Color Code Your Move with Moving Labeling Tape

Home.

Moving Labeling Tape

As promised, I have another helpful tip for making your move easier.  A few weeks ago, I wrote some tips for prepping your home for sale and then some more to make packing for a move easier. We are fully moved in now, but we made the unpacking of the truck a bit more streamlined with this useful tip.

We hired movers for this move and we had never actually done that before in our lives.  We have always  been the ones renting u-hauls and calling friends and family to help us out.  For this move it needed to be done by professionals.

We did many helpful things to make unpacking easier, but color coding is what really made the difference for the movers.  All of our boxes had colored labels on them that distinguished the areas they were destined.  By purchasing this moving labeling tape kit, we were able to mark each box with some colored tape.  When we got to the new house, we put a piece of colored tape on the door or areas that each box was going.  We also put a cheat sheet in the entryway for a quick reference tool.

Labeled moving tape cheat sheet

Doing this simple method cut down a lot of time and discussion about where each box was going to end up.  The yellow went to the kitchen, blues bedroom, and orange to the basement.  There was no discussion between the movers and us as the process went along.  The entire process took about three hours and everything was where it needed to be, except we needed to unpack it.

This color-coding system is simple, cheap, and totally do-able even if you already have your boxes packed and labeled.  It was so nice when we were unpacking because everything was where it was supposed to be and we weren't breaking our backs moving boxes around or trying to locate them.

Note, do not actually use the tape to seal the boxes, there probably isn't enough to do that.  Just place it on the top two corners.  This way, it can be seen from any direction.  Lastly, do not press the tape hard against drywall.  To help with removal, only place it gently on the doorway surface.

Happy moving!

<3 mk

Moving? Tips for Packing Up Your Home

Home.

Moving totally stinks!  The act of going through all of your belongings that you have collected over many years is overwhelming.  To be a somewhat optimist, it is nice to see pictures and items that you haven’t seen in a while.  It’s a nice walk down memory lane. 

Moving for us is a positive step forward.  We are moving into the next phase of our life and in order to make this emotional and time consuming task more manageable, here are a few tips we learned as we were packing up our home.

Purge

If you have read this post about prepping your home for sale, a big point was made to get rid of the items that you didn’t need or weren’t using.  If you totally forgot you had the item, then you probably don’t need it.  Moving requires money for boxes, movers and costs more based on what you have - why pay to move something that you could care less about?

Spend

Don't be mislead, moving is not a time to be super cheap.  There are some things you will need to buy that will make your life easier, but also take care of your items with bubble wrap,  specialty boxes (art), tape and label tape. 

Organized

Come up with an organization system, especially if the two of you are packing.  Jeff and I decided we would pack up separate rooms, but we made sure we were doing it the same way.  Each box was labeled (with big Sharpies) with the room the box was going to, but we listed the most specific items in the boxes.  We also purchased this labeled moving tape, that made it easier for us and the movers to see the designated rooms.  Remember to communicate with your partner about your system, it will help with any future arguments. 

Bubble wrap

Bubble wrap is your friend, buy it is bulk because you will use a ton of it.  There is nothing worse then packing up a box only to open it with broken items.  No, the movers do not want to purposely break  your items, but they don’t care about them in the same way you do.

Moving insurance

Purchase moving insurance. Period!  The free insurance offered by the moving company will barely cover a thing.  However, by purchasing supplemental insurance (either through the company or a third party), this will cover major items that they have packed.  It usually will not cover stuff you've packed.  The movers are "packing" your furniture, which is typically the most costly stuff to replace, aside from jewelry.

Boxes

DO NOT BUY THEM FROM THE SHIPPING COMPANY!!!  They are so expensive when buying them from the company.  We scored most of our boxes form the local liquor store, Craigslist, and Home Depot.  If you are buying boxes brand new, Home Depot and Wal Mart had the cheapest prices. 

Moving Art

They sell boxes for that stuff.  Bubble wrap is your friend and it needs to be  used.  The art moving boxes we bought fit a few of our pieces, but we wrapped wach piece with bubble wrap on the top and bottom and made sure the faces of the art did not rub against each other.  For some of the larger pieces, we cut the box and combined it with another one.

Moving Clothes
If you have a reputable moving company, odds are they have wardrobe boxes that they will use for your hanging clothes for no additional cost.  I was surpised to hear that, but it was a relief.  Those wardrobe boxes are expensive so that was a huge money saver.  To keep those clothes clean on the bottom, using a zip tie to hold the clothes together for about 5-7 hangers is acceptable.  With a white kitchen bag, poke a hole with your finger in the middle of the bottom of the bag.  Put the hanger tops through the hole.  If the clothes stick out the bottoms (dresses, coats) put a white kitchen garbage bag around the bottom of a bunch of the hanging clothes and then use the draw sting to loop over the top of  the hangers.   It will keep them clean, especially when a sweaty mover is grabbing your clothes, ewww.

