Kala's World: Organizing your move

Today is the day......the beginning of my move and I can't wait for it to be over. Although I planned and organized the move very well I just want to be unpacked in my new home already. I know, I know I have a long road ahead of me considering they just packed my boxes.

I am both excited and sad but above all I know that God has blessed my family by providing the opportunity and a means for this all to happen. So here are a few tips I have for you when you make that move.

Keys to a successful move........ORGANIZATION

Being Organized is very important when moving no matter how big or small the move.

Tip 1: Create a binder/folder where you can keep all of your move information. This binder should have a checklist (I used Martha Stewart's checklist moving checklist), information on your new town, information on the kids new school (how to register etc.), utility providers, moving company/truck rental contact information quotes and contracts, inventory list (especially high valued items), home documents/contracts for your new home and anything else of importance.

Tip 2: Start preparing for your move AS SOON as you know you are going to move. Most websites and professional movers have a 2 month timeline which is great and works well but if you know you are moving 6 months prior why not start at that time.

Here are a few reasons to start early

1. You are going to have to de-clutter your house if you decide to sell/buy so that you or your agent can stage it for potential buyers/renters.

2. You can start to purge your closets, drawers and your entire house of items you no longer use or desire and either donate sell or trash them. Make sure you have a few boxes or garbage bags labeled (Sell, Donate, Trash) so you can place items in the right group and move them out as soon as they are filled up.

3. Shredding is a boring and tedious job so get it over with as soon as possible.

4. If you are packing yourself this is when you can start putting out of season items in boxes and stacking them neatly (make sure you purchase plenty of packing supplies). If you are having someone pack you (HORAY for you) this is the time to organize your current home for your future home (more on this in a a future post)

By starting the process early and doing whatever you can you will decrease or totally eliminate your stress when the move is only 2 weeks away. In addition, you will be able to enjoy the last few days with friends and/or family before you move.

Here are a few pictures of my purge. I actually made a total of 4 trips to The Salvation Army with a trunk load.

Tip 3: Organize your OLD home for your NEW home.

While preparing to move from Georgia to Maryland I realized that I couldn't take it all with me which is why I purged a lot of stuff. It was hard to part with some stuff but I had to accept that our new home was smaller and some of the stuff I had I did not see as a decorative fit in my new home. With that being said I strongly encourage you to organize your move with your new home in mind. As I went through each room I made sure that I put items in the room I wanted them to be in my new home. For example, I currently store my tools, extra paper towels and light bulbs in my food pantry. Unfortunately, the food pantry in my new home is smaller and therefore these items needed to find a new storage place. I ultimately decided to store then in the garage and therefore I've moved them to the garage of my current home so that when everything is packed/unpacked it will be where I want it to be. Once I unpack in Maryland I'll let you know how everything works out.

New Home Pantry Current Home Pantry

Tip 4: Label each room/area with a sign so that the movers or whomever is helping you move knows how to label the boxes.

I had to move a lot of items to the basement in order to stage my home for potential buyer. Although the items were in the basement I made sure I had everything grouped according to the room it would go into. This made it so much easier for the movers and eliminated them having to ask me a million questions.

Tip 5: If you are making the move yourself color coordinate everything either with color markers or colored labels with each room having it's own color. This makes it so much easier visually. I used a moving company so they have their own system and ensure all the boxes end up in the correct space.

Tip 6: If you are moving and have a Family binder (more on creating a family binder coming soon) make sure you bring this with you. This binder should have a finances section (bills etc), profile section (important information on each family member, important documents sections (social security cards, passports etc). This is not a binder you take around with you everywhere but a binder you keep in a safe place until you/and when you get to your final destination.

Tip 7: Unless you are leaving the same day you pack everything make sure you leave out necessary items (clothing, toiletries, cooking utensils, cleaning products etc) until you leave your old home and when you get to your new home (as you wait for the arrival of your items).

I would like to send a BIG HUG to Walter's team from Hilldrup United. They did and AWESOME job packing today!!!!!

Thanks Walter, Tito, Britne and Paco!!!!!!