Moving In - The Not So Practicalities

This time two weeks ago I moved in to my new place and my last post was about the practical side of moving in but moving out of your family home for the first time is not really about being practical. It's more about the crazy raft of emotions and thoughts that follow. It all still feels very surreal, the fact that it's been two weeks since I have even stepped foot in my old room just doesn't seem to compute. 

I have only ever lived in two other places my whole life, both of them on the same site, one of them the caravan when I was born and then when the bungalow was built that was it. It's getting used to the stairs as I've always lived on a single level, getting used to the cabinet in the kitchen that you have to open & close the doors in a certain order, having carpet in my bedroom rather than laminate, showering in a cubicle rather than a bath. And they are all so little that you wouldn't even think you would notice them. I still have all the same bedroom furniture, the same ornaments and trinkets and yet they look so different. And those little things do matter

When people ask how it is I don't know what to say. I say amazing, great, fun, strange, quiet... and it's all those things and more. There are so many things about living with someone who aren't your family that I hadn't even considered before. My room mate is one of my best friends so to be honest in some ways it is probably easier than a stranger because we know each other. She knows that I am fussy about food and get moody after a long day at work. But then we also have more to lose, you can't fall out over things like who last washed up or stupid inconsequential things like that because what is that in comparison to a friendship. 

Also to note that on the practical side of things I kind of didn't follow my own advice. I took no pictures - just bundled everything in - still haven't taken a picture in this place! And I just crawled into an unmade bed that has some clothes I need to put away on the end of it! Do as I say people not as I do.

Moving In - The Practicalities

When you move in make sure you have a detailed inventory that you agree with. If one isn't supplied do one and give it to your landlord/rental provider and make sure they agree. This way you won't be paying for any damage that was there when you arrived.

Take pictures throughout the property - this proves how you received the property and that you left it the way you got it. Pictures don't lie (OK I know that they can lie but in this case pictures don't lie!!)

Make sure you have contents insurance - if anything goes wrong then this will be your life line.

Make sure your furniture fits - so far I have held off ordering a new sofa as I'm not sure what will fit up the stairs. At the moment I'm still not sure if some of my furniture will fit into my bedroom but as I already had it and I'm moving out of my parents house, literally 10 minutes down the road, I don't need to panic about this too much. If it really doesn't fit then it will just have to come back.

Take meter readings - work out how to take meter readings

Pack essentials like toilet roll, tea, coffee etc. separately. Also pack some clothes & pyjamas away from your main clothes as honestly the last thing you want to do when you move is unpack all of your clothes and put them in your wardrobe.

Check that the sink is properly connected and when you empty the water from the sink at 10pm that water doesn't pour all into the cupboard under the sink, the floor and pretty much everywhere because yeah that's pretty annoying and you will swear.

Start as you mean to go on - make your bed, wash up, put things away. Be a grown up

Any tips you have for moving in?

Moving Out - The Prep

A few weeks ago me and my best friend made the decision that we were moving in together(and you can read the post out about that decision here) and now the week has finally come where we actually make the big move. She has moved away from home before as she went to uni but this will be the first time I have lived anywhere else other than home so yeah you could say I have no idea what I am doing! So if this is your first time moving out then read on and hopefully I can help (and if this isn't then please continue to read on for my naivety)

Packing

It's amazing how much stuff I have! I only have one smallish room at home but seem to have enough clothes to start my own clothes store and enough books to start a library (although these would tend towards the chunkier lady and crime books and I am not willing to part with any of them so a pretty awful shop if I am honest) I am pretty lucky that I am moving from my parents so don't have to be out by a set date but I do have to empty all my furniture so that it can be moved as moving a solid wood wardrobe full of clothes & books would require the services of the Hulk. 
I decided to get all my packing requirements from Big Yellow Self Storage. They had packs of boxes put together with bubble wrap and tape which gave you a discount if you were going to buy them separately and I thought was reasonable value (although this is the first time I have ever brought a box so I'm probably not the best judge!) I have wrapped everything in bubble wrap that I even think might break and I'm pretty convinced I will break something because I'm a klutz!
I think the main idea behind good packing is to pack your rooms in separate boxes but as my friend won't let me help her pack her shopping because I just throw everything in, I have followed this idea loosely. As the house I am moving into is quite little I don't think it is going to matter that much but will let you know when I try to unpack

Grown Up Stuff

This includes to me stuff that I don't normally think about - bills, budgeting, insurance, tv licenses and probably a million other things I haven't even thought of yet. Council tax, water meters and stairs are all a foreign feature to me. The only thing I have managed to sort so far is the contents insurance which is all set up relatively pain free so fingers crossed for everything else being as simple.

