Apartment Hunting: Moving House

So you've found your perfect place and completed all the paperwork. Congrats! Now it's time to get settled into your new apartment or home, which happens to be my favorite part of the process...

For some, this means buying all new furniture and decor and, for others, it means the dreaded task of moving all of your stuff from one location to another.

Let's rip the band-aid off and get into the less fun part of moving...

Packing and transferring your belongings

I am the first to admit that moving is a pain in the rear-end. However, as someone who has moved several times in her life, it does mean that I'm able to put together some practical tips in the hopes that others do not have to suffer as much I have with cardboard boxes and hangers.

Sorting

The first thing that I always do pre-move is sort out all of my stuff. My general though is, 'having fewer things means moving fewer things.' So take time to get rid of anything you don't absolutely want to keep by:

• donating it to charity,
• giving it away to friends/family, or
• just tossing it out.

By reducing the number of items you own, you're also reducing the amount of stuff you need to pack.

Next, sort out your items by fragile/not fragile and urgent/not time sensitive. Since moving involves a ton of boxes, some of which get moved sooner than others, it's important not only to mark what could break, but also what stuff you will absolutely need once you get to your new place.

There's nothing worse than arriving to a new apartment and forgetting where you packed your underwear and toothbrush...

Packing

If you have the money, I would definitely suggest hiring a moving company to disassemble any furniture, pack the truck, etc. But, if you're broke like me, you'll be needing a lot of cardboard and bubble wrap.

Supplies such as these can be picked up at your local mail office (USPS, FedEx, etc.), Home Depot or moving company (U-Haul). They're relatively cheap and can be grabbed in bulk.

When packing, be sure to wrap all fragile items in bubble wrap. Or, what I do, is shove any smaller trinkets into my socks or use towels and sheets to stuff into vases or other glassware. This is a great 2-in-1 because you're packing the fragile items and your random houseware at once!

Transportation

Finally, weigh out the options in terms of actually moving your belongings. Friends with trucks/vans are particularly helpful at this time (as are parents; thanks, parents!) but moving trucks can be pretty economical if you're not moving too far.

If you decide to book a moving truck, be sure to check the rates both per mile and per day. Most companies will charge you a flat rate per day just to rent the truck and then will have an additional fee per mile. This really hurts if you're moving far away, so don't forget to calculate overall costs.

Generally speaking, you want to pack all of your heavy and/or large items first and then pile on smaller boxes and items as you go along. Remember to keep any important paperwork or special belongings separate, perhaps closer to you, to prevent misplacement.

Final Notes

So that wraps up another edition of Apartment Hunting, the series! Moving house is tough on anyone, but having supportive family and friends is really helpful. I normally can persuade people to come help by ordering pizza and baking cookies (food is a great motivator).

Good luck with your move and, as always, feel free to comment here or shoot me a message on Twitter in case you have any questions.

Thank you!