Moving can be an emotional time. Saint Paul residential movers often witness the sadness their clients experience saying goodbye to their old house even when they are happy to move to a new home.
You might be moving from Plymouth to Maple Grove because you didn’t like the Plymouth house, but good memories happened there – right? Honoring those memories will help you say goodbye. This is particularly important for kids, but all of us need to be able to leave emotionally as well as physically.
Tips for Saying Goodbye to the Old
- Before you start packing – take pictures of your house the way it really is. You are documenting memories, telling the story of your time there. Looking at these photos does two things – it records good times and reminds you why you left when you get nostalgic.
- Leave your mark in an inconspicuous place. It’s exciting for someone to find a signature & date on an attic beam, or a time capsule behind the drywall. Let kids write a letter about the hidden treasure chest they filled for the new owners.
- Have a ‘goodbye house’ party in the midst of the boxes. Invite friends, use paper plates and order a pizza or your favorite take-out. Tell stories and raise the plastic cup ‘to the house!’
Tips for Saying Hello to the New
- Use your favorite cleaners to spritz up the place and fill it with the scent of home. If you love scented candles, light some that you love. It sounds counterproductive, but open up the windows too so the air is fresh.
- Bring some new luxuries to use in the new place. This could be excellent coffee, high-end soaps, fluffy new towels, or something else, but it has to be something that makes you smile. Even a grocery store bouquet makes a difference.
- Make a mark on the new place by putting up photographs and art, hanging curtains, etc. Think ‘beautiful and/or useful’ and make the new home reflect you.
- Have a housewarming party to bring some life and love into your new space. Who you invite is up to you, but make it clear you don’t want gifts – you want their presence so you can make new friends and strengthen old relationships.
- Let kids arrange their bedroom the way they want it, even if it looks wrong to you. Moving furniture and belongings around until you figure out what works in the new house will turn it into a home.