Look how spiffy our house is looking these days:
With less than 5 days until the big move, we’ve learned that packing is no joke. But we’ve got our eye on the prize (our exciting new digs) so we’re trying to keep our spirits up, stay hydrated, and play some good music for dancing as we go (the dancing is for Clara- gotta keep the baby entertained or packing progress can screech to a halt). Oh and we got many of our “secondhand boxes” as we’re lovingly calling them by trolling craigslist and freecycle (and even driving to a local reader’s house when she offered some up to us on Facebook). But admittedly we did have to grab a few from Walmart when we ran out of pre-used ones. Oh well, at least they’re made from 100% recycled material and we can craigslist/freecycle them when we’re done so they’ll live on like Leo’s memory in Titanic. Sidenote: anyone else still have a grade school crush on Leo?
Our to-do list is pretty nuts, but so far we’ve managed to cross these things off:
- remove every single item from the wall and patch/paint every nail hole in the house (this was actually about 500 times easier than I expected- just remove all the nails at once, spackle everything at once, and then paint room by room. It’s a lot faster than doing those three things in each room before moving onto the next one since you’d be opening and closing the spackle and cleaning the putty knife about a million times).
- transfer all of our utilities so they start over at the new place on move-in day
- pack the entire bathroom (except for travel sized shampoo & conditioner, our toothbrushes, and the shower curtain)
- pack all of our frames, mirrors, books, ceramic animals, and 80% of the breakables (still need to do our dishware – yikes!)
- pack all of the clothes we won’t be using in the next 7 days (we created a little “vacation stash” of everything from clothes to baby supplies and toiletries that we’ll appreciate having on hand instead of needing to unpack a million boxes to find those necessities).
As for what’s still on the list, here’s what we’ve got on the agenda:
- pack the rest of the kitchen along with about 20% of the other rooms that still need to be done
- rake the yard so the new owners don’t think they’re moving into a giant leaf pile
- oversee the completion of a few random inspection items (some flue work is being done by a pro tomorrow)
- get our oil measured for closing (new buyers pay for the oil that’s left in the tank, isn’t that a nice fair way to do it?)
- wave goodbye to our tan slipcovered Pottery Barn sofa in the den (someone from craigslist is supposed to be picking it up at 4)
- clean the oven and the fridge (can’t really do this until right before we go)
- vacuum/sweep/scrub the house spotless before locking the door with a tear in my eye
Assuming all goes well, the new owners are supposed to be closing on our house on Monday morning and once those funds come through we can close on our new place on Monday afternoon. So for a few odd hours in the middle of the day we actually won’t be homeowners at all. Weird, right? This necessitates an airtight moving plan, which doesn’t exactly sound easy but we’re sure we’ll somehow get ‘er done. We’re planning to move all of our stuff into a giant U-Haul by Sunday night and are paying to keep the truck overnight so it’ll essentially become a huge storage locker on wheels until we can unpack it on Monday afternoon at the new house (where our alarm system will be getting installed at the same time). Should be interesting total chaos, especially since we’re used to a few trips back and forth when it comes to a big move like this. Thankfully we have John’s awesome family helping with the loading and unloading. Did you think we’d hire movers? Come on, we’re total cheap-os. Besides, we love a good DIY adventure. Here’s hoping it has a happy ending and none of my ceramic animal friends have to die for the cause…
Emily says
Awww, so many boxes! But it’ll be SO MUCH FUN to unpack :) Right?
Naomi says
Just be wicked grateful that Clara isn’t a walker/puller-upper yet or you’d be going insane trying to keep her out of stuff. Hang in there–you’re almost done!
Melissa says
Are you guys really moving next week or did you write these posts earlier? This time of year is stressful enough- can’t imagine moving on top of all the holiday events, shopping, planning etc!
YoungHouseLove says
This is real time baby. Just wrote that post and pushed publish. We’re definitely busy but we’ve determined that we work best under pressure!
xo,
s
Cait @ Hernando House says
I think I might be in the middle of a panic attack if I were y’all! Hang in there! Can’t wait to see the inside of the new place! :)
Cara says
How do/did you manage to find time to shop for holiday gifts?
YoungHouseLove says
We’re fans of the bulk method. We go out one evening and buy for everyone off of a predetermined list. It’s tiring but it gets the job done in a few hours. We’ve already done all of our online ordering for long distance relatives (we sent things directly to them) and we plan to go shopping after the move for everyone else (so we don’t have to move gifts). Thankfully our families are really manageable to shop for (we draw names so we only get a few gifts instead of a million).
xo,
s
Lucy says
Is Burger freaking out? Our dogs crave routine, and therefore have serious anxiety about moving boxes, furniture out of place, and even sometimes suticases!