Kitchen

Pack the kitchen last.  If you are a cook, there is nothing worse then wanting a cooking tool that isn’t there.  Purge your pantry and your baking goods as much as possible, there isn’t a need to move with boxes of cereal or canned goods. Make sure you label the boxes very specifically because we wouldn't have found the wine opener easily if we hadn't. 

Dressers

Don’t pack up your dressers. The moving companies will wrap them in plastic so the drawers wont have to be removed.  Just make sure there aren’t any liquids or breakables in the drawers.

Moving Plants

Moving companies will not move plants.  Yes, it sucks, but this is what we did.  Measure all your planter and plants.  For circular plants, measure the diameter.  Calculate the space you will need for them all.  If you have tons of plants like me, you might need to purchase a u-haul.   We own a 4 door Jeep, so the plan was to put the plants in there, but it wasn’t enough space.  So, I ended up leaving some of my outdoor hanging flowers and some larger planters. I was really sad, but so happy with the ones we did get here after a long 6.5 hours drive.  If you don’t have the luxury of doing that, then start giving the plants away.  Yes, it totally stinks, but you can’t leave them for the new owners, unless they are okay with that.

Time

Give yourself enough time to pack.  There is nothing worse then packing at the last minute.  You will pack totally unorganized, things might end up breaking, and you're going to do a poor job.  We took a few days during the weeknights to pack the rooms.  On the weekends we only spent a few days packing and we made it a party.  We put on music (loudly) and had a beer as we were doing it.  It actually made the idea of what we were doing manageable.  In the end, there was crunch time, but it got done.  You might be tired but on moving day, if you hire movers, you are just sitting there watching.  Jeff and I were so bored the first hour while awkwardly watching the movers that we did this… yes money rings.  After making the rings, we finally settled down and Jeff got some work done, even though the internet had already been disconnected.

Our movers were total rock stars!  They are probably the best Tetris players ever as they got all our stuff into moving truck and it was packed to the brim.  They lifted boxes that I couldn’t even imagine lifting and then had other things in their hands.  One of the movers had both of our heaviest dumbbells weighing 90 lbs each, and carried them like it was nothing…and he was the smallest of the crew.  Let’s just say we bought them lunch both days and gave them a good tip both upon loading and unloading because they do not have an easy job.  FYI - we used Campbell Moving (DC area) and they were awesome, courteous and professional in all aspects of the move.

Before and After

I only cried a few times during the move as I was getting sentimental.  Jeff and I are on to so much more in our lives.  That home and location were only a small stepping stone in our lives.  As you can see, we celebrated as soon as we got to our new place.  Nice view, eh?

<3 mk

Food. Fashion. Home. June Review

Food. Fashion. Home.

June has been a busy month!  End of the school year, selling a house, buying a house, packing, and moving - a little bit busy.  When I originally started my monthly recaps (last month), I had intentions of posting my usual amount of posts three times a week and have about 12-13 monthly posts, but this June I have a whopping five! Choosing my favorites from Food Fashion and Home for just June would be somewhat silly.  So, I am going to choose my favorite from prior months as well.   Next month should be what my real intentions were to only recap from the prior month.

Food.

Antipasto Kabobs

Yummy!  These are super easy, versatile, and delicious.  I will have to remember to make these for our July 4^th families get together. 

Fashion.

Make Your Own In-Shower Body Scrubs and Cellulite Scrub

I transported these containers (in Ziplocks) with me on my move from Northern VA to North Carolina because I like them so much.   I am still using them ritualistically and have made a few batches since.  My new bathroom is very cold compared to the rest of the house, so I hate getting out of the shower and rubbing body lotions all over myself.  The solution, put the lotion in in the shower.  These scrubs leave my legs and arms so smooth right from the shower.

Home.

Prepping Your Home for Sale

I know this isn’t applicable for everyone, but I know Jeff and I are very proud of our last home.  All of the DIY work that went into that house and the prepping for its open house helped get it sold.  Yes, the location may have played a tiny part, but I still look back at the pictures and are really proud to say “We did that.”

More moving tips to come this week.  Promise!

<3 mk

Prepping Your Home for Sale

Home.

Do you want a quick sell at top dollar? Start packing up the clutter and start staging.  There isn't a need to pay money for a stager... just follow these simple tips and it will be done.

Moving is a daunting task, but before you move, you probably want to sell your home first.  You want to do everything in your power to make every person that steps in your home love it and want to buy it.

Here are a few tips that Jeff and I learned as we were selling our home.

Decorative picture frames with no pictures!

