Surviving Moving Day
That big moving day has finally arrived, and you are either dreading it, super excited to move on or a combination of both. Getting through this day successfully from both a logistical and emotional perspective can be a bit of an artform, but with a little up-front planning and preparation, you can be sleeping soundly in your new home fast.
The U.S. Census bureau says people move an average of 11 times. That means most of us move every 7 years. That is a lot of moving around and this statistic makes me regret getting rid of all my moving boxes from my recent move.
Given that this is not likely your last move, let’s review how to make your current and future moves successful. Here are our top 10 things to remember on moving day and soon thereafter.
Set up the beds you and your family must use immediately. Make this the first thing you do upon arrival to ensure you have a soft and ready-made place to crash after your long moving day.
Plan to dine out or Door-dash at least the first 3 nights. You will likely not make it to the grocery store on day one of your big move, so plan to have take-away meals or eat out initially. This will take a lot of pressure off you, and give you time to complete the next step in your move-in process.
Unpack the kitchen and bathrooms first. First and foremost, ensure there is toilet paper and soap in your bathroom(s) and water and snacks available in the kitchen. If you unpack your kitchen first, you will be able to get back to preparing meals for your family fast and cut down on your dining out costs. Setting up your bathrooms will help you to feel more organized overall since we spend quite a bit of time in these rooms as we start and end our days.
Lean on your real estate agent. Your agent knows your new area well. He or she can help you with good places to get meals to go, grocery shop, and even which electrician to get you back to doing laundry fast (I know you are excited).
Stay in touch with your friends and family in your old neighborhood or city. This is especially important if you are moving to a new town. You will be in a period of adjustment and may not have the friend base established that you had previously. Do call a friend from back home to help your mental health as moving is a big deal and can create a lot of stress. Thankfully, friends can help diffuse some of that.
Say yes to all invitations. It may be tempting to curl up on the couch and stream Netflix given your recent energy expenditure associated with moving, but now is the time to start getting to know the locals. It will take time to build a new friend base if you are in a new city. Some of the best advice I got from a friend was to just say “yes” to all invitations. You never know who you will meet. If your realtor has a party for new homeowners in the area, go. I met so many great people at the party my realtor threw when we recently moved.
Introduce yourself to your new neighbors. I know, you’d rather the warm cookies show up on your front door, but many people don’t want to bother you and they are totally happy to meet you. They also have great information on local contractors and ideas of things to do and places to go around town.
Expect it to take a while for it to feel like home. I have a Dutch friend (who is also a realtor) who said I would feel like I’m at home in my new house once I knew where my light switches were in the dark. I took that as a challenge to learn those switches straight away. You will thank me when you must go to the bathroom in the dark for the for the first time.
Be a joiner. Joining the tennis league or a local church may seem like a lot to ask when you have just moved, but you do need community. There are a lot of options to find community, so don’t be shy about getting involved soon after moving.
Give it 3-6 months after your move for your new house to feel like home. Part of a smooth moving process involves appropriate expectations. It will take a while for your new house to feel like home, and that’s okay. It will feel like home before you know it.
Moving is one of the most stressful things you can do, so planning as much of your move in advance will help things go as smoothly as possible on moving day. It’s also an emotional process.
It is so okay (read normal) to miss/mourn your old season, and old house, as you move into your new season and adjust to your new surroundings. We hope these top 10 things to remember on moving day serve you well in this move and any future ones. God speed!
