Tag Archives: moving

I Underestimated The Stress Of Moving (or I Know This Is Temporary)

Posted on April 21, 2022 | Comments Off on I Underestimated The Stress Of Moving (or I Know This Is Temporary)

I have some friends who have moved several times in the past few years. Some people have moved almost once a year and some have moved maybe twice in 5 years. For the friends who have moved somewhat regularly, it seems like they have a pretty decent packing and moving plan in place. Maybe it’s because, for many of them, they were moving a far distance so they had to do it all at once (like moving across the country where you really can’t go back and forth). Or maybe they did more research on how to be smart when moving or they are just more organized. I’m not sure why it seems like some of my friends are pros and moving and I’m learning that I am far from a pro.

I know that it’s been 12 years since I’ve moved so I also haven’t had to do this in a long time. And when you’ve lived somewhere for so long, you get a lot of things and you have everything in a particular place. So having to adjust where things are or decide what to take can be very overwhelming. And as I’ve written about quite a few times on here, moving has been so stressful for me and I don’t think I was really prepared for it.

I think that each stage of moving has had its own type of stress and it’s been building upon each stage. At first, when I was just going through my things and deciding what to get rid of, that was stress I’ve gone through more recently and it was a bit more manageable. Coordinating movers and everything that comes along with moving was something I had done before, but not for such a long time so I really didn’t have a plan in place for that. I just reached out to multiple places that were recommended either by friends or online review sites and compared what each offered. I ended up going with one of the cheaper ones because I knew I wouldn’t have a lot for the movers to take.

I think almost all the moving companies I looked at had a 3-hour minimum, and I knew that I wouldn’t need all that time. When the movers were at my old place over the weekend, they even kept asking me if I had more that they could take for me. I started giving them random things that were easy to add to the boxes they were using. But I was pretty unprepared for being able to give them more boxes. I’ve been using banker boxes for the move and I usually fill them to the point where you can’t put the lid on them. And if they couldn’t be closed, the movers couldn’t take them for me. Of the 3-hour minimum, I barely used 2 hours to move the big pieces of furniture and other things I could give to them.

And now, I’m in the phase where it feels like there is a time crunch to get everything out of the old place and into the condo. I know I have about a week and a half left and a lot of things are being picked up by friends or charities so it won’t seem as bad soon, but it feels like I have so much left to move out of there. I’ve been trying to move stuff every day, but it doesn’t seem like I have made that big of a dent yet. But I know that’s probably my mind playing a trick on me.

I know that as soon as this month is done, the moving stress will have to end. The unpacking and organizing of the new place will probably still be happening and causing me stress, but at least everything will be in one location at that point. And because I have reorganized my old place several times, maybe that will be stress that I’m able to handle a bit better.

I’m trying to manage the stress of moving in the best (and hopefully healthiest) ways that I can. And the biggest thing that I think is helping me is having a very regular routine. I still have to work every day (which is also stressful since I wish I could be working on the move during the day but I can’t). And I go to my workouts in the morning. I also still have the regular evening things that I do throughout the week, although just like work, that is making me stress a bit since I know I could use that time for moving stuff. As much as I’m trying to manage how I’m feeling, I also can feel the effect that the stress is having on my body. It’s tough to not get stressed about that too, but I know there is no point in worrying about how this is affecting me.

I can’t imagine how I would be doing with this all if I didn’t have my regular routines keeping me grounded. Right now, that’s my sanity even though it does cause me a bit more stress because my time is being used for other things. But I can’t wait until this time is done so I can be past the stress of moving and can get back to the regular stress that I’m used to in my day to day life.

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Getting More Moving Help From My Friends (or Seeing Things Come Together)

Posted on April 19, 2022 | Comments Off on Getting More Moving Help From My Friends (or Seeing Things Come Together)

I know I’ve seen memes about how you know you are getting old when you are willing to pay for movers to do your entire move and you don’t ask friends for help or do it yourself. For the most part, I do agree with that idea. I’ve always had movers whenever I have moved since moving big and heavy furniture isn’t something I have always wanted to do. But in a way, I have used movers less and less with each move.

This time, since I’m only moving 3 blocks, I’m doing a lot of the moving myself. I’ve been bringing a few boxes over every day and I don’t have to worry too much about packing things properly. For example, with my dishes and glassware, I put things into banker boxes and didn’t put any bubble wrap or protection around them. I didn’t fill each box that much and I used the handcart to move them from the car to my condo. I know this isn’t the way it’s normally done, but it’s worked for me so far. I did a similar thing when I moved from my last apartment to the place I’ve been in for the last 12 years, but I did let the movers move more things that time since it was a close move but not as close as this time.

