I have been missing in action on social media and the blog because… we have been moving! On my Instagram, I’ve mentioned a few times that I live in Arizona. We are staying in state, just moving from our first home in Scottsdale to our new home in North Phoenix. We closed on our new home on September 22nd and the house has been and is still undergoing renovations since. We created buffer time and had our renters scheduled to move in to our old house on October 15th so we had to have everything out of there and moved to our new house by then even though it’s still not quite ready. Thankfully our new house has an attached “casita” or tiny guest house so we are currently living there with half of our stuff, the other half being stored in the garage. It’s chaos, we don’t have a kitchen and we can’t find half of the things we need, but we are making it work! With all of that being said, I’ve put together 10 tips for a healthy and happy move based on my experiences. Some of these I definitely used this time around and some I learned along the way for next time 😉
- Stay hydrated and bring snacks that will give you energy between meals. Some of my favorites I kept in my purse were Mamma Chia Squeeze Vitality Snack- Green Magic, Health Warrior Chia Bars, Lara Bars, and almonds. All of these will give you energy while you are moving, but also help keep you feeling full since you might not always know when your next meal will be. Organic coconut water is great in between regular waters to give you an extra boost of potassium and electrolytes.
- Speaking of meals, it’s so easy to just give in to unhealthy fast food options during a move because it’s fast, convenient and cheap. If you do go that route, make sure to balance your meals. If you do eat fast food that’s unhealthy, make it a priority that the next meal has some greens, lean protein and overall hearty nutritional value. At the end of the day know that if you do go for unhealthy fast food, you are just going to be hungry sooner and it won’t give you much energy due to its lack of nutritional value.
- Moving is stressful and chaotic enough in general. Make it a little less stressful by labeling boxes and setting aside the ones with important items that you will need right away. This will save you from the stress and time of trying to find that one item that you need right now that got lost in the shuffle. Also, the more packing and organizing you do ahead of time, the less likely you are to just throw a bunch of random stuff in a box last minute which will cause headaches when trying to find those random items.
- Whether you are moving with roommates, family, a significant other or your husband/ wife, it’s so important to communicate when packing and moving things. If you are packing each other’s things and not just your own items, communicate items that need extra care and are extra valuable. Also communicate items that you don’t want packed or want to pack yourself so you avoid the non-stop “have you seen my…” conversations once the move has started. And again, LABEL and organize those boxes.
- Prepare and think ahead. Try to complete all laundry before moving so you aren’t running out of important things like underwear during transition time when you are either not yet living in your home or don’t even have a washing machine yet. Set aside any other necessary items or paperwork needed for your move so that it doesn’t get accidentally packed away.
- Pack a travel first aid kit with you in your car or purse. I can’t tell you how many times I looked over and saw that my husband had cut his hand on something and we couldn’t find any bandaids because they were all packed away.
- Ask for help from friends or family, but don’t expect it. You are setting yourself up for failure and disappointment if you expect all your friends and family to be available to drop everything they are doing and help you move. At the same time, it doesn’t hurt to ask and to take up any offers if they come your way. Every little bit helps even if it’s just moving or packing a few boxes. And of course, show your appreciation for the help and offer yours in return in the future.
- Find a green cleaning service if you are hiring help for move out/ move in cleaning that uses non-toxic cleaning supplies. These are starting to pop up more and more. You may be tackling the cleaning yourself, but if you do decide to hire someone, do your research and search for eco-friendly cleaning services. If you have to paint your previous home or your new home, be sure to do it in advance of moving in or out. Open windows and turn on all fans to alleviate the toxic paint fumes from lingering.
- If possible, do not pack toiletries and cosmetic/personal care items. What I mean by this is, when possible, put these in an open box and hand deliver in your car. I can’t tell you how many times when moving in college, I packed these items only to open the box later to a complete mess of different bottles that had opened somehow and gotten all over everything. It will save you a lot of grief and cleaning time if you just set these aside and hand deliver yourself to your destination.
- Take breaks. I know very well that sometimes you just want to go go go just so that you can be done done done, however it’s important to listen to your body and your mind and know when it’s time to take it easy. Take a break, a moment to just sit, eat a snack, have a conversation and more importantly soak in how much work you have gotten done so far. Positivity is key to keeping your sanity during a move, big or small.
Bonus Tip: When packing, take time to soak in all the fun memories when looking at old items or photos. Packing is even better when doing it with someone you care about so you can both share your memories when you come across certain items.
Lots of love and good health,
Tasha, The Non-Toxic Newbie
non-toxic newbie 