'm 35.

We live in Colorado Springs now...and next month we'll live in Bayfield.

"The only thing that is constant is change."  A simple quote, but full of meaning.

Here's to impermanence...whether you're in a 'good place' or a 'not-so-good place' in life right now...it won't stay the same for long!