YoungHouseLove says
Burger’s taking it like a champ! We think he’s so used to furniture being out of place from our various projects so it just seems to be a normal thing for him!
xo,
s
Liz says
So Sunday night you’ll basically be camping out on the living room floor? Teehee… I think moving is one of the most annoying things in life, but it is the greatest adventure at once! Cheers!
YoungHouseLove says
Hey Liz,
We’re actually staying at a secret location with the truck (since we didn’t want anyone to try to steal our UHaul out of our driveway with all of our loot in it!). Should be an adventure…
xo,
s
Ashlee says
Thank you for raking the leaves for your new owners…
We closed on our house Nov. 2006. At the closing table, the previous owner said “sorry about all those leaves”…we assumed the ones she left in the yard.
However, when Spring rolled around, we discovered she meant the ones she left in the (rather large) inground pool. And then covered. Six months of decayed leaves, marinating in 8 feet of water, gave a whole new meaning to “swamp thing”.
Karen J says
Don’t forget: the last 10% of the stuff takes the longest time to pack (because you will have already cherry-picked the easy to pack stuff at that point). So don’t underestimate the amount of work left to do at the end. Spoken from experience (our last move from a 1500 sqft. home to a 2700 sqft. home ended in a herculean allnighter to finish it up … not a good idea when you are 8 months pregnant!). Good luck!
Jenn says
Very nice of you to patch up all the nail holes. Our PO’s definitely did not do that (or anything else!)
Liz says
Does Clara seem confused by all this?
YoungHouseLove says
Hey Liz,
She is totally acting like nothing’s going on! I bet she’ll actually register the change when we’re in the new house though. So far she just loves looking at all the mess and listening to the sound of bubble wrap and packing tape.
xo,
s
Kelli says
Another great source for boxes that we use when moving is liquor stores! You can get boxes with divisions (great for glasses/vases/etc.) and all other sorts. We haven’t ever had to pay for any, they are always willing to get rid of some! Nice size too, so you don’t “overpack” a box that is really too heavy to carry! Warning: Your new neighbors may think you will need to attend weekly meetings! :) Happy moving!
Mary says
These pictures brought a tear to my eye! I still can’t believe you guys are leaving this house. I get so sentimental over this kind of stuff, sorry! I’m so excited though to see what you make of your new place :)
brandt @ New House on the Blog says
Very exciting! Good luck to you guys in getting those last minute preparations out of the way!
And Sherry, sometimes I think you’re a treasure trove of 1990’s pop culture nostalgia that makes me laugh every time you read it. If you ever get around to it, find someone who has XM radio, and play their “90’s on 9” radio station. You could probably sing every verse. You all are funny people.
Megan says
If you need some more last minute boxes try the grocery store (egg and banana boxes are the best for kitchen stuff) and Starbucks (smaller boxes, great for books and heavier items). The only 2 boxes we bought for our last move were wardrobe boxes for our hanging items (it was a 3 day move, 3 state move, otherwise we would have just thrown them in the backseat).
Liz says
I think I want to buy your next house when (if) you move, you patched and painted the walls and raked the yard – what lucky new home owners you have!! Nowadays people are much less courteous than that – glad to see you guys going a step above and beyond! Hopefully more people will as well…
Karen J says
Oh, and I’m sure you don’t need reminding but leave TP, soap and papertowels for the new owners (do unto others, blah, blah, blah). We also left a bottle of champagne and some glasses for the new homeowners (less for us to pack!!). I knew a woman who moved into a house that the old owners had removed every lightbulb from!!!! Isn’t that tacky?!?!?!
Katherine M. says
Oh, wow! You two are the most awesome house sellers ever. When my husband and I bought our first house, the previous owners were supposed to be out by closing, but they assured us (after we signed the papers) that they only had a couple of pieces of furniture left so it would only be a couple of hours after closing (this was Friday afternoon). Late Sunday evening, we were finally able to get in our house. I guess hoping they used the extra two days to clean was pointless since the house was a mess when we finally got inside.
When my husband and I sold that house and moved, my mother and mother-in-law cleaned each room after we got everything moved. They’re awesome like that! I cannot imagine leaving my dirt, dust, and soap scum for someone else to deal with.
Shannon says
You guys have it so together!!! Good luck with the move and the work on the new house! I am so curious to hear how Clara does!
