Getting married soon? If so, you finally decided take the
big step--to share one heart--and one household. You both
have tons of stuff. What will you do with all of it?
1. First off, think married-couple-like. If any of your
furniture and accessories are too 'single-life' or
'dormitory-style', donate them or give them to someone in
college.
2. Make a vow to each other to get rid of at least 20% of
your stuff, or more if you can. A great time to declutter
is now--before you move into your new place. If you
currently have something in storage, consider donating
it. If you're not using it now, and haven't in awhile,
you likely won't use it later--and it will just gather
dust in your new home.
3. That being done, start making lists of what you both
possess. Go over your lists together, Anything thing that
is a duplicate, donate one. Keep the newest or best one.
Make that decision before you move. Decide where these
things are going to go in your new home. Indicate the
area on this list.
4. Box your possessions up. Don't combine two rooms of
stuff in one box. Each box should only contain the
possessions for one room. All kitchen stuff in its own
boxes. All living room stuff in its own boxes.
5. Label each box with the room it's going to go in, the
contents of the box, and where it's going to go in your
new home. Mark the Open-Immediately boxes that contain
blankets, pillows toiletries, and other items you'll need
for a first good-night's sleep in your new digs.
6. Make a grid pattern of each room in your new home,
and indicate the square footage. This way, you'll be able
to see what you can fit furniture and storage-wise.
7. Move the furniture in first, before any boxes. The bed
is a good place to start, in case you want to take a rest
in between moving. Arrange it as you want to before the
rest of the stuff is unloaded.
8. When you get your things off the moving truck, bring
each box into the room where the contents will be stored
(i.e. linens into the linen closet room, comforters and
pillows into the bedroom, dishes into the kitchen.) Begin
unloading a box at a time, and putting things where they
belong--rather than unloading everything onto the counter
or the floor. Try to do 2-3 boxes minimum each day.
9. Yes, you'll likely need to rearrange a bit later on,
but make a good effort the first time around--otherwise
you're going to be living out of boxes for weeks.
10. Remember, you're newlyweds, so in between the packing
and unpacking, remember to have fun. Order your meals in
the first day, sit on your new patio and sip some
lemonade, take some time to meet your new neighbors and
enjoy each other!
If you've been reading my blog for awhile, you know that
I very often list the book I'm reading for my local
community book chat. From the email messages I receive,
I know many of you are reading the same books at the
same time I'm reading them.
