Welcome to My New Home: A Personal Journey Through Moving

As I sit here in my new home, surrounded by the chaos of boxes and half-unpacked furniture, I am reminded of just how overwhelming the experience of moving can be. It's no joke, folks - moving is on that list next to death and divorce as a really stressful landmark situation in your life. But with some helpful tips and tricks up my sleeve, I'm here to share what I've learned along the way.

When searching for an apartment, it's essential to make a list of things you absolutely need, things you don't want, and things that are just okay with compromise. For me, absolute necessities included space and light - I lived in a three-room tiny apartment before, and it was challenging to work and produce the amount of content I was producing. Space is crucial for productivity, and natural light is essential for my mood and overall well-being.

As you search for your dream apartment, remember that you won't find every single thing on your list. That's why it's essential to break down your priorities and be flexible. Once you've found a place that meets most of your needs, it's time to make a floor plan. This step is both super fun and incredibly helpful - it allows you to visualize the space in its entirety and get a sense of how everything will fit together.

To create an accurate floor plan, start by sketching out the perimeter of each room with pencil. Take note of where windows are, outlets, radiators, and doors. These details may seem insignificant now, but they'll come into play when it's time to furnish and decorate your space. Don't be afraid to get creative and add in some doodles or notes - this is your chance to dream up the perfect layout.

Next, mark in where you think major pieces of furniture will go. This can help you visualize how everything will fit together and make decisions about what's truly essential. Remember, it's okay if things don't exactly work out as planned - moving is all about compromise and adaptation.

Once you have a solid floor plan in place, it's time to create your pros and cons list. Write down everything that's good about the apartment on one side of the page, and everything that's bad on the other. For me, some of the pros included plenty of space and natural light - but there were also some cons, like limited closet space and windows with subpar views.

When reviewing your list, look for opportunities to create solutions for any perceived drawbacks. In my case, I realized that I couldn't simply "make" more space or harness the sun through walls (although it's tempting!). However, I could get creative with design dilemmas like a bad view by adding plants, artwork, or other decorative elements.

Of course, there are some other tips and tricks up my sleeve when it comes to moving. First and foremost, purge - get rid of as much stuff as possible before you start packing. This will make the process so much easier and less overwhelming. And be smart about weight distribution when packing boxes - you want to keep those things secure and prevent any damage during transit.

If budget allows, hiring movers can be a game-changer. The money you'll save on chiropractic care or massage therapy later down the line is well worth the investment. But even if moving solo, there are still ways to make the process more manageable - like planning for inclement weather (I moved in the middle of a snowstorm, and let me tell you, it was an adventure!).

Finally, remember that moving is just one part of the journey to creating your dream home. There's still plenty of work ahead of us, from unpacking and decorating to getting everything settled into its new space. But with these tips and tricks in hand, I'm ready to take on whatever comes next - and I hope you are too.