I’m still leaving a lot of the heavy lifting for the movers, but there have been a few things I needed to do before the movers. The heaviest thing was getting my bed over there. I wrote about doing that before because it was pretty crazy how heavy those boxes were and I was really proud of myself for being able to do that with my workout coach. But that was only the first part of getting the bed to the condo.

Because of the overlap between my last month in my rental and when the condo was supposed to be done, I’ve had a lot of flexibility regarding when I would actually be moving in and sleeping at the condo. But I knew I wanted to have the bed ready the day I had the movers coming in case I wanted to sleep there that night. I knew I wouldn’t want to build it after a big moving day, so I asked my friends to see who might be willing to help me. I don’t like asking for help, but I knew that there were a few steps with the bed that needed an extra set of hands.

Fortunately, my friend (and birthday twin) Joanna was willing to help me out. I knew this was a big ask of a friend, and I was so grateful she could help me. I knew she was going through some renovation stuff with her place too and I wanted to hear how it was going and I knew she wanted to see my place since she hadn’t been over yet. So after work last week, she was able to come over and help me figure out how to set up my new bed.

It ended up being a little more complicated than we thought (I think most things are like that), so we had to figure out how to do some of the steps differently than how the instructions described. And we had to keep moving different pieces around the room to make space for us to do the work. It was pretty funny seeing all the weird ways we made it work, but we figured it out and I’m happy with how it looks! And then because the mattress I bought is a hybrid foam and spring mattress, we rolled it out and watched it fluff up right in front of us. And when we were done, I think we were both pretty proud of what we did!

I really didn’t think it was going to be as tough to put together as it was, so I was even more grateful that Joanna was willing to help me out. It’s tough for me to ask friends to help me with things, especially when they are tasks like putting together things or moving when I know I could hire someone. But having a friend come by did make the evening more fun and we had a chance to be silly.

And now, my room is really starting to look like a bedroom and not just a blank space. It’s another step closer to making the condo look like my condo and my home and seeing my bed there made me even more excited about living in that space soon!

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Some Real World Results From My Workouts (or Only Moving A Few Heavy Things)

Posted on April 14, 2022 | Comments Off on Some Real World Results From My Workouts (or Only Moving A Few Heavy Things)

Even though it would be cheaper for me to move things to the condo on my own, I know that it will be much easier for me to hire movers. I’m not planning on using movers for everything. As I mentioned before I have started to move things over and store them away so that they are there when I finally move. And because I have quite a bit of an overlap of when I can move, it’s easy enough for me to take a few boxes of things each day, empty them where I can, and then repeat the next day. So that’s been my life for this week and will probably continue to be through the rest of this month.

But for the heavy furniture, I have hired movers. This is just going to make my life easier because I know that it would be hard to move my couch, dresser, or furniture like that. And because my move isn’t that far and I won’t be having the movers take too much, I know that it’s very likely that I won’t have to spend more money than the minimum for the moving company (the standard seems to be 3 hours and I feel like my stuff should be moved within that amount of time).

But there have been a few heavy things that I had to move ahead of the movers being there. The heaviest was my new bed. I found a nice bed that I wanted to get and because I ordered it a few weeks ago it was delivered to my current place. I also got a new mattress since I decided it would be something nice to have when I’m living somewhere new. But the boxes that those things came in were very heavy. The bed was about 150 pounds and the mattress was about 120 pounds. And they were giant boxes so I couldn’t put them in my car even if I wanted to.

The original plan was for my parents to help me out, but that didn’t work out since they didn’t come to LA. And I knew I wanted to get them to the condo before I had movers so I could set up my bed and sleep there the day I move without having to put everything together that day. So I had to see if I could think of someone who was strong and had a big enough car to help me out. And I thought of one of my workout coaches who I know drives a truck. So I asked him if he’d be willing to help me, and he agreed. I was so grateful he could help me and we were able to move those boxes this past weekend.

I don’t know if most of my other friends would have been able to help me. These boxes were so heavy and awkward and even with having someone as strong as my coach help me they were not easy to move. But we got them into my room and hopefully I’ll be able to build the bed with a friend before I have the movers there. I’m still working on that.

