We are in the process of moving this week! We bought our first house and we’ve been working on painting, cleaning and fixing a few things before we move in this weekend. I have to say, I’ve already learned a lot through this process of house buying and moving with two small kids. From the little details like just how expensive it is to change the locks on your new house (very) to the bigger things like how completely stressed out you will get… It’s been a wild ride. I’ll probably be sharing more about our move in the weeks to come, but I wanted to offer up some tips for those of you that maybe in a similar position soon. This post has been sponsored by Life Choice Foods and contains affiliate links to help make moving easier!
Here are my 10 things you need to buy before you move. Specifically, for the time when you are still living in your old home but have ownership of the new one and are preparing to transfer your things.
- Buy a new trashcan – The fact of the matter is that moving creates obscene amounts of trash. You’ll need a trashcan at your old house and one at the new because you will be throwing away more things than you can imagine at both locations. Trash bags lying around on the floor are just asking to get trampled and messy. I bought a $10 plastic kitchen trashcan for the new place, not a big investment but definitely an essential!
- Toilet Paper – You need it both places. Obviously. But it won’t necessarily make it to the list since you know you’re not “out” at your regular house. Make sure to bring a few rolls to the new place your first trip over or buy some on the way.
- Music – Ipod with speakers, a cd player, small radio…anything! I got stuck painting by myself in an empty house a couple times and it was always so quiet! I got smart and brought over a cd player (with new batteries!) the second night and it completely saved my sanity (thank you Harry Potter on CD!)
- On the go snacks – I feel like I’m living in two places at once and that is really stressful. Especially since I’m not able to cook at our new place yet (no fridge…or cooking pans) I need snacks that are easily portable and that I can store at the new house with our lack of fridge. Which is why this week I’ve fallen in love with the Life Choice bars that I found in the cereal isle of walmart. It’s hard to find a snack-type food that’s actually nutritious and even when you do, they are typically kinda gross. Life Choice bars are tasty, easy AND nutritious. Definitely stock your new (or old) cupboards with some of these ASAP! They will work great for snacking in an every-day busy lifestyle as well. I plan to keep eating them after our crazy move is over! (While supplies last you can get a coupon for these bars online!)
- Toys – We brought toys over first thing! Not enough to make a huge mess, but if the kids are going to be there at all, then there needs to be a few toys around too. A coloring book, and maybe one little box with some cars or blocks should do it.
- Child proofing devices – Obviously this only applies if you have little ones, but those nifty little plastic things that go into plugs should definitely make the first trip over if you have babies! It’s amazing how appealing the plugs look when there is literally nothing else to touch in the entire room.
- New Keys – Even if you plan to change the locks (which is recommended) make sure there are plenty of keys to go around in the mean time. You don’t want to have to break into your new house because you lost the one key you had or left it at your other house across town. Cutting a new key or two is really cheap (and you know I pinch my pennies!) and totally worth it to ensure you don’t have the stress of passing off the one copy you have between people going to the house or potentially misplacing it.
- Cups – Disposable or cheap washable ones, bring some cups over asap. While the yummy Life choice bars I mentioned earlier may not require plates or silverware, you need something to drink out of, even if you’re only going to be sipping tap water while you work.
- Room Labels – If you are hiring movers or having lots of people help you move it could help to put a little sign on the door to each room indicating what room it is. That way every one knows where to drop off what boxes, if you’ve labeled both the boxes and the rooms!
- Light Bulbs – I was really surprised at how dim the lights were in our new house. We could barely see to paint at night, so we had to go out and buy some new light bulbs. Would have been much easier if I had purchased them beforehand! Would also come in handy in case any of the lights decide to die while you are there alone in an empty house.
Protip: order everything you need on amazon and then ship it to the new house so there’s less to move and bring over there.
What are your moving essentials? Share them with me in the comments, we still have time before our big moving day!!! Thanks again to #BarnNutrition and #CollectiveBias for sponsoring our discussion today!
Demetria says
Love the toilet paper reminder, but oh so true!! LOL. Yes- we’re in the middle of a move ourselves and I think you hit it right on.
Paula says
I know it sounds so silly, but can you imagine meeting your new neighbors that way? “hey, nice to meet you…can I borrow some toilet paper?” lol
Becky says
I love these tips. My brother & his family are getting ready to move, so I will send this post over to them to read.
ps- thanks for the coupon!! I am off to grab it now before I forget! :)
Whitney says
I love the room label idea! I’m ready to move. I get antsy for somewhere new about every two years. We’ve been here for 6 years now. I’m ready for something new.
JanetGoingCrazy says
Moving is so crazy and I would always run through the drive thru when I was busy moving from one location to the other. These snack bars seem like a great way to get my nutrition in and keep me moving! Thanks for all the great tips! #client
Stephanie says
Perfect! We did a lot of these with our last move, but will keep this list handy when we move in a couple months!
Vicki says
Hi Paula~ Greetings from beautiful Minnesota! Congrats on buying your first house, how exciting for your family! I’ve moved more than 30 times since I graduated from HS, so I’ve got moving down pat and a list very similiar to yours. I’d like to add a few things to the list in case they could help you (or someone else in move mode!) as well. About a week before the actual moving day, I grab a big, empty Rubbermaid bin and label it “Vicki’s First Box.” The label is actually written on paper and taped to the bin so it can be removed later. My box gets filled with essentials we’ll need the first few days at new place, like: 2 rolls each of TP and paper towels, 1 box of tissues, bandaids, 1 big pkg. of babywipes, windex, dishsoap, 2 handsoap, scissors, hammer, pliers, shower curtain + hooks, phone chargers, address book, alarm clock or clock radio, pens, permanant markers, duct tape, packing tape and scotch tape. I also added several each of the following: cleaning rags, dish towels + dishcloths, hand towels + washcloths, bath towels, plus a set of sheets for each bed. “My First Box” was always full, heavy and necessary! And a week or so later when it was no longer needed, it always put away with a sigh of gratefulness. Best wishes on your new home! Vicki