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Moving Soon thread

post #1 of 50
9/28/09 at 11:59am
Thread Starter 
I know there was one...seems to have disappeared. Can we start up again?

I'm elbow deep in the middle of decluttering and packing as much as I can in preparation for putting our townhouse on the market. It's a short-sale/divorce situation so no matter what I'm moving in December...but I want to give the short-sale a good effort for my own peace of mind.

I've been pulling things out of deep dark storage and visicously culling before packing up again. If I keep up this pace, the final packing will only take a few hours. Everything extra will already be boxed up!

My nemesis is the garage. What I need is to get it completely done so that I can use it as a staging area on one wall: His, Hers, and dumpster (whatever we can't sell/donate/freecycle). It won't take that long to do, but I work full time and I've got a 2 year old, so the time to tackle this job never seems to materialize. I'm going to just have to do it after bedtimes.

I made a big step this weekend though---I decided that my etsy shop is not going to happen this fall. It enabled me to pack up all the craft supplies. ALLLLLLLL. Um. That's a lot of craft supplies! Even with culling and organizing! Embarrassing. But it's freed up storage space and it means that there are fewer things to get messy as we go into the house-selling mode.

Anyone else going through this???

Oh how I hate moving.
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post #2 of 50
9/29/09 at 7:20am
I'll join you, we should be moving within the next month.

I've done some decluttering over the last few months as we got the house ready for sale but I haven;t done anything towards the packing. I don;t really know where to start, the stuff we don't often use is generally stored out of the way and if I pack it I'll have the boxes to deal with. That means most of it is going to happen in the last week, once we know for definite that we are moving.

For now my jobs are
take some cuttings of plants in our current garden
pot a couple of plants which were wedding gifts
empty the window boxes etc of dead flowers and compost.
post #3 of 50
9/29/09 at 8:59am
Thread Starter 
Hello!

One step closer for me...I just left another big pile of stuff on the front stoop for the charity pick-up. I make sure to accept whenever one of them calls or emails for used clothes/house-hold goods. And I almost always find a decent amount of stuff to give them! It's my best decluttering technique.

Good luck with your move. I've done one where we had to move the date forward a week unexpectedly because of a family situation. I had about 48 hours notice and was still taping boxes when the load-the-truck guys arrived!!! But it was just an apartment and we didn't have much furniture. But it was still a major task!!! (The spouse of course, wasn't feeling good -- par for our life together -- so I did 90% of the packing.)
post #4 of 50
9/29/09 at 11:21am
Our closing date on our contract is the end of next week. Not sure if we'll make it, but we're just waiting for a date at this point. I've got most decorative things packed, christmas dishes, things like that. I hate packing stuff and then realizing that I needed it. Then you have two options, dig through everything or buy it again.

I've donated and gotten rid of a quite a few things.
The only big items coming with us are:
Our bed
DD's bed
DS's mattress + crib (that I need to get a replacement screw for)
dresser (1)
washer
dryer
coffee table
end table (3)
tv stand
kitchen table
chairs (2)
big sofa chair
DH's computer desk + chair

I have left to pack:
the entire kitchen
clothes (which can get thrown in garbage bags in the worse case scenario)
dh's desk (all him)
kid's toys
bathroom items


The list for today:
pack 1/2 the toys
find a home for sofa
pack summer clothing
post #5 of 50
9/29/09 at 12:13pm
Thread Starter 
Well, turns out the spouse has a couple of days of use-it-or-lose it days this week. Hopefully he'll be able to take a run at the garage!!! Any help is helpful!!!

One of these days, I'll have to call a realtor as well. bleh. I think next week is the self-imposed deadline.
post #6 of 50
10/1/09 at 10:50am
I spent a couple of hours in the garden this afternoon. I took cuttings of our rosemary, I suspect it's the wrong time of year but I'm hoping they will take.

I filled the bin with old plastic plant pots and random stuff from the shed like dried up tester pots of paint. BONUS I found DSs cycle helmet which we have been looking for for ages.

Emptied the window boxes and pots of dead plants. I've spread the compost from some of them on the garden but I still have a few more to go.