But besides moving the heavy boxes that I was expecting to move, I had one other unexpectedly heavy box I moved on my own. Although it shouldn’t have been unexpected if I really thought about it. I moved all my workout stuff to the condo the other day and they all fit really nicely into one box.

I knew the box would be heavy, but I didn’t think too much about it. But it was a tough one to get in and out of my car. And even though I have a little hand cart to move things, even using that was really difficult. I finally got it inside and was thinking about it and I realize how heavy this one box was. I had 2 adjustable weights (that were 25 pounds each), 2 hand weights that were 10 pounds each, and a medicine ball that was 12 pounds. The other things in there weren’t that heavy and didn’t add that much weight to the box. But for just the weighted things, that’s 82 pounds in that box! That’s even heavier than half of the box that had my bed!

I did regret moving this heavy of a box after because my arms were really sore, but I am glad I got it moved and that’s done with. And I know that it wouldn’t have been possible if I wasn’t working out as much as I do. I don’t get a lot of chances to see my strength outside of my workouts, but moving all these heavy boxes made it really obvious how much stronger I am now compared to before. I never could have moved a box that was over 80 pounds without my workouts. And I did feel really accomplished after getting that done.

I don’t think there will be any other extremely heavy things I need to move on my own. There will be things like my dishes and pots and pans that will be a bit heavy and probably awkward boxes to move, but there will be nothing close to these crazy boxes that I thankfully am done with.

It’s getting closer and closer to when I’m moving and I can’t wait to share with you all what my place looks like after the renovation is finally done!

 

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Moving So Much Yet So Little (or Continuing To Decide What I Really Want)

Posted on April 13, 2022 | Comments Off on Moving So Much Yet So Little (or Continuing To Decide What I Really Want)

I feel like I’ve been cleaning out my stuff for so long. As soon as I knew I would be looking for a new place, I started to see what I had and wouldn’t want to take with me. It’s been a slow process, but I’ve been getting it done bit by bit. And as I’ve started to pack things, it’s another chance to reevaluate everything that I have and make decisions about what I will bring with me.

I’m honestly surprised by how much I’m getting rid of. But this is probably very overdue since I don’t get rid of a lot of stuff that often. And after living in my current place for over 12 years, I’ve accumulated a lot of things. Just recently, I packed up all my shoes except what I think I will need to wear for the next week or so. And while I was doing that, I feel like I got rid of about half the shoes in my closet. If there was a pair I know I won’t wear again, I didn’t keep it. If they were damaged beyond the point that I would want to repair them, they were gone. And for all the shoes I said I would keep, I tried them all on just to make sure I like how they all fit. There was only 1 pair that I got rid of because of how they fit me, but I’m glad I at least confirmed that all the shoes I kept are ones that are comfortable. And I do know that I have a few gaps in my shoe wardrobe that I will need to fix, but I’d rather look for a new pair than wear a pair that I’m unhappy with.

I’m slowly taking things over to the condo. As I’ve mentioned before, there aren’t a lot of places to store things right now that won’t be in the way. The only place I’m currently storing things is in my closet (as soon as the guest room closet has the new door on it, I will probably store things in there too). Right now, I have all of my artwork except for the piece that is too big to fit in my car, shoes, purses, DVDs, files from my filing cabinet, and books.

I know I got rid of a lot of physical books since I mainly read things on my Kindle. I kept the books that mean something to me, but looking at the pile in my closet feels like I don’t have that many books. But again, I know that I can buy new books that I want to have in the future and that not moving the ones that were just taking up space was the right thing to do.

My current place feels really weird because in one way it feels like I haven’t moved anything yet. But also it feels like I’ve moved so much. I think this might be because I am not moving everything and most of the things I have moved over were inside of cabinets and not super visible. So my entertainment center or desk still look the same as they did before, but they are empty inside since things are now piled up in my closet.

I am taking advantage of having a few weeks to move everything so I am also storing things around my house that I want to think about and still need to decide if I want to move. I know that I need to start picking up the pace because I do need to make arrangements for some things (such as having Habitat for Humanity come to get furniture that I haven’t found someone else to take). And I’m sure once I have movers take my big furniture pieces and I can really see what is left, I’ll be making a lot of choices about what is going to move and what is going to go. I’m lucky that I am only moving a few blocks away so it’s very easy for me to bring things over when I know I want to take them with me. And that’s what I’ll be doing a lot of for the next week and a half!

