How to Move, Unpack & Get Settled In One Weekend or How Marie Kondo Helped Me Move

Moving is STRESSSSSS-FULLLLLL!

We decided to put our house on the market end of April. We found our new house beginning of May. Our old house sold, mid-May and we moved at the end of June. That entire time, our lives were uprooted, we didn't have everything we were use to and our routines were shot. By the time moving day came, I had a plan to get us back in order by the weekend's end!

Here is how YOU can get yourself moved and settled in just one weekend! Marie Kondo was my savior through all of this, she helped me and she can help you! You got this! Lets do it!

1. Research the Marie Kondo Method before moving. I wasn't able to discard everything I wanted to prior to our move, because I hadn't listened to Marie's books before we packed a ton of stuff into a storage unit for house showings. But once I listened, I was ready to get going on what I did have. As soon as the showings were over, the real work began. I tidied and discarded from each section of the house until done. I began this process again when we unpacked each area of the new home. By the time we were unpacked at the new house, we had made at least three full truck loads to Goodwill!

2. Organize boxes with labels of where each should go in the new place. When it was time to tape up each box, I would label what was inside specifically and what area of the house it would go in. This helped organize the move and allow me to begin unpacking as soon as the boxes were off the truck.

3. Start unpacking kitchen first. If you don't want to eat junk food for too long, the kitchen is a must to start with. The first night we had pizza, but by the second night we were grilling! As each kitchen box came off the moving truck, I unpacked it onto the counter. I had all the cabinets open to see all the available space. Once everything was out of their boxes, we discarded what we hadn't had the chance to prior to the move. When the discarding was over, I was able to organize the kitchen in a way that the most used items were within reach, less used items out of reach. Thank you Marie!

4. Move on to bathrooms. Before the move, I gathered all the cleaning supplies into one place. I discarded what we had only a little bit or extra of and once in the new house was able to place a few of each item in the bathrooms and the rest under the kitchen sink. Our daily used bathroom items are organized in baskets under the master bathroom sink. Everything else is stored in baskets in the linen closet. Medicines together, First Aid items together, travel items together, etc.

5. Set up bedrooms.The movers set up our guest bed, we just had to make it. We are waiting for our master bed so the mattress is on the floor, BUT made neatly and even with a rug under neath. It is coming together slowly, but at least we can be quite comfortable in the mean time.

6. Clothes. Clothes is the first task in Marie Kondo's method of tidying. I was super worried about our master closet and really wanted all of our items to fit in it without scattering them across the house. After discarding clothes, folding a LOT into our dressers (I had never done this before!), I was feeling at ease about our new closet. Wardrobe boxes helped moving our closets quickly and easily. With this method we moved from HUGE double walk in closet, to a single shared closet. It really works!!

7. Time off. I took off Friday from work for the move. By the end of the day Friday, everything was in the new house. I had unpacked the kitchen, bathrooms, living room and bedrooms. Saturday we tackled the massive basement, discarding along the way. Sunday was dedicated to finalizing organization, cleaning and hanging up our art. By the end of the day Sunday, I went to bed feeling like I could leave for work in the morning at peace.

How long does it take you to get settled after a move? We were both so ready to be settled again, we agreed to push ourselves through the weekend. Need more detail on how I did it?! Share with me in the comments below. I hope this can help you in your next, big or small move! Good luck and may the odds be ever in your favor!