How is everyone else's sorting/packing going
post #7 of 50
10/1/09 at 11:03am
Thread Starter 
Progress! And I'd had a cleaning lady coming this year but had to let her go when STBX lost yet another job. But he's in the military full time now, so I rehired her for the fall to help with keeping the corners CLEAN! She's been twice and is all gung ho---even wants to pack and will help me repaint the horrible bathroom. She is worth the cost for my sanity! Plus since I already knew her, we didn't have any adjustment period. She knows how I work and I know how she works. If you can swing it--I highly recommend! I'll happilly skimp somewhere else for this help!!!!

I think she'll be helpful for those areas that sort of overwhelm me. I can let her get me kick-started. And knowing that someone is keeping the floors and bathrooms clean is wonderful! Next week she's cleaning the oven. We're naturally pretty slobby plus working full-time and a two year old and shedding cat...it's hard to stay picked up, much less clean.

I may be paying her, but I'm truly grateful for what she does and she knows it! She was happy for the extra couple of months work too because with layoffs, she's on the top of everyone's list of things to cut...so she's been looking for extra people. And I told her that if she gets a permanent client, drop me quick!

I'd love it if I could still keep her when I'm on my own---at least once a month for a serious deep clean. I'll have to see how the budget works.
post #8 of 50
10/4/09 at 12:46am
Thread Starter 
Hi movers!

BIG step today for me. H entertained the kiddo while I worked in the garage.

I decided to set up staging areas: His, Hers, Donate/Sell, and Junk

I got one wall completely done. And most of the back wall. And I'm just about done with the third but I just needed to step away. There are several bins that need to be gone through with a stern hand (they've been in the garage for years and were in storage before that! Time to purge!!). So we'll just have one night of parking in the driveway. But I'm so glad to have gotten a good run at this big project. It's long overdue and will help so much with the moving process!!!!! Just having designated spots for the different categories is already a relief. I taped signs above the spots.

So now I'm tired and sore and covered in dust and dirt...but so happy to have a running start at the garage!!!

TOMORROW I WILL FINISH!!
post #9 of 50
10/4/09 at 8:12am
Count me in! Not sure of all of the specifics yet. We will be closing on new place (which is only 5 minutes from old place) at the end of this month. It needs work, so hopefully we can stay living here while we get it ready. This place just got put on the market this weekend. I have been decluttering, emptying closets, packing up extra stuff to get this place ready to show for a few months now. We are storing anything extra in one section of the basement. We are also finishing up some projects around here to make it more saleable. All with 2 little kids running around that get into EVERYTHING! One good thing is since we are just moving down the road, we can do it bit by bit. Take a few loads over everyday. That way when moving day comes, it will only be beds and appliances and clothes. I am tired already just thinking about everything that needs done. I do feel much better knowing we have a plan though. One step at a time. Send some "sell you house quickly" vibes my way, okay?! Thanks!
post #10 of 50
10/4/09 at 12:59pm
I'm wrestling with the what to pack and what will I need thing.

I've declared that the kitchen can get packed the day before. DH's birthday is that night, so we'll go out to dinner for that. We can order a breakfast pizza the next morning for everyone helping us move, and then we'll be in our house that night.

Almost anything extra is packed.
post #11 of 50
10/5/09 at 11:55pm
Thread Starter 
I have a realtor appointment on Saturday! ACK! If you could see the house right now you'd laugh. Oh, and the master bedroom is starting to get that bachelor pad funk. Ew. I move downstairs, AND catch up on the laundry mountain, so now it's stinky in there? GROSS!!! So, lots of work to do this week! Plus working full time and the kiddo and a family in bed by 7:00 and 9:00 respectively. It may be a long week/month(s).

But getting an appointment is a big step. I work well under pressure! And he can tell me where to focus my efforts.

(We're aiming for short-sale. But I'm moving in December no matter what, so the gotta keep moving.)
post #12 of 50
10/6/09 at 1:49pm
Ahhh! The laundry mountain! I HATE laundry.


Moving Thursday, unless anything else comes up. We're going to rent the u-haul Wednesday night and pack everything up do our walk-through and close Thursday morning, come back home and grab the truck and go!

The plan is to do some errands today. Pack everything except tomorrow morning's breakfast, wed & thrus clothing, diapers.

We have a kitchen the kids can play with tonight and tomorrow. DD's birthday was recently and my father and grandma are coming to help with the move. My father bought an easel and some other things so those can get set up at the new house to occupy them. it'll work better because they're new too!

