Grab some snacks, because this is a long one! But, if you want to hear about my moving experience, living on an air mattress, and what moving company to never book with, this is for you!
Click here to read Tuesday’s post, “How to Prepare for a Long Distance Move.”
Getting the Keys
After staying in a Airbnb for a week, I finally got the keys to my unit. After hauling my suitcase and couple of other bags into my apartment, I was left with a bit of a problem. I did not think this through enough.
I did order an air mattress and arranged it the building manager so that it was waiting for me when I got to my unit. I’m sure not all people will have someone as understanding as she was. I also had the foresight to pack bedding. I got a free set of sheets with my mattress, including two pillows. So I washed the sheets at home and kept the pillow compressed in its original packaging and threw that into my suitcase.
But that was it. I had shower stuff, but no shower curtain or rod… it was on the truck. Same with plates, cups, silverware, paper towels- literally everything. I managed to do a grocery store run and a target run that first day. And I soon realized why the entrance to my apartment building was filled with boxes- I’d have to carry anything I bought. So I ended up ordering online things I didn’t need that night- laundry detergent, etc. Even now, I often find myself at Safeway thinking, ‘how heavy is all this going to be?’
I was so exhausted that I slept great that night. Which is surprising considering the flimsy blinds that the unit had didn’t block out much light- and I’m facing the street. I’ve since gotten blackout curtains, and they are amazing. But it was a rough couple of weeks before I got them put up.
Finally Truck Day
I was in the apartment living on my air mattress for almost 3 weeks. It was fine at first. But by the third week, I was starting to lose it. I wasn’t sleeping well, I had no place to work, and I was staring at blank walls all day. By the time I got the call saying that my stuff would be there, I was so relieved. I did have this bad feeling, but I ignored it. I was so ready for an actual bed!
Parking
It was 8am, and my apartment building is on a fairly busy one-way street. The day before, the driver called to talk about the parking and logistics. He asked me to block off the street so that the truck could park right in front of the building and that I should park my car there to block it all off. Obviously, that wasn’t going to happen. Not to mention that my little Corolla wouldn’t block off the space that an 18-wheeler required.
I was told by the building manager that he could sit with his hazards on, and use cones the building has. Or, that the other side of the 2 lane street is a loading zone he could use. Both of those options are what they typically do during move-ins.
My Fault???
Instead, when he got there he decided to knock on the doors to the units that have street entrances asking them to move their cars. He did this for about 10 minutes while I got to stand on the curb, wishing the ground would swallow me whole. And while doing this, he kept pointing to me and saying I didn’t block off the street like I was ‘supposed to.’ Which was just… great.
Except, I was honest with him from the first conversation, and told him that I did not have a car, and there was no way I’d be able to block off parking. But also… the world doesn’t revolve around me? (if you’re someone that’s done that then you kind of suck) But instead, he was kind enough to introduce me to my neighbors that morning… all for him to be told the cars weren’t theirs to begin with. Shocking, I know.
Yes, that was a tangent, but I wanted to share it. Remember this is all 8am, and I am not a morning person. Not a great way to start the day.
Unloading
I eventually showed them my apartment and explained the plan for boxes and where to put things first. They completely finished unloading in a little under 2 hours. Once I looked around, that’s when I knew it was gonna be a rough day. There were boxes piled up everywhere, which obviously would happen. But, the piles towered over me.
Oh- and because I’d been living there for 3 weeks but with no vacuum, there was so much dust and hair everywhere. Ladies, if you have long hair just imagine how much 3 weeks worth of hair would be.
And, I still had to put together my bed so that I could sleep that night. That… that was an experience.
Fitting In a Studio Apartment
My apartment is tiny. It’s 235 sq. feet. It’s completely fine for 1 person, I don’t need much more space. Plus, I have a washer and dryer in my unit. If I could change 1 thing, I’d want a more ‘full size’ kitchen. Mainly, more counter space because I don’t have much and it makes cooking difficult. Most of my cabinets I need to use a 4 step step ladder to reach because I’m so short. It’s annoying yet funny at the same time.
When I was packing, I intentionally packed more than I needed. Not because I wanted to have lots of ‘things,’ but because this studio apartment is not my long term plan. My lease is only for 6 months. I knew I would (hopefully) be moving to a 1 bedroom unit, and most units would have double the amount of space this one does. Luckily I got a storage unit in the building for free. But, I was thinking past these initial 6 months. I didn’t want to pay moving costs multiple times, or have to pay to ship stuff out here later on.
But, I didn’t go out any buy things that I didn’t have, I wasn’t purchasing items just to fill up the truck. I have a full dining set, pretty much any kitchen utensil, pot, pan, etc. that you could ever want. It’s all from items I had in college and from both of my Grandmother’s when they’ve moved. I brought it all. If I didn’t have that dining set, I have more than enough plastic cups, (which I use more than the glasses), and the 75 cent plastic plates and bowls from target are good enough.
The only large apartment purchases were my stepladder for the kitchen and my mattress/bed frame. (Nectar mattresses are amazing btw!)
My bed is on risers, as if it was a dorm room. I have so much storage space underneath it, it was worth it. The maintenance guy told me that I’m the only one in the building who has done that, and my unit is by far the most organized/clean. So… considering how much stuff I brought that should tell you something. There is still a ton of room for more stuff under my bed and in my storage unit.
My Moving Dos and Dont’s
What Held me Back
There were 2 things that held me back all these years- my dogs and my Grandmas. Literally everything else wasn’t a problem for me. My parents and friend can get on a plane if they want to. Facetime is a pretty handy thing to have. And while one of my Grandmas is ‘hip’ (she’s on Facebook ya’ll) and knows how to Facetime and all of that stuff, the other one doesn’t. That has not been easy. The most recent phone call ended with her basically sobbing about being lonely… let’s just say it wasn’t a fun night for me.
Oliver and Rosie… I miss them so much every day. And they don’t understand phone calls or anything like that. They can hear my voice and I’ll see them on the screen but they don’t know it’s me. Or worse, they run around looking for me. That is not getting any easier. Especially Rosie, she is my girl. She knows when I’m sad, anxious, upset, happy- everything. There have been so many times lately when I’m having anxiety attacks that all I can think is ‘I just want to hug my damn dog!’
My Decision
If you’re thinking about moving, think about what you truly want. Make a pros and cons list of living where you’re considering. Simplifying it like that made it clear to me that moving was what I wanted. Unfortunately, it took me 5 years to get the courage to do it. I wish had done it sooner. At the end of the day, fuck everyone else. Do what you want to do.
You could say I moved for pretty selfish reasons. And I can’t argue with that. I did what was best for me. For the first time in my life, I didn’t focus on how it affects other people. It is ok to put yourself first sometimes. I did. And I’m so glad.
Read my previous post, which includes a free copy of my box tracker, here.
After writing this post, and seeing how long it is, I’ve decided to do a full post on just the moving company and my experience with them. Check back next Wednesday for that!
If you’ve made it to the end of this post- thanks for reading! Leave your nightmare moving stories in the comments!
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