"WEBVTTKind: captionsLanguage: enhey everyone welcome back to HGTV handmade with me Meg and welcome to my new home my husband my two dogs and our businesses have all just moved into this great space and it was a huge undertaking a really really big whole messy situation no wonder moving is on that list next to death and divorce of being a really stressful Landmark situation in your life because it's no joke moving is not for the weak or the weary along the way I definitely learned some really helpful information and I stumbled across some moving tips that I just thought I might share with you in case any of you are moving first of all when you're looking for an apartment make a list you want three categories in this list one things you absolutely need number two things that you do not want and number three things that you're a little bit flexible on for example the things that we absolutely had to have I needed space I lived in a three room tiny apartment before it was really challenging to work and produce the amount of videos that I was producing so I need a certain amount of square footage I also need light I need light from the beautiful sun to be streaming in my windows you'll never find a place that has every single thing on your list so that's why it's important to sort of break down your list of things that are the most important things that you don't want and the things that you can be flexible on once you have found the place that you think might be a good match for you but you're trying to make your decision make a floor plan number one this step is super fun and number two it makes it much easier for you to visualize this space being your home in pen create the perimeter of each room make it to scale as best as you can make it clear where windows are Outlets are radiators doors these are all things that are going to come in to the plan of your room and your space in pencil Mark in where you think major pieces of furniture are going to go this can help you visualize an unfamiliar space becoming your home and it might make making that decision of whether to rent or buy that apartment a lot easier next step make a proon list take a note from Laura Li and Rory Gilmore and stick to that procon list write everything down that is good about the apartment on one side and everything that's bad about it on the other side and when you look at that con list if it's something like doesn't have a great view or there aren't too many closets if you see that you can create solutions for that take them off the con list man take them off the con list for this apartment in the pros there was so much space and so much light in the cons not so much closet space a couple of the windows don't have the greatest views but when I looked at the solutions that I could create I can't just make more space nor can I harness the sun to shine through a wall that is not a window but but I can make closets and I can create design dilemma solutions for a bad view so that really helped me make my decision about this place some other easy tips that we've already covered but I'm just going to reiterate are Purge get rid of as much stuff as you can when you pack your boxes be smart about that weight distribution is important if you can afford hiring movers please do so the money that you'll save later at the chiropractor or massage therapist will definitely make it worth you paying for those movers my last tip comes from personal experience I moved in the middle of a snowstorm yeah that was really fun it was super fun cuz it was freezing and we were all slipping and sliding around and there was snow and salt on the boxes and on the mover's shoes so they tracked uh lots of salt and snow into the apartment and I spent most of the first day of moving uh cleaning the hardwood floors so that was fun I suggest moving in the spring I hope that these tips help you along the way during your move it is no no joke man but it's totally worth it when you get an awesome space that you really love and you get to make it your own so stay tuned for lots of really fun design dilemas and DIYs that we'll be doing on this new place and if you missed part two of my apartment tour be sure to check it out on my own channel Mac and I will see you guys next week byehey everyone welcome back to HGTV handmade with me Meg and welcome to my new home my husband my two dogs and our businesses have all just moved into this great space and it was a huge undertaking a really really big whole messy situation no wonder moving is on that list next to death and divorce of being a really stressful Landmark situation in your life because it's no joke moving is not for the weak or the weary along the way I definitely learned some really helpful information and I stumbled across some moving tips that I just thought I might share with you in case any of you are moving first of all when you're looking for an apartment make a list you want three categories in this list one things you absolutely need number two things that you do not want and number three things that you're a little bit flexible on for example the things that we absolutely had to have I needed space I lived in a three room tiny apartment before it was really challenging to work and produce the amount of videos that I was producing so I need a certain amount of square footage I also need light I need light from the beautiful sun to be streaming in my windows you'll never find a place that has every single thing on your list so that's why it's important to sort of break down your list of things that are the most important things that you don't want and the things that you can be flexible on once you have found the place that you think might be a good match for you but you're trying to make your decision make a floor plan number one this step is super fun and number two it makes it much easier for you to visualize this space being your home in pen create the perimeter of each room make it to scale as best as you can make it clear where windows are Outlets are radiators doors these are all things that are going to come in to the plan of your room and your space in pencil Mark in where you think major pieces of furniture are going to go this can help you visualize an unfamiliar space becoming your home and it might make making that decision of whether to rent or buy that apartment a lot easier next step make a proon list take a note from Laura Li and Rory Gilmore and stick to that procon list write everything down that is good about the apartment on one side and everything that's bad about it on the other side and when you look at that con list if it's something like doesn't have a great view or there aren't too many closets if you see that you can create solutions for that take them off the con list man take them off the con list for this apartment in the pros there was so much space and so much light in the cons not so much closet space a couple of the windows don't have the greatest views but when I looked at the solutions that I could create I can't just make more space nor can I harness the sun to shine through a wall that is not a window but but I can make closets and I can create design dilemma solutions for a bad view so that really helped me make my decision about this place some other easy tips that we've already covered but I'm just going to reiterate are Purge get rid of as much stuff as you can when you pack your boxes be smart about that weight distribution is important if you can afford hiring movers please do so the money that you'll save later at the chiropractor or massage therapist will definitely make it worth you paying for those movers my last tip comes from personal experience I moved in the middle of a snowstorm yeah that was really fun it was super fun cuz it was freezing and we were all slipping and sliding around and there was snow and salt on the boxes and on the mover's shoes so they tracked uh lots of salt and snow into the apartment and I spent most of the first day of moving uh cleaning the hardwood floors so that was fun I suggest moving in the spring I hope that these tips help you along the way during your move it is no no joke man but it's totally worth it when you get an awesome space that you really love and you get to make it your own so stay tuned for lots of really fun design dilemas and DIYs that we'll be doing on this new place and if you missed part two of my apartment tour be sure to check it out on my own channel Mac and I will see you guys next week bye\n"