Moving is the adult equal of elementary school—everybody is very excited about the thought, but it's only the people with down-to-earth expectations who end up having a trouble-free move. Yes, it is a new home, a new start, and the possibility of a fabulous new life--but once that last empty moving van pulls away and you are standing there in the middle of your boxes, you have still got to do the real work.
Managing your move with realistic expectations is fundamental to beginning that new life on a positive note--and that means not only coming to terms with the fact that a new abode won't wondrously suck up the thirty pounds you have good intentions to lose, but that moving is emotionally difficult even in the best circumstances and you and your family should allocate the time and space to accept that.
One of the stragne things about a local move--new abode, neighborhoods, schools--is that can be harder on the kids than a long-distance relocation. A new residende hundreds of miles away eliminates the non-stop requests to go see their friends in the old neighborhood, and it may be easier to embrace a new life and new friends when your old ones are in a different time zone.
But let’s get back to the topic. There are three Ps involved with managing your move to or in San Antonio--Purge, Pack, and Pay. What you don't purge will need to be packed, and the more you pack, the more you will pay. Expectation—I will go through old stuff and only save what I love. Reality--you love lots more than you realize you do. Regardless if you take care of your own packing or appoint professional movers, you've got to determine what is worth the time and money to take with you.
Purge
Purging is one of those odd terms you don't hear a lot, at least in a affirmative implication. However, letting go of the old baggage is one of the wisest ways so that you can let your new residence to bestow your expectations of greatness. There are all kinds of guidelines and pointers to assist you in figuring out the best approaches to go through your old things, from pragmatic--"if you haven't used/worn it in a year get rid of it"; to a little less traditional--"toss all your negative energy out with the old towels". At its basic level, purging is merely sorting through all the cupboards, closets and drawers and creating three piles: take with you, throw away, donate. Or you may have four piles if you've got a lot of next-to-new things that you do not use anymore, and consign those things.
The hardest thing about purging is keeping up the neutrality in order to be cutthroat about throwing away items. If you stored all those pre-school art projects, how can you get rid of them and be a great parent? Here is a tip—appoint a friend to help you sort through things and talk you through why you are holding onto things that are really better to be gotten rid of. Having someone else ask you out loud why you want to hang on to the 1980s cassette tapes does put things in relative importance and you'll have an easier time growing the throw away pile if you've got someone to reinforce your decisions.
If your significant other is the one with the hoarder habits, here is a tip for helping a reluctant participant part with their treasures. Think small, and commence with the kitchen junk drawers, try to limit handling of old matchbooks and old crayons to one time only and steadily get to larger things, like collections (for example, select 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.
