Moving is the mature counterpart of middle school—everyone is super gungho about the idea, but it's only the folks with pragmatic expectations who wind up having a good time. Yes, it is a new home, a new beginning, and the possibility of a wonderful new life--but once that last empty moving van leaves and you're standing there in the middle of your boxes, you have still got to do the actual work.
Managing your move with realistic expectations is the key to starting that new life on the right foot--and that means not only accepting the fact that a new home will not magically suck up the thirty pounds you have good intentions to lose, but that moving is emotionally difficult even in ideal circumstances and you and your family should allocate the time and space to accept that.
One of the odd things about a local move--new home, neighborhoods, schools--is that can be harder on the kids than a long-distance relocation. A new house across the country removes the never-ending requests to go see their friends in the old neighborhood, and it could be easier to welcome a new life and new friends when your old ones are in a different time zone.
But let’s get back to the main point. There are three Ps when it comes to managing your move to or in Dallas--Purge, Pack, and Pay. What you do not purge must be packed, and the more you pack, the more you will pay. Expectation—I'll sort through old stuff and only save what I love. Reality--you love a lot more than you believe you do. Regardless if you handle your own packing or hire professional movers, you've got to select what is worth the time and money to take with you.
Purge
Purging is one of those weird terms you don't hear all the time, at least in a good implication. In actuality, getting rid of the old baggage is one of the wisest ways that you can empower your new abode to grant your expectations of wonderful. There are lots and lots of rules and suggestions to help you figure out the best approaches to sort through your old stuff, from pragmatic--"if you haven't used/worn it in a year get rid of it"; to a tad less traditional--"toss all your negative energy out with the old towels". At its simplest level, purging is simply going through all the cupboards, closets and drawers and forming three piles: hang on to, throw away, donate. Or you may have four piles if you have got some nice things that you do not use anymore, and consign those things.
A difficult thing about purging is keeping up the detachment you need to be cutthroat about throwing away items. If you kept all those pre-school drawings, how can you toss them and be a great parent? Here is one suggestion—have a friend help you go through items and talk you through why you are saving items that are really best to be gotten rid of. Having someone else ask you out loud why you want to save the 1980s Walkman does put things in focus and you'll have a less difficult time growing the get-rid-of pile if you've got someone to support your decisions.
If your significant other is the one with the accumulator inclinations, here is a strategy for helping an unenthusiastic participant part with their treasures. Think small, and commence with the kitchen junk drawers, try to limit handling of old matchbooks and out-of-ink pens to one time only and progressively get to larger items, like collections (for instance, select two or three porcelain bunnies and donate or consign the rest).
Catch us next time as we go over managing your move subjects: Pack and Pay, in Part 2 of this blog series.
