5 Moving Tips for Your Next PCS
Home, Massachusetts
5 Moving Tips We Learned When We Moved to Boston (…Moving Day Gone Wrong!)
Oct. 14, 2020
You can also find the Vlog on YouTube (see below!).
After 3500 miles and 6 days, we finally made it to our new Boston apartment! However, our moving day didn’t go quite like we had planned…
Our Moving Day (...Gone Wrong!)
Due to new military orders for Lucas, we moved to Boston, Massachusetts. We confirmed this news pretty last minute, and if you’re a military family, it doesn’t surprise you when things occur very last minute with the military.
Given the limited timeline, our busy schedule in August (our wedding month!), and the on-going global pandemic, we were unable to fly to Boston to scope out neighborhoods in-person. Although we were wanting to invest in property, rather than pay rent for another year, this led to the daunting task of selecting an apartment without seeing the unit or the surrounding area prior. Although I have visited Boston once last spring for a work trip, I wouldn’t count that as a true trip to Boston since I was only able to explore for half a day.
Lucas and I wanted to live towards the south-side of Boston since that would be closer to where Lucas will be working. So after hours spent researching neighborhood statistics, viewing Google maps via satellite, and virtually touring different units, we settled on our apartment complex with the hope that their 2-bedroom, 2-bathroom, first floor unit can be our next home.
We signed the lease a couple weeks before we had to move, and set up our utilities during our road trip to Boston. While we would’ve preferred more time to search, we were just grateful to have found a place with high tenant reviews within our limited time frame.
We arrived at the apartment complex to pick our new keys, to be met with the fact that the keys given to us, didn’t quite work correctly. We returned to the leasing office to confirm our keys and once we were able to get inside, we noticed a very distinct smell of cigarettes within the unit. While I don’t actually mind the smell of cigarettes (because I grew up around my dad who smoked frequently), Lucas and I both agreed that it was a much more intense smell of tobacco, and we didn’t want our living space to smell like that (let alone our clothes and furniture!). We were only in the unit for about 15 minutes when we noticed that we were carrying the smell with us in our clothes whenever we stepped outside.
A huge reason why we picked the apartment complex we did is because they offer a “room guarantee”. If you aren’t happy with your unit, you’re able to switch to another with no extra fees. We decided that before we unloaded all of our belongings, it would be easier to just make the switch sooner rather than later.
We went to the leasing office to put in our request, and they were very understanding! The unit apparently had been left vacant for quite some time… Luckily there was another unit available with the same floor plan and a few hundred dollars cheaper because it was on the third floor.
Not only do we escape the smell of tobacco in our new unit, we also saved a little on rent, and gained a balcony!
Moving to Boston this year was my 7th time moving to a new space in 7 consecutive years. So, you could say that moving to new places isn’t too intimidating to me at this point. Renting apartment spaces is a temporary experience, and as long as my space feels safe (and smoke-free ;) lol), I can easily learn how to call it home.
Here are 5 Tips to QUICKLY Create a Home in a New Apartment:
1. Use Familiar Furniture (if you have movers, of course!)
We had most of our furniture already purchased from when we lived in our first apartment together. Although we want to upgrade our furniture soon, we realized that using our previous furniture for the first couple of months allowed us to settle-in a bit sooner than we thought!
2. Think About Your Non-Negotiables
At first, we thought that being on the first-floor was going to be a huge priority for us. It can come with many pro’s -- two entrances into the apartment (main door and patio), no stairs, and a vinyl floor throughout the entire unit. However, we learned quickly that escaping the smell trumped stairs, and now that we’ve been in the unit for a few weeks, I realized that I loved being on the third floor for privacy. We can keep our windows and screen door open, without feeling like neighbors can peek into our space. We also ended up in a unit where we only have a neighbor on one side of the unit, and no one above us! Turns out, the stairs aren’t that big of a deal (unless you have to carry up furniture on occassion… lol).
3. Organize, Organize, Organize
Knowing where to find things makes a HUGE difference when creating a home! And figuring out a way to organize efficiently will save you tons of time on a day-to-day basis. Whether it’s getting drawer organizers for kitchen utensils (rather than just throwing them all in), or getting aesthetic boxes to keep sentimental photographs (rather than leaving them in cardboard boxes in a closet), finding ways to organize your space will allow for a feeling of peace through the orderliness of it all.
4. Have a Moving Day Kit Prepared
We didn’t realize we needed this until my best friend, Lauren, gifted us one! We didn’t think about separating our cleaning stuff from the movers for the move-in day (note to self for later haha), so we ended up needing to find a few items for the first week! Here are some of things we were either gifted by Lauren, we purchased, or we had set aside for the move:
Towels
Camping Lantern
Air Mattress/Pillows/Sheets/Blankets
Paper Plates/Plastic Utensils (OR 2 dinner sets if you have space!)
Cleaning Supplies: toilet/shower cleaner, wipes, etc.
Laundry Detergent
Shampoo, Conditioner, Soap
Hand Soap
Toilet Paper/Paper Towels
5. Personalize Your Space
Hang up photos, pick up some new plant friends, light some scented candles, and enjoy your new home! Instead of getting caught up on finding the perfect trendy decor, decorate your space with things that make you happy, and that are timeless! Remember that your apartment is temporary, and everything you bring in - you’ll have to move back out one day lol. So think about finding pieces of furniture and decor that can be versatile to different rooms for the future!
Moving can be stressful if you let it overwhelm you. To anyone who’s in the process of moving right now, I hear you and I’m cheering you on! Find the little things that can make your new apartment feel like a home, and know that it’ll just take time!
Although we had a rockier start than we planned for, we’re so excited to be creating a home in New England for the next couple of years or so. Although we are ready to run back home once the military gives us the green light, we can’t wait to share about our upcoming New England adventures in the meantime! Keep an eye out for those coming soon!
Cheers to a Fresh Start over on the East Coast!
Gen