Kim says
Ok, it’s a little crazy but looking at pictures of your house all packed up is making me a little emotional! You guys are so great at connecting with your readers, I am evidence! I can’t wait to see the new house and all the adventures :) Good luck and my tip is: don’t plan to cook on your first night in your new house!
susan says
Pack, pack, pack. You can do it guys!!!!!!!!!!!!! Almost there. susan
Viv says
You guys are being really great to the new owners. I hope karma gives you the same at the other end.
Andi says
We did the same thing…closed on one house and moved into another. It’s a little stressful, but it’s nice to have it all done in one day! Best of luck!
ginger says
What about Burger…he worried about all that’s happening? My dogs sometimes seem to pick up on different things and get concerned, like when I pack for a trip, they seem to know things are different.
YoungHouseLove says
Hey Ginger,
So far Burger is totally unfazed! He must be used to us moving things around when we paint rooms or demo things!
xo,
s
Casey says
Gotta love family! :o) We haven’t had to hire movers yet either. Surprisingly our “moving crew” seems to pop up wherever we end up. And we haven’t had a broken dish yet. Here’s to a happy moving day, you guys!
Meredith says
I am now sitting at my desk singing, “Let’s here begin, party up, party up let me hear some noise…” Great title. Jock Jams, anyone?
Jen @ The Decor Scene says
wow you guys have gotten a lot done already, but it sure does sneak up on you. When we move 3 yrs ago, our kitchen still wasn’t done come moving day morning and we ran out of boxes. So when those moving men came in, they just kept walking past the kitchen. :( But thankfully we were living in a relatives apartment, so we were able to come back once we unpacked some boxes at the house. I felt the kitchen took the longest….those cabinets seem never ending. LOL! Lots of luck. We all know you two will get it down. 5 days is lots of time. Can’t wait to see pictures of the new place…..hopefully we get to see those next week. ;)
Happy Packing!!! :D
Heidi says
I know you know this – but still have to say it!! Make sure you park that moving truck somewhere really safe!!!! If it gets stolen there goes your whole life! I feel like once a year there is some story about someone who’s moving van gets stolen in the middle of the night!
Can’t wait to see the new digs!!
What would be super cool is if the new owners started their own blog. We could follow where you take your new place, and also where they take your old place.
Jasmine says
OMG, how exciting! Can’t wait to see the new digs (more pics please!) and I’m very excited to join in on the journey as you decorate your new home and how it’ll be incorporated into the existing blog.
P.S. C’mon you can tell me, how excited are the people moving into what will soon be your old house? I bet they’re bragging to their friends right now about moving into the YHL house… ;)
~Jazz
YoungHouseLove says
Hey Jasmine,
Well, they didn’t even read our blog when they made an offer so we’re not sure they’re that into it. Haha. But we did disclose the blog to them just to make sure they’re in the know (and cool with pics of the house as it looked when we lived here remaining on the blog) so maybe they’re quietly lurking/reading without our knowledge. If they are: hi guys! Thanks for buying our house! Hope you love it as much as we have!
xo,
s
Sara says
Wow, that does sound like a nightmare. I’m sure if anyone can handle it, you two can!
Anissa says
Sherry – THIS WAS SO INSPIRING! My husband and I are moving as well (this Saturday), and reading your list of to dos was both comforting (I’ve got a fair amount done, and my house looks similar to yours with boxes in every possible corner!) and also educational (I had quite a few “oh! that’s a really good idea” moments, especially regarding your bathroom and your clothing pack plans)
Happy moving, long distance moving buddy!
Nicole says
Fun stuff! My family and I are moving this Friday, although we’re military so the Navy offered up movers for us. The upside is that we don’t have to pack everything up ourselves (aside from important documents and the stuff we’ll need for the next week or so), but the downside is that our stuff will be picked up on Friday and delivered sometime between Monday and Wednesday. Air mattress time! Glad to see we aren’t the only crazy people moving right before Christmas!
Krystal says
Looks like things are coming along nicely! Rather than going to Walmart to buy boxes though, you should have just called them. When I made the big move to my college apartment, I called my local K-Mart and Walmart and they were more than happy to give me boxes from all their weekly shipments rather than collecting them for the recycling. They were able to give me all sizes and even some special hanger boxes! Nothing beats free boxes :)
Alison says
I was waiting for this post…..hope everything goes smooth on the big day!
carolinaheartstrings says
Good Luck. In my 30 years of marriage I have moved 10 times. That includes one cross country move from Wyomina to Florida and one east coast Florida to NC move. In between my own moves I have moved one child in and out of college a total of 8 times in the 4 years he was there, into an apartment and then finally into his own house. So that is what a total of 19 moves in my life so far. Let me tell you it does not get any easy or any more organized, but you do learn from each move. Have fun. Takes lots of pictures. You will have plenty of blog material!
