Moved in, but still living out of boxes!

Hello again!

If you’ve been following my apartment journey so far, you will know that my boyfriend and I have been living with his mom for the past month while we waited for our gorgeous apartment to become available. Well, the weekend before last, that day finally arrived. With the help of some good friends, we battled Georgia’s June heat while moving large furniture through the construction zone surrounding the only convenient entrance to our new place. We have made the big move, but let’s just say that moving doesn’t equate with being “moved in” and “unpacked”. Now, we live in what I like to call “the hazard zone”. With both of us working fulltime jobs and pursing freelance work on the side, there is little time for digging through boxes, hanging pictures, and arranging furniture. And, of course, the fun part of having a new place is the process of decorating and making it home.  How do you find time to work and unpack? That’s the question I’ve been asking myself over and over again. So with the rest of the week and a weekend ahead of me, I have developed a plan and made mental notes of the things that have helped in the past. Since I doubt I’m alone in battling the unpacking blues, here are some things can make the transition from hazard zone to home easier.

• Get organized

A small thing that has really helped me unpack in a more orderly fashion is to organize as I go. If you know want a particular piece of furniture or decor in your office, then go ahead and move it to that room. You don’t necessarily have to deal with it now, but organizing all the clutter into its respective room will help reduce the mass of boxes sitting by your front door. Once everything is in the room it will potentially belong, then take one space at a time. Less clutter and less stress makes for a better unpacking.

• Use spare time wisely and have fun

Instead of wrapping up in your comforter and instantly getting on Facebook when you get home (yes, I’m guilty), make use of that time, and any spare time. I personally struggle with unpacking on the weekends because I just want to go out and have fun, but if I set aside an hour or two each day, it helps make a difference quickly. Another great way to get through the mess, is to think of it as a fun project rather than a chore. Turn on some music, open the windows, and enjoy making the space yours.

• Make use of any storage

Not ready to deal with that box of random junk? Save it for a rainy day and put it aside in an unused storage space in the apartment. For big, tedious projects like this, it is okay to save it for later. That way you can focus on the more pressing tasks at hand. Plus, it will keep you from giving up so quickly before some real progress is made.

• Be open to throwing/donating some items 

To make the task of unpacking more manageable, get rid of some stuff! (You actually should have done this when you were packing, but we know how it is. In the final rush you just throw everything into boxes without much thought.) As you unpack, you invariably come across items you forgot you had or are not sure where they even came from, so be willing to throw out and/or donate items that are not necessary. This helps get rid of the jungle of chaos that is overtaking your floor and to make room for buying new, more suitable items later on.

I hope that my own experience and tips can help you make your unpacking process a little easier. Oh, and since I still haven’t mastered the concept of unpacking, any advice is welcome for this damsel in moving distress.