“We’re moving!” It’s an exciting thing to shout from the rooftops, but it comes with a price. Where do you start? How do you stay organized? We made a move when I was 8.5 months pregnant with my second kiddo, and to say that I was a bit stressed is an understatement. If you are finding yourself in the same position as me (pregnant or not…because moving is always stressful, yeah!), then I have some steps that you can take to hopefully help your sanity.
- Map It Out
I know this may seem overwhelming since you already have so much going on, but I feel that it always helps to come up with a plan, or blueprint if you will, to map out your attack. Consider your new space and figure out how you want to organize it. How much space do you have to work with? Would it make more sense to put food items in these cabinets or pots/pans instead? For example, in my old space, I had a walk-in pantry and in my new space I had cabinets to work with. So I walked through each room in my new place and had a general idea of how I would organize things before we moved anything in.
2. Consider Your Belongings
Sort through, organize (ideally according to labels – see next step) and purge! The purge part was a struggle for me, since I tend to form some type of bond with everything I own. But, the perk of moving is that it forces you to reevaluate everything and think, Have I worn this once this past year? When was the last time I used this product? Is this worth packing and then unpacking? I recognized that some “special occasion” items were worth saving (for example, my cowboy hat, some Halloween attire, and NYE dress to name a few), but that blouse I haven’t worn in 2 years? Donate. Those products that have been opened, but stashed in the back of the bathroom cabinets? Empty and recycle. You get the idea 🙂
3. Label, Label, Label!
If you’d like to organize things in your cabinets/closets with labels, then my suggestion is to create a list of how you will want to group your belongings. To help motivate me, I used one of my fancy notebooks to map out my labels. It helps to dedicate one page to each room/space in your new place. For example, in the kitchen I wanted to use clear bins to organize my pantry. So I created a list of my personal kitchen items such as:
- Coffee
- Tea
- Pasta
- Meal Prep
- Bars
- Baking
- Kids’ Pouches
- Kids’ Snacks
- Crackers
- Breakfast
- Oils
It’s nice because then, when you start to pack, you can begin grouping those items together. Then, as you unpack, you’ll be organizing at the same time!
Side Note: If you like making lists to help you stay organized, then subscribe to my mailing list! You will get immediate access to my Daily Goal Setting Workbook 😉
4. Code Rooms & Boxes
Sticking with the theme of organizing while unpacking, creating some type of system to help stay organized on actual moving day will save you the headache of unpacking your kitchen items in your bathroom! Either a number system (what’s up fellow mathematicians!? :)) or color coding system can work beautifully so that whoever is helping you move knows where each box belongs. Firstly, make sure that you’re packing up one room at a time and then picking a corresponding number/color to match. For example, you pack up your master bedroom materials and label the boxes with the number 1. Then on moving day, you label the master bedroom by posting a number 1 on the door frame. It can also be beneficial to specify which floor on each box so that it is clear if the box belongs on the 1st or 2nd floor.
5. A Little At A Time….
While in the haze of moving, I feel as though this is the most important step to remember… give yourself grace! I know it is such an exciting time and that you want your new space to look like an HGTV Chip and Jo specialty the same day that you move in, but that just isn’t realistic for most people. Tackle one thing at a time and all will start to come together!
6. Live With It
And alter accordingly. Sometimes it’s easy to doubt how you are initially organizing things, but I say just go with your gut and try to live with it for the time being as you settle in. In time, you will know if something isn’t working out, and if so, you can always re-organize a space!
Do you have any moving tips/tricks that kept you sane during the process? I’d love to hear your experience! Thank you for reading!
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