U-Hauling It Across the Midwest

We are officially all moved to KY. It has been a rough couple of weeks, and the house is still a mess. The plus side is that I get to wake up next to my husband every day, and it’s not just a weekend visit.

Moving is never easy no matter what your circumstances may be. So I have some tips for future moves to help alleviate some stress.

1. Use moving as a time to get rid of things. I probably threw out or donated about 10 bags worth of things. You just need to make the decision as to whether it is worth the effort of moving or not. I had some criteria that I gave myself because I have been known to keep things for silly reasons. Rules could be when was the last time you used it timeline or can you purchase an updated version at your new location for cheap.

2. Wrap your hanging clothes in garbage bags while still on the hanger. This does take quite a few bags, but it makes the transportation of them much easier. It also saves you time taking them off hangers and then back on at the new place.

3. Use clothes, towels, bedding as packaging. You have to pack these items anyway, so why not use them to fill space and protect fragile items. You can stuff these items into smaller, odd-shaped spaces so then you don’t feel like you are wasting a box. Sustainability my friends by not using newspaper or bubble wrap.

4. Use rolling suitcases to pack DVDs and books. These items are always deceivingly heavy. This way you can pack tons into one space, and the wheels make it easier to move.

The next few are helpful if you don’t plan on getting everything unpacked in a day…

5. Designate a backpack/box with important or sensitive items/documents. Being with the army there was a potential of needing several things quickly, so we needed to make sure we always knew where they were. Making a box for this made it a lot easier when Tom asked me where random Army paperwork was.

6. Know what you need right away for kids or pets and put that in the front of the moving truck.

7. Pack an overnight bag for a few days. We took a little longer unpacking, and the clothes were some of the last things we did since they were in boxes all over the house that we had used for packaging. I didn’t feel so stressed knowing that I still had clean clothes for a few days.

8. Label your boxes. This was a huge time saver. We were able to take things off the truck straight to their designated space. Yay organization! It also helped if we did need to find something quickly because we knew exactly what was in each box.

9. Save up money for eating out. The first couple days you are not going to have things set up to cook or have the food to do so. And let’s be honest, you need some lazy moments after unpacking/moving all day.

We still have a little bit to do, but we are waiting on some furniture to do so. It is starting to feel like home, so hopefully I stop feeling like I am going to be heading back to Iowa any day now. And I see several craft projects in our future!

Another thing we had to do in order to prepare was fence in our backyard for Gracie.

This was all Tom, but I had to show his handy work. He did a great job with it! We were only able to do a chain link fence with the guidelines of our neighborhood.

The baby gate did not fit in the opening we had. Tom made the wooden posts to wedge the gate in. And it looks like it was meant to be like that. Thanks to Tom and our buddy Martin for making it so I don’t have to have Grace on the leash to go potty! It is so great to have a yard for her.

Here is her first encounter with the yard. We have tried catching her hot laps she does, but it never fails as soon as the camera comes out she is done. Anyway, she seems to enjoy the yard!