We are moving out

This month has been all about real estate selection, inspection and, big news, moving in! I will be extremely sincere with you about my experience, so much so that what you’re about to read has been written at two points in time: before moving, after moving.

It all started in 2018, when the boyfriend and I explored the idea of rental properties and were deeply scarred by the condition of overpriced apartments that looked great in photos and could have been the tiniest murder-house in real life.

Then COVID-19 happened.

But 2021 feels like a good year to take advantage of the collapse of economy, and knowing what we know about camera lenses and rental agencies now, we decided to give apartments another go.

Our checklist is incredibly shorter than it was in 2018: 2 bedrooms, 1 car spot, decent size, good price. All else is extra. And with this in mind, it is a lot easier to separate the good apartments from the duds. And even the duds we visited this time are much better than the ones from three years ago!

We applied for two apartments, one was great with a few extras, while the other was great without the extras but great location. A total win, either way.

You are reading the words of pre-move Barbs, I am stoked for the change and my plan for the move consists of:

- Making lists of things to bring, to buy, to borrow, and big stuff which deserved a…
- Spreadsheet of big appliances and furniture to buy including stores, price, dimension.
- Getting in the apartment to measure everything and update the spreadsheet.
- Actually buying the things and getting them delivered when we move in since we are…
- Taking 2 days off to sort out deliveries and go shopping according to the lists.
- The weekend before the move, pack all my stuff in suitcases while the boyfriend is…
- Arranging for a van and a wheely-lifty thing for the few heavy things we already own and
- Asking our friends which energy provider they would recommend, to sort that out too.

That’s it.

This is the plan.

I will update you after the move...



I know it was just a second for you but it is officially moving day for us.

We already went to collect the keys and dropped the first few boxes at the apartment. We went shopping yesterday so we had some towels, mats, and plates with us. Very important things, I thought! Well, to be completely honest I wish we brought: bin bags, hand soap and tools to start mounting the IKEA furniture that was delivered, and scissors.

I've been unboxing Ikea packages using our new keys, just to find out I did not have the right tools with me to assemble the items. 1 star!

Hero of the day: all-purpose disinfectant, cleaning sponges, and a toilet paper roll that we've thrown in the bag at the very last minute. 10/10 would recommend!

We relied on the spreadsheet mostly to retrieve links and compare prices, not really as a checklist. Also, none of our lists were looked at. I guess it was good to wrap our heads around how much stuff we could or should pack, not as a checklist. 3/10 don't bother!

Energy and internet providers were set but we did not account for delays. The new modem shows no wifi connection so that's something for us to fix. And the fridge was supposed to be delivered on the same day as our removal truck but it did not come. 0 stars!

I'd say we're 80% done, only missing fridge, internet, and a couple of smaller things such as the boyfriends' workstation and belongings.

We're also using Ikea cardboard boxes as shabby chic rugs! 5/10, would not recommend but it's funny to look at!



Image: via