Moving is the mature equal of middle school—everyone is super zealous about the prospect, but it is only the ones with reasonable expectations who end up having a trouble-free move. Sure, it is a new home, a new start, and the opportunity of a wonderful new life--but once that last empty moving truck heads down the road and you are standing there amidst your boxes, you've still got to do the hard work.
Managing your move with realistic expectations is the key to beginning that new life on the right foot--and that means not only acknowledging the fact that a new home won't wondrously suck up the thirty pounds you keep meaning to lose, but that moving is emotionally draining even in ideal circumstances and you and your family should allot the time and space to accept that.
One of the crazy things about a local move--new abode, neighborhoods, schools--is that can be harder on the kids than a long-distance relocation. A new house across the country takes away the non-stop requests to go see their friends in the old neighborhood, and it could be easier to adopt 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 involved with managing your move to or in Atlanta--Purge, Pack, and Pay. What you do not purge will need to be packed, and the more you pack, the more you'll pay. Expectation—I will go through old stuff and only keep what I love. Reality--you love lots more than you realize you do. No matter if you do your own packing or hire professionals, you've got to select what is worth the time and money to move with you.
Purge
Purging is one of those weird expressions you don't hear very often, at least in a positive implication. However, letting go of the old baggage is one of the smartest ways so that you can let your new residence to meet your expectations of wonderful. There are all kinds of guidelines and tips to assist you in figuring out the best approaches to sort through your old things, from down-to-earth--"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 basic level, purging is simply picking through all the cupboards, closets and drawers and making three piles: hang on to, get rid of, donate. Or you may have four piles if you've got some nice items that you do not use anymore, and consign those things.
A difficult thing about purging is retaining the detachment in order to be merciless about getting rid of things. If you kept all those pre-school art projects, how can you get rid of them and be a good parent? Here's one suggestion—appoint a friend to help you go through things and talk you through why you're keeping items that are really best thrown away. Having someone else ask you out loud why you want to keep the 1980s cassette tapes does put things in relative importance and you will have a less difficult time growing the throw away pile if you have got someone to reinforce your decisions.
If your significant other is the one with the pack rat inclinations, here is a suggestion for helping an unenthusiastic participant part with their treasures. Think small, and start with the kitchen junk drawers, try to limit handling of old matchbooks and out-of-ink pens to one time only and gradually make your way to bigger things, like collections (for instance, choose two or three porcelain bunnies and donate or consign the rest).
Catch us next time as we go over managing your move topics: Pack and Pay, in Part 2 of this blog series.
