Cynthia Kuhn

Seemed Like A Good Idea

Do you watch house-hunting shows? Aren’t they lovely? The new owners go from finding their dream home to blissfully reporting back at the end of the show that they are so glad they did it, while the camera zooms around their completely set-up new digs. It makes moving look absolutely delightful.

But the truth is very different.

Once you decide to take the leap to move, no matter how much time you think you’ll spend doing “house stuff” (preparing your house to sell, showing, looking for a new house, applying for loans, etc.), you will need approximately 85% more time to do it.

And you are likely to be scrambling like heck just to keep up with the things you are normally responsible for.

And as the weeks march on, you may be apologizing all over the place because you’re no longer capable of doing the simple things that Normal You could totally swing.

And on top of that, Moving You can’t stop talking about the ups, downs, and sideways aspects of the process and proclaiming how much of a wreck you are. So of course no one wants to talk to you anymore because: enough already.

And when you’re not on real estate sites scanning for possible habitats, you are constantly searching Craigslist and NextDoor to locate more moving boxes because no matter how many you obtained upfront, it isn’t going to be enough. Not by a long shot.

And you may spend ridiculous amounts of energy searching for the GOOD tape dispenser because even though you have two, only one puts tape in a straight orderly fashion, whereas the other one is rightly nicknamed the Tangle Monster.

And as time races ever on and your deadline to vacate the premises looms, you, who for weeks neatly wrapped and placed items in boxes by proper categories and labeled them carefully with sticky labels that indicate the proper future room location and items inside, find yourself instead flinging things into containers with no protective wrapping or order whatsoever, scribbling “Downstairs Crap!” on the box.

All of which you’ll need to sort out at the new house…if and when you find one…

This post was generated post-move-one (moving out) and pre-move-two (moving in). Currently, everything we own is in storage.  Which is a whole ‘nother story, “How We Underestimated The Size of Storage Units We’d Need And Figured It Out On Moving Day. Don’t Be Like Us.”

What are your secrets for a good move? Or your worst stories of moving? Either one is most welcome.

 

 

 

24 thoughts on “Seemed Like A Good Idea”

  1. Oh, Cynthia, you’re more than halfway there — hang on! I’ll share our secret to downsizing into a downtown apartment — great location and view. We have a storage unit as big as the apartment that’s so crammed full of stuff, we can barely get into it!

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply

  2. I probably shouldn’t have read this, lol. Our house is currently “for sale by owner.” We started building a log cabin in 2012 and decided it’s finally time to actually move there. The good part is that we’re not in any hurry. We’ve been gradually packing things and taking them up. We’d love for the house to sell quickly, but not too quickly. If you know of anyone who wants to buy a house in the northern suburbs of Pittsburgh, send them my way!

    Liked by 4 people

    Reply

  3. Dear Real Cynthia, I so feel for you–what a perfect storm of moving hell. And as a real estate agent (come find that dream home in NH, everybody!!) i can confirm that those shows are pure fantasy. Hang in there–all will be well soon and Moving Cynthia will retire to her sunny new pool. xo

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

  4. The very thought of moving gives me hives. I haven’t moved since I bought my condo 14 years ago. There is so much junk around here that I need to do a very strict weeding before I even think about moving. But that’s not to be because I don’t have time. I have books to read and reviews to write and TV to watch…. Seriously, if I were to do move, I’d have to stop my blog until it was done. I wouldn’t have time for both for sure.

    Good luck with part two of your move. I hope it’s soon. And I hope you are happy when it is all over.

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply

    1. Appreciate the kind words, Mark! Staying in one place as long as possible sounds heavenly. And I agree–would choose books and blogging over moving anytime. We appreciate you and your blog so: thank you for staying put. 🙂

      Like

      Reply

  7. Moving horror stories!!

    At the end of my freshman year of college, my parents left it up to me to get myself moved out of the dorm. When I’d moved in, I had just brought a few suitcases, so it didn’t occur to me that moving out would be any big deal. Except… I had accumulated a lot of stuff. I didn’t start packing until the night before and had no idea how screwed I was. You know those luggage trolleys they have in hotels? I basically had an industrial sized version of one of those loaded to the top with stuff. (And somehow this was supposed to fit into one half of my friend’s two-door Honda Civic.)

    I wheeled the cart out of the dorm, and the sidewalk was sloped juuuuuust enough for that sucker to pick up some speed. When I got to the bottom, I had to turn the cart to keep it from crashing into a car…. which combined with the velocity made the whole cart fall over and sent my stuff flying everywhere. Including an extra-large jar of mustard that broke and splattered all over my belongings.

    Right at that moment, Tim — my future husband, although I didn’t know it at the time — walks up with two adults and says, “Hey, my mom and dad wanted to meet you.” I turned bright red, mumbled something and ran back into the dorm. When I finally was able to come back out and face the carnage, they bundled me into their rental car and took me to the post office to mail my stuff home. (No way it was going to fit in the Civic.)

    And for YEARS after that, my future inlaws referred to me as Mustard Girl.

    Cynthia — we’re rooting you on through this move!! Tip: Don’t try to take the mustard with you, no matter how much you paid for it!

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply

    1. Marla, love this so much — a disaster served up with condiments! This should’ve been a sign to Tim that, although adorable, you were going to be trouble!:)

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

    2. OH MY GOSH. I just laughed so loud that I scared someone in the hallway outside my office. You are so cute. But that sounds like such a disconcerting experience.

      Mustard Girl sounds like the title of a yet-to-be-written-and-sure-to-be-beloved character.

      Thank you for the cheers. Also, I should have said upfront a HUGE thank you to all the Chicks who have lived through this summer of moving-related complaining/panicking with me. Y’all are the BEST. ❤

      Like

      Reply

  8. I’ve lived in my current house 8 years? Longest I’ve ever lived anywhere.
    I am a purging queen. Every season change or more often i purge. So I don’t really get this when hoarder thing they show on tv.
    And moving? I can pack my house in probably 3 days. That’s giving myself way too much time.
    I just wish my brain moved as fast as my body. I could reach everyone to move painlessly.
    The trick? Stand in the middle of the room, take a deep breath, and scream the word “ah” until you are out of breath. Seriously. Calms you down.

    Liked by 3 people

    Reply

  9. You crack me up. I don’t watch the home and garden shows because it makes me want to spend oodles of money remodeling. I’ve moved 35+ times. My advise is: keep a roll of toilet paper on top of your purse. You can thank me later.

    Liked by 3 people

    Reply

    2. Hahaha! Keenan, you are so wise. It is important to make sure some items remain accessible and don’t get buried in the moving boxes!

      Like

      Reply

  10. When I know a move is coming, I start packing two boxes each evening. No more no less. But, even more important, I have a list of “Need until the very last minute!” stuff that is sacred, never to be packed until the very last minute. Oh, and that box you carefully label “Open me first!!” has to have the words in BIG letters on EVERY surface, because you can bet the movers will put it on the bottom of the pile in the back row in your new home. At least the giant letters will stand out enough for you to find the critical box and dig it out of the pile. Finally, play your favorite “chill” music as you work. If you don’t take care of your stress level, it’s gonna get you 😦 Good luck, Cynthia!! –kate

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply

Leave a comment