We'll cook the frozen dinner tonight, or eat out, make breakfast wed, eat out wed night for DH's birthday, and get some breakfast pizza thursday morning.
post #13 of 50
10/7/09 at 1:38am
thanks for the encouragement mamas! we are most likely moving this spring...and i have some major decluttering to do before then. the thought of moving is so overwhelming. we bought this house 2 months after getting married...so we moved in 2 college apts of stuff, wedding stuff...now 2 kids later we are packed. and i'm sure the place we move to will be smaller, so all the more incentive to purge now. i know any decluttering and organizing i can do now will make the move easier...its just so hard to get started.
post #14 of 50
10/7/09 at 2:07pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by abharrington View Post
thanks for the encouragement mamas! we are most likely moving this spring...and i have some major decluttering to do before then. the thought of moving is so overwhelming. we bought this house 2 months after getting married...so we moved in 2 college apts of stuff, wedding stuff...now 2 kids later we are packed. and i'm sure the place we move to will be smaller, so all the more incentive to purge now. i know any decluttering and organizing i can do now will make the move easier...its just so hard to get started.
It's totally overwhelming to think of the whole project! Can you just do one thing at a time? That helped me. I focused on just small areas...a closet, certain cupboards, etc. And I've been pretty ruthless getting rid of stuff. Not done yet by any means...but as I got closer, I started to get a plan. It was easier to see the big picture once I'd gotten a couple of my nightmare areas done. You know that room where everything the kids and the company shouldn't see? That was my #1 thing. And it helped me to feel like I could do it. Eventually! And now my #2 thing is done: the garage. It's set up with labeled walls for donate, junk, his and hers boxes. So as I do little bits in the evenings, I know there's a place for everything!!

Good luck though! I HATE moving!!!
post #15 of 50
10/16/09 at 6:56am
Well it looks like we may have a date for our move. It's a bit later than we would like it to be and it means that I will be doing the packing with both children here since it's after the school holiday. I was hoping we would get to move before then and spend the holiday settling into the new house but the people we are buying from decided to go on holiday that week Grrrrrrr. who books a holiday the week they agreed to move house !!!!!

Anyway frustration aside I will be arranging for the removal people to bring me some boxes next week, then I feel like I can really start properly.

For now I have a couple of bags which I need to take to the charity shop and some stuff in the garden I need to take to the dump. Niether are going to happen till I get rid of this cold.
post #16 of 50
10/16/09 at 8:18am
I am glad i found this thread.

I have been declutering and tossing big time for the past 3 weeks. I am moving in about 2-3 weeksfrom now. I have 5 kids and lots of stuff. I have done most of the packing. Gotten rid of 3 van loads of thrift store stuff, about 8 pieces of furniture, and maybe about 5 bags of just TRASH. YAY!! I still have lots to do, it seems. I am still trying to decide on about 3 other pieces of furniture and need to pack the kitchen. My older ids' rooms seem to be unpacking themselves. I guess I will have to do there rooms again.

I think things are going prety will. I have a shed that needs to be cleared out too, i just remembered.

Oh and i am a single mama! So this is all being done by myself, oh and with my kids helping as they can.
post #17 of 50
10/16/09 at 10:36am
Thread Starter 
My mom is coming to town this weekend to help me paint the bathroom. Yay! So I should get lots done this weekend.

The hope is to do the actual listing/open-house, etc in early November. I've got lots to do, but can do it. The spouse is out of state for the whole month of November too, so that will make it easier to get work done. I still haven't quite figured out why I get more done by myself then when I have "help" but whatever!!! :P
post #18 of 50
10/16/09 at 10:39pm
today i:

packed the china, most of the rest of the kitchen, redid one kids room, did my closet. i also made another run to the thrift store and dropped off 2 broken chairs at the dump. moving right along.
post #19 of 50
10/16/09 at 11:52pm
We're not moving until sometime between May & August, but I'm starting the purge anyway. We only want to bring what is absolutely necessary.
post #20 of 50
10/18/09 at 1:27pm
Thread Starter 
The next big thing on The List is done!!! My mom came to town and helped me do it (translate...she did 90% of it while I chased my two year old). Mom kept asking what she could do and I finally said "Really? Ok...this is what I could use help with!"

I love my mom!! The rest of it can mostly be done after the kiddo is sleeping HOORAY!!! The goal is to list the house in 2 or 3 weeks. MAJOR work to do still, but I can do it.