Lyndsay M says
Not sure if you have packed all your extra clothes that you are not wearing for the next week yet, but a tip hubby and I learned (we have done three cross-country DIY moves….CT to FL, FL to TX, and TX to MA) to save on packing costs is, instead of purchasing bubble wrap/packing materials for glassware and dishes, we wrapped and packed them using our clothes. Never resulted in a single casualty :) GL!
Lydia says
Maybe your too far into the process to use this as a tip, or the unorganizedness (new word?? :) )is not for you, but i just moved and didn’t bubblewrap a single glass plate, vase, etc. Just used scarves, leftover material, clothes, stuffed animals, etc. Granted i didn’t have a whole lot of stuff to move…just moving to first house with hubby…but not a single thing broke.
Erin says
I picked up lots of boxes on craigslist and freecycle for our move earlier this year. One lady had a ton of boxes already flattened and bundled so i packed them into my car and headed home. When i started assembling them, i realized they were all Depends boxes. Between these and the liquor boxes that my husband brought home from his restaurant, i’m sure the movers and new neighbors were gossiping about us. Good grief!
Tina says
A beautiful mess is what I´d call that – and that has it´s charm as well! :-)
Jules says
How’s Burger doing with the boxes? Has he gotten lost in any yet?
YoungHouseLove says
Hey Jules,
We haven’t lost him yet! He seems right at home since we’ve moved stuff around for various projects over the past four years!
xo,
s
Rebecca says
Really, really nice of you to rake the leaves, patch nail holes, and the like. I did that when we moved from our old house. I even swept and wet-swiffered all the hardwoods, cleaned/wiped out the fridge, and the whole place was immaculate: move-in ready. Our realtor said the new owners were impressed, but that we shouldn’t expect the same thing from the owners of the house we were moving to! And lo and behold, what a mess! Floors were dusty, cobwebs in corners, nails in the walls ALL OVER the place, dirty dirty dirty. It would be nice if everyone was so courteous as you guys!!
Jenn from Much to My Delight says
So it’s real, then? You guys are really moving? And it’s too late for me to bid on this house, right? These pictures made me a little weepy. I can’t imagine how bittersweet it is for y’all! Here’s hoping the rest of the packing and schlepping is as painless as possible.
Jennifer says
It sounds like you already have enough boxes, but as an FYI to anyone: if you go to lay-a-way in WalMart, they will give you as many broken down boxes as they have (used in shipment of their merchandise). Sometimes the person behind the counter gives you a dirty look (for whatever reason), but it’s always worked for me in the past! Also, grocery stores are goldmines for moving boxes, just ask the manager what days they receive shipments and if you can put your name down to take the boxes that day (sometimes they already have a “dibs” placed on them). I’ve moved multiple times and have NEVER had to pay for moving boxes. Plus, you can still give them away after you’re finished!
Faith C says
wow, you guys are such nice people! We bought our first home in April and when we walked in it was a MESS. I thought that that’s how everyone does it–apparently not. My husband and I will insist on a closing day walk-thru next time!
Jill says
…I’m going to miss your house so much! Isn’t that weird?
Steph @ Birdhouse Family says
Great job you two and keep it up! We moved a lot as we switched schools for various degrees, but our most recent move was by far the most challenging. Like you, we were moving from our first house to our second house (which means that we had way more stuff than we did as students). However, our new house was being built and was not ready by our closing date, so we had to move in a temporary place for three months and store a bunch of our stuff. That nearly doubled the effort of moving but it was all worth it in the end!
Ami @ beyondpeasandcarrots says
I love this part of the moving process! You get to audit everything you have, and know a fresh start is just around the corner!
PS I <3 Leo and always will ;)
Rosi T says
Still have that grade school crush on Leo :) he is amazing :) YUMMY!
Yay for moving! I’ve moved around the holidays twice in the last 3 years, it can be very stressful :). Hope the new digs have a great first Christmas!!!
Irina@CanDoGal says
Aw, but that’s all to be expected, right? We made our packing more fun by ordering pizza, getting some beer and playing the radio.
Lindsay@Tell'er All About It says
PLEASE tell me you guys won’t be posting on Monday or Tuesday. I mean…just take a day…por favor….to just get your bearings and all that jazz. I don’t think your readers will mind. Moving is SOOOO annoying. It’s actually my least favorite thing to do…
YoungHouseLove says
Hey Lindsay,
We might do little check ins and slap up a contest, but nothing too crazy! Although we want to share pics (and a video) of the new place as soon as we settle in.
xo,
s