- Un-personalize the house: That means remove any pictures that would identify the owners;  the pictures that I could not take off the wall, got decorative paper coverings that allowed us to keep the frames and design on the wall.  The framed pictures that aren't attached to the wall need to be stored away or even packed for the move. Personal nicknacks also need to go. The buyers want to picture themselves in the house, not you and your friends and family.  You also want to remember, give the impression that "nobody in particular lives in this house" - except for someone with great taste of course!

* Tip- Put decorative craft paper in the framed pictures that you don't or can't take off the wall.  Card stock is cheap and will look better than plain old nothing.  I did this with all of my pictures ont he walls around the house and it only took a few minutes per picture.*

More decorative frames with no pictures

- Do a walk through and make a list of the little things that you want or have been meaning to do.  Some of the smallest things can turn a picky buyer off. When your house is on the market, act like everyday could be an open house.  It needs to look just as good as the day of the open house.  Put everything away and always wash your dishes.  Yes, it sucks, but do you want to sell your home?

- Fix squeaky floors: Sometimes squeaky floors don't bother you when you live somewhere for a long time, but once someone comes into your house to assess it, you will notice every squeak.   We did a post about fixing your squeeky floors with carpet.

- Streamline your furnishing. You want minimal furniture to clutter the space. 

- Make your house sparkle: wash the windows, clean away the old cobwebs, hire someone to come in a give it a good scrub.  It is worth your money for the clean and it also will eleviate some of the stress associated with the house prepping.

- Walk around your house and fix anything that can be fixed easily.  Change light bulbs, touch up paint, fill in cracks in baseboards with caulk, fill in cracks in drywall, etc.

- Open all the window coverings and let in the light.  Nobody wants a dark house. If there is a view that isn't desirable, then maybe you should keep it closed or get window coverings that look a bit better.

- Put away all of your valuables, including medications.  Jeff and I went away for the weekend we had our open house and took all of our most valuable items with us or locked them up in our in-wall hidden safes.  It alleviated the stress and solved the problem of where to put them when people were wandering around the house.

- Kitchen: Clear kitchen countertops of almost everything, with the exception of the bare necessities.  We even took our knife block off the countertop.  Remove everything from the top and sides of fridge (pictures, kid's art, magnets, etc.).

- Bathrooms:  Clear the bathroom countertops of ALL toiletries. Leave only a few decorative items or a floral or plant arrangement. You can leave out your nicest towels or replace the shower curtain if it is looking old.  Remove all soaps, shampoos, etc from the shower.

- Pets:  We don't have pets, but if you have any remove all signs of their existence, as sad as that may be!

- Kids toys:  You can't remove them all, but store the toys in any areas that are out of sight, but can be used when actual life does take place. You know you don't need all of those toys, so store some of them away or actually get rid of them.  This is the time to down size the kid toy collection before you move.

  

- Outside:  Treat your outdoor space like it is another room in your home.  You want everything to be clean, organized, and neat.

• Hide your trash cans
• Coil or hide your hose and gardening tools
• Open up your umbrella and put out the cushions for the outdoor furniture
• Uncover your bbq, pool, or water features
• Freshen up flowers, mulch, etc.

Yes, prepping isn't be fun, but selling your home is.  You will need to step out of your comfort zone when selling but remember it isn't a forever thing.  Happy selling!

<3 mk and jeff

SOLD!

Home.

I have been holding out for a few months now to make it Internet Official, but it no longer needs to be a secret…we sold our home!  In just two short weeks our life as we have known it for six years will drastically change, but in a good way!   Yippie!

This is totally not a picture of Jeff and I, but it was too funny to pass up.
I would put a picture of our sold sign, but it hasn't gone up yet. I promise that when
 it does go up, Jeff and I will re-enact this photo for you.

Being located in the DC Metro area, our town house was under contract extremely quick.  We would like to say it was our hard work, but in reality, the market for sellers is fantastic here.  The shock of being under contract so soon made it even more stressful knowing we needed a new home and fast.  If we were staying in the area, finding a new home is extremely difficult because as you just read, houses are snapped up in a day here.  However, we aren’t staying in the area, we are moving many hours south near the beautiful city of Charlotte, North Carolina.  We have found a home, but that will be kept quiet for a few more days.  We don't want to jinx it.

Blogging about fashion and food over the next few weeks is going to be a bit difficult with all of our essentials being packed up. I’ll be happy if I actually get some meals cooked as we try to get everything ready to go.  I will be filling you in on the process we went through starting with prepping the house for sale, staging, and some packing tips that we have learned as we get ready for the big move.

If you primarily read this blog for the Food and Fashion, there will be an increased focus on the Home over the next few weeks.   If you are not in the process of selling, buying or moving, the way real estate is this spring, you are sure to know somebody who is about to move or put their home on the market.  Please share with them what we have learned!

 <3 mk