For the most part of my adulthood, I've done a number of move-ins to different condos & most recently, our new home. Here are my top tips to ensure a smooth transition.
We all have experienced packing things at some point in our lives. May it be for a long-haul travel or moving in to new apartments. But these things don't happen every day. Unfortunately, we can forget an item or two when we pack.
My husband and I have been longing for the day when we move in to the new house. He was busy with joggling a night shift work and a side job, so I did most of the filing and boxing of belongings. Below are some of my realizations:
1. Give it more time
I was also busy with work, and I only had evenings to group our things into boxes. I hope I had more time to think of smarter ways in organizing. There were times during this week that I was so tired from commute that I did not lift a finger anymore. I just dozed off.
2. Box in order of utilization
While I did group our belongings with this into consideration, I hope I provided a smaller box for items we IMMEDIATELY need like cleaning tools, initial groceries (including paper plates, cups and disposables), and first few sets of clothing.
3. Label boxes more visibly
Of course I did this. I enumerated the content per box. However, I only wrote the list on top of each box. Hahaha! The moving truck personnel stacked boxes after another, and when they were delivered, I was not able to quickly distinguish each. Lol! It was a pain. So yes to exaggerated labels! Don't be shy. Lol.
4. Superstitions
My husband and I didn't follow any of these Filipino rituals like bringing rice, sugar, etc. first before other items, so I really have no inputs. I guess my take on this is do what makes you comfortable. It was perfectly fine for us to not have this on our plans. But if it bothers you a lot, bring an eco-bag to make sure you don't mix them up with your boxes.
We avoided horror stories of refrigerators not fitting in, washing machines in placed in awkward places, etc.
5. 'Sketch' your floor plan using masking tape
We literally did this twice before buying furniture and appliances. The house only lacked finishing touches then and we can already access all areas. We brought tape measures and masking tapes to draw our desired placements for furniture and appliances weeks before move in. This ultimately helped us pick the right sizes. We avoided horror stories of refrigerators not fitting in, washing machines in placed in awkward places, etc. No to chalks as they they can be easily erased, and sometimes even hard to use depending on the texture of your flooring.
6. Book your truck ahead of time
There are several moving truck services in our area, but I chose the Transportify app. It was a breeze because I was able to schedule the time and date a week before, picked the vehicle type, and met the driver's profile online. No guessing game, no surprises. I was able to track the whereabouts of the truck before arriving to pick up our boxes. We also got to request an additional personnel assistance. for a minimal cost. It's very much like Uber -- you can see the driver's rating and rate him back. You can pay via credit card too if you don't want bringing cold cash on this very hectic day. The rate? It's similar to other trucking services. After delivery, they will make you sign in an electronic writing pad to confirm delivery, which was cool :P
Bonus: bring ready to eat snacks and drinks!
We were lucky our neighbor was having a party and they gave us our first meal: palabok and pichi-pichi haha! Husband and I were exhausted with all the unboxing and moving things around, we realized we did not bring even light snacks. We were fortunate a good friend of mine near the area welcomed us to Laguna with a free dinner at Solenad. Hi Prinz! <3
This is an exciting day for anyone. Dreams gradually materialize. Pinterest house pegs are becoming reality. And not to mention, a very much legit 'adulting' step in one's life. If you have other ideas related to moving in, share them on the comment section below.
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