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Starting To Move In (or Taking The Roadrunner To The Condo)

Posted on April 12, 2022 | Comments Off on Starting To Move In (or Taking The Roadrunner To The Condo)

The renovation of my condo is still finishing up, but we are finally to the finish line! There were some delays that made it last longer than expected, but almost all of those delays have been resolved and most things are either done or scheduled to be done in the next few days. And there will probably be some things on a touch-up list to do, but as of now, the plan is for me to move most of my stuff to the condo this coming weekend!

Because of all the renovation work, I want to get my place cleaned by a cleaning service before I really move in. I want it to feel fresh and clean before I start setting things up. I’m working on the timing of it all, but I hope that I can schedule a cleaning for Saturday, and then I’ll have the movers on Sunday. And then I’ll have about 2 weeks of being able to move the rest of my stuff over. I’ve been working on packing up my stuff and I have a lot in boxes and bags right now, but until the other day, I didn’t really start bringing anything over. I don’t want to have a ton of stuff that cleaners would have to work around.

But the closet in my room is pretty much a safe space for me to put things right now. Yes, the floor probably needs to still be cleaned, but I think I can clean that on my own if I need to. So I’ve been slowly putting things into my closet to store so I can get them out of my current place. So far, I’ve only moved the hangers from my closet, my shoes, my purses, and most of the artwork that I have had hanging up in my house. But having my artwork over there has been something that really made it seem real that I will be living there soon.

Nothing is hung up on my walls yet because I still need to decide where most things will go and my parents offered to help me when they are in LA next. But there are a few pieces that I have a good idea where they will live. One is a canvas that has been above my desk and I know that it will go in my new office (maybe above my desk but maybe somewhere else. And the other is a piece that I have always called The Roadrunner.

This piece was something that was in my grandparents’ kitchen for most of my life. My brother, cousins, and I called it The Roadrunner because it reminded us of the cartoon character. I don’t think everyone saw that, but it has always looked like that to me. When my grandpa died and my grandma moved to assisted living, she couldn’t hang all of their artwork up so a lot of pieces went to different family members. I didn’t get this piece originally, but my parents were going to store it and I noticed it and asked if I could take it home. And it’s lived next to my dining room table since I got it.

But as soon as I knew I got the condo, I knew I wanted this piece to be in my living room above the fireplace. So when I moved my artwork to the condo, I put everything into the closet at first except this piece. I haven’t hung it up, but I wanted to see how it would look in the spot that I thought it should go in.

And honestly, I think it’s perfect there. It will be much more centered when it’s hung up, but it’s really the exact size of what should go up there. And it will be a focus of the room, which I love. I didn’t pick paint colors around the art that I have, but I think if I had done that, this would be the wall color that I would have picked.

I love all the artwork that I’ve had in my current place and I’m very happy that I will be able to put them all up in the condo soon. But having this piece leaning against the wall, even if it was only to take a photo before I had to put it into the closet to keep it safe, really made this feel like my place and the start of the condo being mine and not just a construction zone or something that will be mine eventually.

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Working On Selling Some Things (or Trying To Have Good Karma)

Posted on April 8, 2022 | Comments Off on Working On Selling Some Things (or Trying To Have Good Karma)

Part of my preparation for moving has been going through my things and seeing what I really want to move and what I don’t need anymore. A lot of the things I don’t need anymore are things that are just going into the trash or recycling. I’m finding a ton of paperwork that I don’t need but have had saved because I didn’t go through my files before. I have a lot of random things, especially at my desk, that have just been here forever and I don’t feel like I care if I have them or not. And of course, I have gone through my closet multiple times to sort through things and get rid of what I don’t want to take with me (but for clothes, those have been donated and not trashed). I feel like I’ve gotten rid of quite a bit but also that I still have so much left. But I know that can’t be true.

But for some of the things I’m not taking with me, I’m selling them. I went through my furniture and belongings and have found things that don’t need to be used anymore. A good example is this cabinet/entertainment center thing that my old roommate at my last apartment got for us so we could use it for extra kitchen storage. After he moved out and I got new roommates, that stayed and I kept it and moved it into my current place. I used it in my kitchen as well since it fits perfectly between my stove and fridge and it’s been necessary storage for me in a tiny kitchen. But since my new kitchen is a very different design and I don’t need that type of cabinet anywhere, I can get rid of it.