The Essentials

I've been slowly building up my bottom drawer for a year or so now and I thought I had accumulated a reasonable amount of items but until you actually write down what you need you don't realise how much stuff you actually need in a house ... and how much it costs!! However there are essentials and then there are ESSENTIALS!! Potentially the Laura Ashley cushion I brought yesterday on my essentials shopping trip may not be considered an essential by some but it was blue and pretty and 30% off so pretty essential to me! Buying of toilet cleaner, dish cloths and peelers wasn't as fun as cushion shopping but still essential. As my dad is helping me move the main essential is tea making facilities as I will be left by myself if I don't provide this. It's a good idea to make sure stuff you will need access to is actually accessible to you and not packed at the bottom of a box that you really cannot be bothered to unpack. Also REMEMBER TOILET ROLL!


Panic Stations

Yes I am panicking a little bit but that's ok. Panic means you care but if you are panicking too much then just step back. My panic happened about twenty minutes ago when I had filled two suitcases with clothes and still have a nearly full wardrobe to pack away. Instead of having a meltdown I stopped took a breath logged onto my blog and put it all into some perspective. To start with I think I majorly underestimated the amount of time it would take mainly due to the fact I have majorly underestimated the amount of stuff I own so it's a good idea to give yourself more time than you thought you would need.

In 24 hours time I will have started the big time so wish me luck and any last minute tips are gratefully received!! 

What I'm Going to Miss About Home

I move out in less than two weeks and I'm excited and nervous and this all still seems rather surreal. Since the decision was made moving out date has come round incredibly fast and I still don't feel even close to being prepared or having the stuff sorted that I need! So instead of packing or sorting contents insurance I have decided to write a post about what I'm going to miss about home.

- That clean washing sometimes just wonderfully turns up in my room all folded & neat (unfortunately it never puts itself away in my wardrobe so there it stays for quite a while!!)

- Being woken up with meows & a cold nose in the morning (the new house doesn't have a garden & Felix will never be an inside cat). Also not being able to move my legs during the night so not to disturb him and not being able to walk anywhere without getting tripped up.

- Seeing my siblings nearly every day, hearing about their day, being there on the morning of their birthdays, the little things. 

- Eating said siblings left over pizza because you know that food that is leftover has no calories and obviously that is how I keep my svelte figure

- Having my Dad here to fix things, know how to sort things & just watching him sleeping on the sofa with his favourite dog. Also I would miss things like this artistic piece. It's a contender for next year's Turner Prize.

- Mumma Hen cooking dinner - it's pretty good when you can't be arsed to even think of what to eat let along cook it after working for 11 hours. Also when the food tastes crap the only person I will have to blame is myself

- That when my siblings get brought chocolate then so do I. I have a perfectly good Twirl in my bag, my Mum brought me a Flake and my sister got me some bloody fantastic cocoa fudge from Hotel Chocolat

I wish this was all I am going to miss but you have to grow up sometime and now is my time. What did you miss most when you moved out from home?

Moving Out - The Decision

So I finally made the big decision and with my best friend we have decided to move out and rent a little place of our own. You have no idea how hard it is to find rental properties until you start looking for them. I mean maybe you would have more luck if you were looking in the big towns & cities but when it's deep dark Suffolk affordable rental properties are very few and far between. 

Every place we looked at online was either extortionately expensive or looked like it had last been redecorated about 40 years ago and since then had had a dirty sweaty man rolling about the place who hadn't heard of deodorant or a vacuum cleaner or unfortunately both. Also more money out here just means more bedrooms or more acres not anything more modern, cleaner, sturdy kitchen cabinets or a white bathroom suite!

I'm also blaming Pinterest because this board has given me a totally unrealistic expectation of what my house should look like!

 My perfect house seems to be white with lots of natural light, wood and antique tiles and a kitchen that's the size of a small town. And while I am not completely willing to give up on the dream of a Pinterest worthy house I have to admit that it's probably not going to happen in my first place unless I win the lottery (which I don't even enter!)

We both spent a lot of time on Rightmove & Zoopla. I have no idea how people found houses before the internet but if I had had to sit in an estate agents and view all the pictures of the places I have viewed from the comfort of my bed I think I would have gone on a crazy rampage! 

I think a lot of finding the perfect place is a mixture of luck & compromise. It's seeing the right pictures at the right time. Good properties go so quick around here and properties that look like my Pinterest board are actually non existent. To be honest looking felt a little like a game, it felt unreal but we have found a place and are looking at putting the deposit down.

So yeah I am scared, I'm nervous and I'm really excited but the decision has been made - I'm moving out!!