Things I Learned on My Trip - Part 4

4. I'm good at moving logistics. It's a gift.

Kristen helped me move into our house in San Antonio and she has since told me..."You are a beast."

I am relentless. Unnecessarily ruthless. Brutal even. Troy does inventory (checking off boxes and furniture as they come off the truck) and I immediately start unpacking the kitchen. Here are my moving logistics.

My MOST important piece of advice: ASK THE MOVERS TO UNPACK YOU. They will take all the garbage (boxes and packing paper) with them and break down all the boxes. Then you don't have to do it or arrange a later pick up. This forces you to put stuff away because it is everywhere. They won't put a thing away and will overturn boxes and you'll have stuff all over your floors. But as they take out your dishes and glasses, put them away. As they unpack your wardrobe boxes, hang everything up. Immediately hook up your washer and dryer and start washing your sheets and towels.

As they unpack you, you will feel overwhelmed and wonder how you have so much stuff. Just pay attention to the task at hand. Try not to START another room until you are done with your priorities. NEVER go up or down stairs unless you are carrying something. Put all your shelves into bookshelves so you have a place to stack stuff. Make sure your "parts box" (with brackets, handles, screws for beds, remotes) is in your car and not on the truck so you know where all your hooks, nails, brackets, etc are located. Especially for beds, so the movers are dumping boxes onto beds and not on the floor.

By the end of the day 1 and all of our stuff is off the truck, I aim to have the kitchen COMPLETELY unpacked and put away with all the beds clean and made up for sleeping.

On day 2, I can do the grocery store run since the kitchen is completely done so we can eat at home. Which is a huge time and money saver when you are moving. And probably have been eating out and doing fast food for a while. By the end of day 2, I have the living room, master bedroom/closet and bathrooms unpacked.

Day 3 is the "leftover" day. That means the less important rooms for required for daily living. Things like an office, guest room, linen closet, etc.

Day 4 is hanging pictures on the walls, curtains up, and leftover organizing (decorative shelves, candles, junk drawer).

We followed this model with Kristen's home, but did not do a day 4 because she wanted to make some of those design/decor decisions when her hubby was there. He wasn't there on monday morning when we received her household goods because he was TDY for a school for his new job the whole week. So we did it all ourselves. Because we rock.

She was like, "Dude. I wasn't expecting to make this much progress on the house in 3 days. I thought you were like this (translation of "this": a slave driver) because it was your house and your stuff. But we killed it."

We even made a trip to Babies R Us to buy nursery furniture on the morning of day 2. Since their baby was born October, and they knew they were moving, they didn't want to buy a nursery set just to move and have it get beat up before getting a change to use it. So they decided to wait until they got into their house to pick something. Unfortunately, I asked the movers to unpack EVERYTHING in the house, which meant in the nursery (and the office) they overturned boxes and just left PILES and PILES of baby stuff all over the floor. I thought Kristen was going to stroke out. Especially when had to lug that baby dresser we just bought at Babies R Us up her stairs. I really thought we were going to die. It was the hardest I have worked out and the quickest I have ever broken a sweat in my entire life. Ever. I might have been in fear of Kristen's life, who was on the lifting and pushing side of the dresser on the way up the steps.

Her movers came monday morning and we were done wednesday night. House completely done, other than the day 4 list, which she and her hubs are going to do together. Well, the garage needed some work. But we had to leave something for her husband right?