I started listing things in various online groups to sell. I’m not really trying to make a profit and for a lot of things, I listed them for just $5. I didn’t want to list them for free because I wanted to make sure the person who said they will take them will show up. So by listing it for $5, I feel like they are a bit more serious. And it’s been a slow process but I’m finding new homes for things bit by bit. The first thing that was picked up was my a/c unit, although I’m slightly regretting that now since it’s so hot in LA. But I’m glad it was picked up so that’s one less thing on my list.

And this week, I finally got a buyer for my old headboard and footboard. This set came from my parents because it was part of the included furniture when they got their first place in Tahoe. I never used the footboard, but I’ve been using the headboard for over 13 years now. And while I do love them, I got a new bed setup for my new place so I needed these to go.

Even though I hoped listing things for $5 would help to find a buyer, I did have some trouble finding someone. Some people didn’t read the listing and thought they were for a different-sized bed. Or they wanted it to include other things I wasn’t selling. But I did get a buyer who understood what I was selling and could come to pick them up. And just like a few other things I’m selling, I listed them for $5 but I knew I wasn’t going to ask for the money. So when the buyer came to get them, they got them and then tried to pay me the money. I told her that she could have them for free and explained why I listed them for $5 and not for free originally. And the smile on her face when she found out they were free was so worth it.

She told me a bit of her story and how she wanted something nice for her bedroom but couldn’t afford it. She was worried that my listing was a scam because these were so nice but listed for so little. I told her that I just wanted them to go to someone who could use them and I wasn’t trying to make a profit since I technically didn’t pay for them. And she was seriously so grateful and happy that she was getting something that she really wanted and was looking for at no cost. She was already happy when they were listed for $5, but getting them for free was that much better.

I wasn’t doing this to be a good person or anything like that, I just need some of my things out of my house and wanted to find buyers. But I did feel good after this and really am glad I found the perfect person to take them. And if this somehow gives me some good karma points for my upcoming move, all the better!

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A Few Delays With My Monthly Challenge (or This Month, I Will Be Moving)

Posted on April 1, 2022 | Comments Off on A Few Delays With My Monthly Challenge (or This Month, I Will Be Moving)

When I set my monthly challenge last month, I said that I thought I would be either moving or close to moving during March. And that’s why I wanted to set my challenge to be about getting back onto a cleaning schedule. As I have started to pack things up in my house, it has also been getting messier. There are a lot of things making cleaning tough, but I also know I was using that as an excuse. So I wanted to try to clean things as much as I could.

And I think I did a good job with getting back to doing speed cleans every day. Some days I was able to do more than one speed clean in a day. Even though my house is getting crowded with boxes and things all over the place, I am still trying to pick things up when I can and try to keep the craziness as organized as I can. I am also still anxious because my house feels messy with the clutter, but at least doing some of my regular cleanings helps with that feeling a bit. I was hoping that this past month would somehow help me feel like the boxes all over weren’t making it as messy as it felt, but that was just a feeling I couldn’t get over.

This month, I am for sure moving! I submitted my 30-day notice to my landlord so I will have to be out of my current place by the end of the month. I’m also working on scheduling cleaners (I want to clean the condo before I move in because of all the renovation dust) and movers. I think I’ll be able to move in around the middle of the month, so I’ll have time to clean up my current place after everything is moved out before my landlord takes my keys.

And because this month is going to be busy with packing, moving, and cleaning; I’m going to make the monthly challenge one that isn’t really too hard for me. My challenge for April is going to be to move out of my home for over 12 years into my new condo. Obviously, this is going to have to happen because of the notice I gave. But it’s going to be a challenge no matter what. I’ve been going through things that I have and seeing what I really want to move with me. It’s hard to pick through 12 years of a place and really consider if I need it. I’ve held on to a lot of things over the years, and I don’t need to take stuff that will just be put into a drawer and never needed.

I am hiring movers to help me with some of my big furniture, but I also plan on moving a lot of things myself. I don’t have a ton of boxes, but I have a few and I also bought some moving bags that are similar to Ikea shopping bags. If I pack up all the boxes and bags I have, I can drive over to the new place, unpack them without necessarily organizing everything, and then drive back and pack them up again and do more than one carload in a day. I will have to be flexible with how I move, but my idea is to do 2-3 carloads one day after work and then the next day not bring anything else over and just put away everything that I moved the day before. I have no clue if this method will work or make things more stressful, so I’ll just have to see how it goes.

