Moving Checklist: 4 Weeks To Go

Holy macaroni ya’ll… we are MOVING in less than a month!

You see, I thought I had until mid-October to get everything handled, but let me assure you this is not the case.  With Scott already in Michigan, he has taken care of a lot of things from afar and we communicate as much as we can about what is going on here.

According to him, we are now scheduled to move OUT of our condo October 1st.  That is a big difference than my original thought of October 12th.

After going into freak out mode for a few minutes, I gathered my thoughts and am now accepting the fact that I have less than a month to pack our entire condo, take care of anything that needs to be transferred, notify all of the right people, and get our move on.

Not sure where to start? Neither was I.  With just four short weeks to go, I am hoping to figure it out and share everything I learn with you all.  Below I have compiled a list of things pulled from various websites and moving checklists, along with a few tips I have picked up along the way.

Before the Move Timeline

ASAP

• Notify landlord, if renting.

• Notify car dealerships, if leasing.

• Start looking for a new area to live, then housing.

Six Weeks

• Hire a moving company.  Ask friends for recommendations and research online.  Get quotes.

• Once you find a company, ask how pricing is determined, if there is insurance available, and what additional charges you might encounter.

• Get a copy of the signed contract.

• Find somewhere to store all of your moving related paperwork, like a binder or notebook.

Five Weeks

• Room-by-room, go through all items and declutter. Decide what to keep, donate, sell, or trash.

• Hold a garage sale, if desired.

• Put high value items to sell on eBay/Craigslist.

• Make a list of valuable items in the house.  Take pictures of all high quality furniture and electronics.  Upload them onto the computer.

One Month To Go

This week has already been flying.  I spent the entire Labor Day Holiday… well, laboring.  Once I found out the new moving timeline from Scott, I quickly changed my focus from “off” to work mode.

Gathering materials for a move could be as easy as a single trip to a store like Home Depot or U-Haul, but buying everything new can get expensive and just seems silly to me.

After making it known via Facebook that we were on the hunt for boxes and supplies, a handful of people responded ready and willing to donate their barely used materials.  Awesome, and thank you!

Scott and I also searched Craigslist for anyone donating or selling packing supplies and a few specialty boxes – like dish separators and wardrobe.  Lo and behold, we found a few great entries who were willing to give us their stuff for FREE or at a steal.  I love Craigslist, but also become leery at the idea of meeting strangers at their houses.  Be careful when agreeing when and where to meet and try not to go alone, if possible.

After driving around town in a few different trips, I had a hallway worth of boxes and some packaging supplies that cost me a whopping $0. 🙂

As much as I want to focus on moving, I still have my regular responsibilities teaching barre classes, writing and blogging.  I am trying to get ahead and plan out my work for when we will be on the road driving up, moving into a new place, and settling in.  Bless you guys for hanging with my less noticeable appearance online these days!

Old Gems

After baking and cooking a few recipes to have ready and on deck, I spent my entire Labor Day at my parents house going through my old stuff from high school and even before.

Oh, did I find some funny things.  I could share an entire post on random throwback photos, but that might just have to wait for later.

*Work mode, people* 😉

I can, however, share something I treasure deeply to this day.  Since I was born, I had this little guy by my side at all times.  Meet Rabbie.

He is over twenty seven years old, and still rockin’.  It is amazing what a run through the washer and dryer will do for a dear child hood friend… he looks great and just as cuddly as ever!

At the end of the day, I ended up with a pretty impressive giveaway pile, consisting of all things found in my room kept “just because” from high school and even college.

Goodbye over-sized jeans and 90’s Movie Soundtrack CDs, it is time for this little girl to grow up!

Emptying the Fridge and Pantry

It should be obvious that at this point of the process, you want to stick to only buying the essentials at the grocery store from here on out.  Soups, casseroles, and a hodge-podge of “whatever is left” ingredients will become your best friends.

Take for instance, yesterday’s lunch:

Veggies, veggies, (a little bit of quinoa and noodles) and more veggies!

Ain’t no shame in my game.

Off to work, and then I am excited to be on the judges panel for the Dress for Success Stiletto Strut at Bloomingdale’s tonight!

It is a sip and shop event introducing a new line of fall shoes, tastings of Little Black Dress Vodka, and a runway show that gives you the chance to strut your stuff on the red carpet!  The winner will receive a Bloomingdale’s giftcard, and a percentage of all proceeds will go to Dress for Success.

Orlandoans, come on out!

Questions of the Day

• Have you ever had to move across the country (or even world) within a short amount of notice?

• Any freak out moments, or tips for those who about to take on the moving journey?