Moving Day!
So, I talk about this IMPORTANT day ALL the time.
I am famous for giving my advice – about NOT booking a mover on the day of possession (anything can happen with funds, banks, lawyers etc.) ……and what do I do????!!! The exact opposite!
Recently my mother-in-law decided to move out of her 30+ year family detached home – into a much smaller apartment. After WEEKS of parring the house down, throwing things away, giving items to charity and selling anything we possibly could on marketplace or Kijiji – I truly thought we were ready.
We planned the date of the move. I booked the movers. We (husband and I plus our 2 kids) all took the day off….
Fast forward to MOVING day.
Please learn from my mistakes!!!! I clearly underestimated this process!
HELPFUL TIP #1 – always book your move first thing in the morning. And preferably NOT on the day you get your keys!!!!!
Since I thought it was a “small” move….I chose the afternoon. Big mistake. HUGE. The place we were moving into had a very tight window of time that we could have access to the building, the elevators and security. I had to PROMISE everything would be done by 4:30! Plus give a $250.00 deposit. At the time – I thought it was no big deal. I even planned a showing close by at 5:00 – PLUS dinner out with my friends that night! I truly believed that we could get her moved – and set up – and I could be enjoying wings and wine by 6:00!!!!
Well, when they texted at 1:00 they were running late….did I worry – nope. Still thought it was a small EASY move. When they arrived at 2:30 – that’s when the stress level hit epic proportions. Fun Fact – by 2:00 we had already moved her entire home onto the front lawn to facilitate a quicker loading process once the truck actually arrived. Amazing what you can do when 5 people are panicking!
HELPFUL TIP #2 – always confirm your address…TWICE!
When they called at 1:00 – saying they would be 30 mins late – I SHOULD have reconfirmed our address. Tick tick tick – 1:30….1:45…..finally they called again – said they were lost. Turns out they had been given the wrong location by the booking person. They went to Signal Hill – 25 mins away from the right address! Just a human error – but when it happens to you on a time crunch – yikes!
HELPFUL TIP #3 – always think it will take LONGER than you expect – and that there is MORE to move than you expect!
For some reason I convinced myself that there was not much to move. We had been there the Sunday before to evaluate. She kept saying she was packed – and we believed her! What I didn’t know – is my mother-in-law had not finished packing many things! She thought she was done…but she wasn’t. Good thing my girls went there at 9:00 am “just in case”.
No fault – very overwhelming process for everyone – just TRUST ME – always think there is MORE to do – than you think there is. No one has ever said they were disappointed – that moving didn’t take as long as they expected!!!!!! Plus, maybe don’t plan something (anything!) …. like showings and dinners – on the day of the move!! Calling my friends in tears at 3:45 – to cancel last minute – wasn’t truly necessary!!!! Fun Fact 2 – I did get the showing done...😉
My daughter’s boyfriend sensed the stress during a call to check in – dropped everything and met us at the new location.
This group of people put their heart and soul (and lots of hard work!) into this move.
The apartment she moved to – let the 4:30 deadline pass by – with compassion and grace.
We figured it out. We made it work. But this move could have been done with less stress for sure!!!!
Fun Fact 3 – we moved my daughter and her boyfriend INTO this same house two days later…but that’s another story 🙃😶