When I have the movers, I will be moving all the big things and then I will probably be living over at the condo more than in my current place. But I will have some flexibility because I am selling the bed I have now and already purchased a new one for the condo. So if I moved all my furniture but for some reason needed to not stay there for a night or two, I will be ok doing that. It won’t be convenient, but it’s an option. But that’s why I want to move as much as I can as soon as I can so my things are over there by the time my furniture is.

I can’t be sure that I will have everything put away and organized by the end of this month, but I’m going to try my best. I know how stressed I am living in a disorganized space, and I don’t want to extend that more than I need to. But I do know that I will have to complete this challenge because there is no other option for me. I will be moved to the condo by the end of the month and I will need to clean my current place as much as I can so my landlord doesn’t deduct cleaning fees from my deposit.

I can’t wait to be in my condo and I can’t believe that I’m almost living there. This has felt like it has taken so long since I knew my current place was going to be sold back in August. I know that it really hasn’t been that long considering everything, but I’m ready to be done with this in-between time and onto the next phase of my life in LA!

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Default ThumbnailA Transition Of What Feels Like Home (or Getting Even Closer To Moving) Default ThumbnailPlanning For The Future In A Few Ways (or Connecting One Monthly Challenge To Another) Default ThumbnailUnexpected Challenges To My Monthly Challenge (or I’ll Be Planning More This Month) Default ThumbnailA Failed Monthly Challenge (or I’m Possibly Going To Fail Again This Month) Default ThumbnailOne Step Closer To Moving (or My First HOA Meeting) Default ThumbnailMonthly Challenge Check-In (or Doing My Own Version Of An OTF Challenge This Month)

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A Transition Of What Feels Like Home (or Getting Even Closer To Moving)

Posted on March 24, 2022 | Comments Off on A Transition Of What Feels Like Home (or Getting Even Closer To Moving)

It feels like I’ve been getting ready to move for months now. In a sense, that is accurate. It’s been almost 5 months since we closed on the condo. But the renovation is only been happening for about 7 weeks now, so it hasn’t been as long as it feels and we are still somewhat on schedule. I think things won’t be done exactly on time, but that is to be expected and it should only be maybe an extra week longer than what we were hoping.

But I have been preparing to move pretty much since we have closed on the condo, and that is just continuing to ramp up. I have been getting rid of stuff as often as I can and I have started to list things for sale that I know I won’t be taking with me. Some of the sales are taking longer than I would like, but I know that I have time. And there are other sales that I have to delay, like selling my current mattress, since I am still using those things. But there has been progress and I also have had progress with getting the stuff for my new place. Right now, I have boxes of things all over my house. My new bed is in a box next to my mattress. My new mattress is in my living room. I have my new barstools next to my dining room table. I don’t love having all these boxes all over, especially because it’s making it tough to clean, but I know it’s temporary and it’s a sign that I’m getting closer to moving. But as I add more boxes and box up my current stuff, my home for the past 12 years doesn’t feel exactly like my home anymore.

But as my current place feels less like my home, my condo is feeling more like the place I have helped to design. There are still some big things that need to happen. But this week they have been painting and the guest bathroom has been getting all the tile installed. And the kitchen cabinets are coming in soon too! The list of things that needs to still be done isn’t too long, but it’s a lot of the stuff that will make the biggest impact.

As I see more things coming together, I am getting more excited about moving and feel more certain that everything I decided on was the right choice. It was overwhelming picking things like tile and paint, but when I thought I found the right thing I felt pretty good about what I picked. But until it was put up, you never know. But as I watch things happening, I know I picked the right stuff and that this is really going to be the perfect home for me.

I’m really getting antsy to move, and it will be coming up next month. It will have to be next month since I’m putting in my 30-day notice to my landlord! I’m getting closer and closer to the end of this transition and I can’t wait until I’m done and can just look back at this time instead of living through it.

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Feeling A Bit Unsettled (or I’ve Written About This A Lot)

Posted on February 4, 2022 | Comments Off on Feeling A Bit Unsettled (or I’ve Written About This A Lot)

For about 6 months now, my living situation has felt like it was in a bit of limbo. I found out my current place was being sold which put me into a bit of a tailspin. My parents and I decided that looking for a condo was the right next move, and then it was a few months of looking at places and open houses. And each time I looked at a new place, I tried to imagine living there. There was one condo on the first day of looking that we almost put an offer on, but something just didn’t feel right. And then when I found the right place, there was the escrow period and then preparing for the renovation. So since August when I learned my current place was being sold, I felt like I was getting ready to move but also unsure of when that would be happening.

