30 Days to Move: Day 6

On Day 6 I had good intentions. I was going to call a few numbers. I was going to pack up some kitchen things...

Well, the calls happened. I called and called number after number. No luck, nothing worth checking into further. No one wanted to accept dogs. End of the line.

A dark feeling settled over me as I realized, in 24 days we need to be out of this house. I admit, I let depression take hold. I started to give up a little. So, on this installment I am going to give you advice on what not to do on Day 6 of 30 Days to Move.

Do not grab the remote.
Do not get suckered into watching episodes of Roseanne on Netflix.
Do not act like a ziggy piggy with gourmet popcorn.
Do not put on your pajamas at 1 pm.
Do not feel so sorry for yourself that you have no choice but to have a nap with the baby.

On Day 6 of 30 Days to Move, if you have not found a few prospective houses or apartments, prepare to make a worst case scenario plan. While wallowing in self pity I did devise a pretty comically lame plan. I decided that if I couldn't find a house for my family I was going to get a storage unit, stash 95% of our possessions in there. From there I was going to the near by state park campgrounds to rent a primitive camp site for 6 nights a week and a cabin for one night a week. This would buy us time to keep looking without going broke living in a hotel, and best of all the kids would think of it as a vacation... the cabin was justified by the $26 a night rate and the luxury of a bed,  a tv and electric one night a week would be much needed.

My friends and family laughed. "Oh how silly you are Sara!"

But at least I have my Alamo. A real plan. Even if it is funny to some, lame and not really a great one.

Find your Alamo. Do you have someone that can let you stay with them for a week if needed? Can you afford a hotel room to act as your residence if you can't find a house? Spend Day 6 of 30 thinking out what you will do if the house hunt is harder than expected.

30 Days to Move : Day 5

On day 5 of 30 Days to Move, I gathered all of the stuffed animals in our house and put them on the sofa. I asked my kids to pick their most favorite toys out of this pile. The ones that remained on the sofa were safely tucked into an under the bed storage container. The kids insisted on keeping about 20 plush toys out. I chalked it up as a win.

After making progress I checked ads for houses for rent. I made calls. I felt discouraged, but I kept going. I gathered half o the play food, half of the puzzles and half of the trucks into boxes. The kids were okay with the half situation. They like having options for play time.

If your kids are anything like mine... that amounts to hours of work and an embarrassing amount of boxes filled with kid stuff!

So, on Day 5, if you have kids, start with picking out half of their toys. If there are toys that are not in great shape, very carefully dispose of these toys without a fuss or scene. Trust me, the less crap you pack and move, the less crap you have to unpack! Get rid of broken toys, outgrown toys, toys that are not played with.

If you don't have kids, on day 5 you could spend your time sorting through some of your toys! Do you have a lot of books? Do you hoard magazines like I tend to? Look through stuff like that, eliminate what you are not going to read, use, etc.

This makes the move much easier!

30 Days to Move : Day 4

It is now day 4 of 30 Days to Move. Today I am taking on the job of looking at my clothes and being honest with myself. Will I ever wear it again? When did I wear it last? This is hard to do. I always think I am going to wear that. I am going to wear those shoes when I... mow grass.

I started with my shoes. I had a pair of heels I hadn't worn in 5 years. I had 2 pairs of heels I cannot wear due to my broken foot in 2014 changing the shape of my left foot. I had a pair of sneakers that were too tight on said foot. I had a pair that was too big, a pair that was just old and had seen better days. I reasoned with myself that well, someday...

See. It is hard to sort your shoes and part with them!

I compromised by putting them in a box, and putting the box with the Goodwill stuff. If I find I need them in the next week they can come back out. So far I haven't needed shoes that don't fit.

Then I went to my clothes. I found 4 shirts and a pair of shorts that I will never wear again. I packed up a good deal of my jeans and long sleeve shirts as summer is near!

This made my wardrobe seem sad and sparse. But, its not like I don't wear the same stuff all the time anyhow.

Since we are now approaching the task of actually packing. Lets go over supplies needed to pack.

A supply of boxes
A black permanent marker
A roll of packing tape, clear tape, whatever. Not scotch tape!
Old Newspaper


Pack your boxes efficiently. Don't waste space, but don't over pack them. You want to keep them at a weight that you can comfortably lift and carry. As you pack the boxes, secure the lid with tape. Mark on the top and 2 sides what room the boxes is intended for or what is inside. This will help you should you need something sooner than later. I marked each side with the contents {Roo's Winter Clothes}  {Sheets}.

As the days pass by quickly I realize just how much work I have to do, and how little time I have to do it. 30 Days to Move... it really isn't that long of a time frame.

30 Days to Move : Day 3

The clock is ticking, we have 27 days to move. Today I had a few boxes from the attic and I set out on a mission to be as productive as I could. I wanted to begin sorting things out, deciding what could be parted with and packing up some of the items.

I started with our blankets and sheets. I decided that I would keep 2 sets of queen size sheets, 1 full size and 2 crib sheets out. I kept 3 quilts and 3 baby blankets out as well. Everything else went into a huge box. We have a washer and dryer, so this was an adequate amount of bedding to keep out for use. 

After packing the blankets and sheets away. I had my children help me pack up some of their stuffed animals. We put these into a soft case under the bed organizer, this has made it super easy for the toys that they decide they really really want to play with that have already been packed. I can find them at a glance.Yes, when you are spending the days with the 4 and under crowd and moving, tears for favorite toys will flow. Trust me, when the goods get boxed up, suddenly the favorite toy title applies to at least 945 toys.

On Day 3 of 30 Days to Move. I also placed the clothes hangers from the previous day in reusable shopping bags and tied the handles to hold the hangers in.

My husband returned from work to see a big pile of stuff with a sign taped to the wall that said STUFF TO MOVE.

I took time to browse the listed rentals for my area, send messages as needed and cross my fingers for a good outcome in all of this.

30 Days to Move : Day 2

On Day 2 of Your 30 Days to Move you need to drive around and look for potential rentals. Photograph the For Rent sign as well as a picture of the house. This well help you keep track of what house you have called about. I also texted these photos along with the phone number and address to my husband. This helped me keep track of what I found without getting mixed up when it came time to call the owners.

After gathering a few phone numbers, it is time to prepare to pursue the rentals. Listen up folks, trying to rent a house or an apartment is kind of like going for a job interview. You have to present yourself well. You want to be seen as a person that will be easy to deal with should issues arise, you need to give the impression that you will keep the property clean and that you will pay your rent. The first impression you will make will be on the phone. Get yourself ready to make the calls. Get a smile on your face, as a smile can be heard in your voice. Call the numbers, take notes, make appointments to view the property.

After doing your scouting and calling, it is time to start thinking about packing. Start in one room. I started with my sons closet. I sorted his clothes into things that he won't be able to wear next year, winter clothes, and the clothes he will actually wear over the next 29 days. I put the outgrown clothes in a bag for Goodwill. I packed winter clothes into a box. I placed his current wardrobe back into the closet. I did the same with my daughters closet.

It doesn't sound like much, but it sure was! I had 2 boxes packed and 2 bags of outgrown clothes for Goodwill. This also results in less laundry to worry about with kids. I considered this a win. Considering I didn't really intend to pack anything.

If you do not have boxes on hand, you might want to call your local gas station or grocery store. Ask if they have empty boxes available or when they will have boxes after an order. There really is no reason to pay for boxes! Just ask around and you will have more than you can use in no time.