I am in the middle of getting ready for my first, real, not-coming-back, move out of my parents house. It's been a long time coming, but I still don't seem to be very prepared for it, practically speaking. Thankfully it is within the same city, so I have the ability to move slowly, which needs to happen because of the time frames I have for myself. I should be getting the keys on Wednesday and can start moving my things in then, but I head out of town for a long weekend on Friday until Monday and hope to be fully living in my new place on July 1 - the original date that my landlord and I had agreed upon (he's being nice and letting me move in a little early, because it's empty anyway).
Some things that I have been doing slowly over the last week or so to get ready for the move:
1. Collecting boxes and bins - I am moving within the same city that I already live in, so I am not using a mover and am also hoping to not have to purchase any moving boxes. I have some storage bins that I have purchased for the move, but they will be useful for after the move as well. Aside from that, I have been trying to get boxes wherever I can; the majority have come from work, actually - printer paper boxes with their lids are fantastic and we would just be recycling them at work anyway! (Make sure you have permission to take boxes from work, you never know if there is already a designated use for them).
2. Packing the majority of my clothing into suitcases - Since I am moving within the same city and will just be making multiple trips with the help of some family and friends (and their vehicles), I have decided to just pack my clothing in suitcases; my suitcases need to move too and I figured this would be easier than trying to find even more boxes to put it all in.
3. Organizing and packing kitchen supplies - I have been collecting a lot of kitchen supplies over the last 5ish years, and up until now they were all living in our laundry room closet where I had no clue what I actually owned anymore. A couple weeks ago I started going through everything and packing what I could into storage bins while creating an inventory on my computer of what is within each bin. I pretty much have my entire kitchen ready to go, minus a few pots and pans.
4. Brainstorming (and sometimes purchasing) odds and ends - For over a month I have been adding to a running list that I keep on my phone of different things that I will need for my new place that aren't exactly big ticket items that are easy to think of. As I get closer and closer to my move I try to be conscious of items that I use within a day and if something isn't on the list and will definitely be needed once I move, I add it on. I have purchased some of these things and have set them aside for the move - these are things like dish soap and dish cloths (to wash all of the new kitchen stuff before putting it all away), cleaning supplies (the place should be clean before I move in, but you never know), hand soap, and toilet paper. These are just a few of the things that I don't want to be caught in my new place without and having to run out right then to go and find before continuing on with my unpacking.
Since I'm in the same city as my parents, I am purposely leaving things like setting up internet and change of address until I am settled, since I can have my mail delivered to their house a little longer and if I desperately need internet I can pay them a visit too.
Other than that, I really haven't been doing much to get ready, just lots and lots of thinking and planning, but I haven't been actively, physically been doing much else. As I mentioned, this is my first big move out, so I am starting up a new place, not just moving a whole house to a new one. I still think this moving prep could be helpful if you are already established in your own place and are planning a move to somewhere new, you just might not need to stock up on as many "essentials" as I need to - you just might need to corral them into one bin or box and make sure it gets to the new place first.
Any tips on more things I can do to prepare for my move? They would be much appreciated!