Even now, I have a better idea of when I will be moving and I’m finally starting to make preparations but I still don’t have an exact move date. I can’t hire movers yet, but I also don’t want to keep putting things away in my current house because I know they need to go into boxes soon. I also have done very little packing, but I worry that if I don’t start doing it soon, I will be packing at the very last minute and that will be stressful. And at the same time, I don’t want to live somewhere that is just filled with boxes.

I also have been looking for some new furniture I want to have in my new place and have been making choices about what I don’t want to take from my current place. But I also can’t exactly sell things now that I don’t want because I still need them. I’m trying to sell the things I can sell now, but that’s not much compared to what I will need to sell.

This feeling of being unsettled has been a way of life for me for about 6 months, and I wish I was over it already. But every time I get past one thing that makes me feel this way, another thing comes up. But I know we are getting closer to the end of this. The renovation has started and a lot of progress has been made in just the first few days. And things are continuing along at a great pace. I have been joking that once the renovation finally starts I will probably be shocked at how fast that is compared to everything else, and I think I was right. Every day so far this week, major steps have been happening. And in the next week, I know a lot of the materials are going to be picked up so that will make there be even more dramatic changes.

I know this time is temporary and I am extremely lucky that this is how I am moving. Not everyone has this opportunity and I’m extremely grateful. But even with being this grateful, it can still be stressful and I’m trying to be ok with feeling like that and not being guilty that everything doesn’t seem happy and easy for me. And accepting those feelings is important for me to work through them so I can focus on the happier and more positive feelings and try to start being even more excited about everything that is coming up for me with this move and being in a new place that I helped to design!

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One Step Closer To Moving (or My First HOA Meeting)

Posted on January 25, 2022 | Comments Off on One Step Closer To Moving (or My First HOA Meeting)

When my parents and I started condo hunting, our original plan was to find a place that didn’t really need any work so that I could just move right in. And while the condo we got technically didn’t need work in order for me to live there, there were things we knew we wanted to fix. One of the bathrooms needed new tile because there was some old grout that was making the tile loose. The kitchen cabinets were not closing properly and were sagging so I couldn’t put heavier things in some of the cabinets. The floors had marks on them and there were 4 different types of floors. None of these things made the condo unlivable, but since it’s easier to do the work before I move in and I wasn’t being kicked out of my current place, we decided to do just that.

And if we had bought a house and not a condo, things probably would have moved along faster. When looking for a contractor, several that we reached out to said they do not do work on condos. And once we hired a contractor, we had to submit a proposal for all the work to the HOA to be approved. We knew this would be the process and it’s one of the things that some people might not like about a condo. But for what we were looking for, a condo was a much better option than a single family home. So we followed the rules and submitted everything that we needed to.

And last week, the HOA had their meeting and approving my remodel was on the agenda. The meeting was held over Zoom, so my parents could attend (since they are co-owners with me, it was more than just as support). And the HOA board was nice and changed the agenda around a bit to move discussing my remodel earlier so we could do that without sitting through the rest of the meeting.

They had all received the proposal we submitted, and for the most part everything was fine. There were a few things they misunderstood, but we were able to clear it up. We have to submit an addendum with some clarifications, but it’s mainly to put in some very specific details. Such as one area where we are removing cabinets we had to add that we were not doing anything structural but just cosmetic. But nothing about the actual remodel has to be changed or wasn’t approved.

We didn’t get the final approval at the meeting, but we got conditional approval since we have to submit our addendum. And once that is submitted and confirmed, then we can finally start on the remodel!

I’m hoping that as soon as we submit our addendum, the contractor we hired can start right away. We know he might have taken on another small project while waiting for this approval, so we might have to wait. But I’m hoping that we do not have to wait too long. And while I wish we had already started, because we had to order quite a few things, this delay allowed us to order everything and for them to arrive. So once the work starts, hopefully there won’t be any more delays while waiting for things such as appliances.

I think that once the work starts, it will finally hit me that I’m moving. Right now, I’m still in a bit of limbo with an unknown date when I will finally be out of my current place. But things are moving forward and I think once the work starts it will feel like it’s moving quickly and move-in day will be here before I know it!

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