This past Labor Day weekend, we spent majority of the time settling into our new house. It capped off a crazy month of preparing for and executing a move. Although stressful and overwhelming at times, the end result was worth it.

I have moved before. However, it has always been from an apartment to an apartment or from an apartment to a house. This was my first time moving from a house to a different house. Totally different ball game. I learned a lot throughout the whole process and tonight I wanted to briefly share 10 takeaways.

Thanks in large part to Sloan’s help, moving went very smoothly.

Amazed at what we accumulated – We are a family of three that lived in our small house for just two years. But holy cow we sure had a lot of stuff! It quickly became apparent that we would need a big truck to get it all out. Sidney and I kept thinking what the moving process must be like for a middle aged couple living in a large house with a few kids.

Organization is Key – Throughout the whole process – pre-move, move, and unpacking – we learned that an organized system would be the only way to be successful. We labeled boxes, spread our packing out over a couple weeks, made the lives of our movers easy, and had a game plan for unpacking. We didn’t just “wing it” and drown ourselves in an unimaginable mess. Visualization prior to doing anything is crucial.

Boxes Boxes Boxes – We became very proficient at taping up new boxes and then breaking them down. We also went through way more than what we thought. Luckily, we got a bunch for free. Sid’s teacher friends brought box after box to her classroom, each one proving to be helpful. We don’t usually recycle but we did properly dispose of all the cardboard we found ourselves with at the end of the weekend.

Expenses – Investing in new real estate isn’t the only cost you will incur when moving. Everything from movers to installation fees to new appliances to different bills will cost you. Moving is definitely not something you want to do on a whim. Plan at least six months in advance and save specifically for the move itself.

About Those Movers – Sidney and I hired a moving company to transport our stuff from the old house to the new house. Although it is pricey, the convenience and peace of mind of having professionals carefully and skillfully move your possessions is nice. You might not know this, but moving companies are usually booked weeks in advance. As mentioned above, plan as early as possible for your move and reserve movers well in advance – especially if you want their services on a weekend.

Embrace Help – Although we opted for a moving company, we probably could have moved our stuff just fine with the generous offers we received from family members, co-workers, and friends. Sid and I know a lot of kind, humble people who reached out to us. From both of us, THANK YOU. With that said, I am 100% glad we went with professionals for the reasons I previously mentioned. But we did accept help with other aspects of the move. Sidney’s parents helped us SO MUCH this past weekend and we are incredibly grateful. They cleaned, unpacked, put things together, and so much more. We likely could not have done it without them.

Cha-Ching – It is inevitable – you will find coins during the moving process. You can do one of two things: 1. Throw them out OR 2. Put them in your pocket. Sometimes coins are more trouble than they are worth but if you are diligent in keeping all the loose change you find, you will have enough money to reward yourself with a milkshake or maybe even a cold beer after a long day of packing or moving. If you are really lucky, you might find some forgotten bills tucked around the house.

Neighbors – Prepare yourself for leaving your neighbors. We made some great friends on our little cul-de-sac and we will miss them. Luckily we got to say goodbye to most of them in meaningful ways. We didn’t let the depression of leaving our old friends detract from meeting new ones. Tonight, our family went and met our new neighbors. We introduced ourselves to the people living next door to us on both sides and the people living across the street from us. We can’t wait to get to know them better.

Paperwork – With a move, the paperwork you will have to fill out and the notices you have to make start to stack up. We tried to be as proactive as possible when it came to forwarding our mail, transferring services, and notifying government offices about our address change. But we definitely aren’t done yet following up with everyone that we need to. Next step for us is to get our driver’s licenses changed to reflect our new address.

Things will temporarily be tough to find – The first couple nights in our new house, we still had numerous unpacked boxes. Although we did a great job of labeling everything, there would be times within those 48 hours when I couldn’t find a toothbrush, piece of equipment, or a document I needed. These cases usually happened late at night when I was tired. I probably could have done a better job at not getting frustrated over such silly things but I will make sure to improve the next time we move.

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What else do you want to know? The above list is definitely not comprehensive but hopefully it will give you a little bit of guidance if you are planning a move. When working through the stress of a move, just tell yourself that in the end it will all be worth it. There is no better feeling than relaxing in your upgraded new digs without a care in the world. Don’t Blink.