Huge thanks to PODS for sponsoring this post. All opinions are my own!

I’m writing this post from my couch on a Friday evening with a candle burning, feeling so grateful to finally be settled in our new home! There is still so much work to be done, but the hardest part is over. And for me, the hardest part is any part where my stuff is packed away in boxes. 😂

Something I’ve realized recently is that people don’t relocate very often, especially not cross-country. Many of our friends here in California still live in the exact same place that they did when we first moved away, back in 2017. I used to think it was exciting to move, but now I want to take a break from adventure for a while. 😂

If adventure is in the cards for you, here are a few of my favorite tips we’ve learned from moving cross-country three times in three years!

Move your belongings with PODS!

This relocation was our easiest by far because we didn’t have to worry about timelines, how we were going to drive our cars AND our belongings, and the complexities of moving out and cleaning our home on the same day. A PODS container arrived to our home, and we were able to load it on our own time over the course of several days, which made the whole process so much smoother. Everything was planned out in advance and we even saved money on rent by having our belongings sent across the country! We got to plan around our travel days, which made it all much easier. Click here to learn more about PODS! 

Don’t just write what’s in the box… write WHERE it was in your house! 

This is one of my favorite tips that I picked up during this most recent move. Sometimes there’s so much in a box that it’s not worth writing out everything. Instead, just write where those belongings were in your house. “Second shelf in the pantry” or “guest bathroom storage” will tell you exactly what you need to know. 

Declutter before you begin packing. 

In theory, I always tell myself to do this, but I didn’t do it correctly until this past move. Since we only lived in our last home for 9 months, I told myself that if I hadn’t used something more than once, I probably didn’t need it. I was able to donate or re-home quite a bit from this process! 

Map out where you think everything will go in your new home. 

This was a bit difficult for me because we didn’t find our place until about a week before we moved, but the moment we did, I mapped out a plan for all of our furniture, a back up plan in case that didn’t work out the way I thought it would, and I sold any furniture that didn’t make either list. It prevented us from bringing tons of big items we didn’t need. 

Be easy on yourself!

The truth is, most people will have some random boxes full of who knows what. That’s fine. We certainly did. But it’s all going to work out! Throw your clothes in garbage bags. Wrap your silverware in one box instead of individually. Don’t try to do everything perfectly. Living amidst the mess isn’t fun, but it’s part of the adventure. What I do when I am feeling anxious or critical is imagine how good I’ll feel when it’s all done and trust that I’ll get there. Harder than it sounds, but it does help!

I’d love to hear any tips you have! Feel free to leave them in the comments. 🥰