Moving Out

Sometimes you just need a fresh start in life. Of the hundreds of thousands of cities to live in, where should you get your fresh start? Here are some of the best from numerous surveys:

CNN lists Louisville, CO as the best for 2011. They say the unemployment and crime rates are low, there are plenty of outdoor activities, and schools are good.

Charlottesville, VA was listed as the top because of the combination of the good quality of life and promising economy.

Cambridge, MA was listed by Self magazine as one of the best places because of the over quality of health of its citizens.

These cities are listed all over the country. How do you choose the best city for yourself? One of my friends was recently offered a job promotion in Ohio with her company. As an engaged woman with little job opportunity in the small town we live in, she made the decision to go for it! She looked up the job opportunities for her fiancé to find work, and it is good. She also inquired about the crime rates, and was relieved to find they were nearly half of what we are used to.  She only has a week to move however, so she will be living in a motel for the first few weeks until they can settle down into their own home.

As I am about to graduate soon, this makes me wonder about my future. I wonder if I should take the jump as well and search outside of the state for employment, or stay behind and accept what I can find. This decision has to be made by many college graduates as they seek employment in a difficult economy. At the end of the day, as long as you can be happy with the decision you’ve made, that is what counts. Things will be difficult at first because of financial constraints from moving, but will get easier once you’ve settled into your new home and you determine a budget to stick with every day.

When moving to a new town, there are so many things to see and do that it can be overwhelming. I would suggest a few different methods to get to know the new town.

Search online for basic things, like the local library, hospital, mall, pharmacies, and post office. Using Google, search for restaurants and you will find a list of local restaurants, often times with reviews from past patrons.  You can find most major things online, but you also want to get to know others around you.

Go knock on a neighbor’s door and ask them what their favorite restaurant is. When I moved into an apartment, I tried to stay out in the common area as much as I could, so I would eventually run into neighbors. In the summer I used to sit in the front yard in a chair with my laptop doing homework as I was attending an online college. As neighbors passed I would introduce myself and explain how I had just moved to the area and asked about good places to eat and for entertainment. You want to get to know your neighbors; they are the people that despite being nosy sometimes can help save you in a jam. When my car wouldn’t start, a neighbor helped to jump start it. Another neighbor also helped me a few times with car problems, such as my car doors freezing shut.

Go exploring like a child would. Be sure your phone is charged, and leave the ear buds at home. Take some daily walks around the area so you can get to know the area and possibly meet more neighbors. In a complex I lived in one time, I got to meet most of the neighbors and some of the women would gather to drink wine on summer nights, relaxing and enjoying one another’s company.

Garden to make your area look nice. At my previous apartment, I enjoyed having pretty flowers growing on the porch. It helps to keep a cheerful environment, and is another conversation starter. Even if you purchase planted flowers, or get a hanger and plant them yourself. Get to talking to your neighbors and people around town so you can gain new friendships.  These are the flowers I had at my last apartment, they were purchased as hanging plants and I took the hangers off and set them along the steps.

If you have to move across town, here are some tips and ideas about how to pack and move:

1. Determine the date, and recruit help. If you have friends or family with a pick up truck, ask for their help. Be sure to mention gas money and that you will buy pizza or feed them in some way. If needed, reserve a rental truck. Check around, sometimes local companies are cheaper!

2. Gather boxes, you can get them for free usually from stores, they usually rip them up and recycle them. Inquire when the best time is to go seek them out, or if the night crew can save you some. Get a few rolls of packaging tape and black sharpie markers to label boxes. Also gather old newspapers or plastic grocery bags to pack delicate things.

3. Pack up things that aren’t needed immediately, such as decorations and baking pans. As you sort through your things and pack them, put things into black garbage bags that are unwanted and able to be donated. Set aside a designated area in your home for the boxes to gather, labeling which room they will go into and a memo of what is inside.

4. Try to not grocery shop as often, you want to only take the things necessary. Nothing is worse than unloading a freezer full of food to drive across town or half way across the state with.

5. As the date gets closer, leave out things that are needed immediately, but pack the rest. I would set aside a duffel bag with a change of clothes and pjs, contact lenses, face wash and lotion, shampoo and body wash, a towel and hand cloth, medications, and Tylenol. This bag will go into the cab of the truck with a blanket and pillow so if anything goes wrong, you will at least be safe and comfortable.

6. Before moving anything in, take a quick video or pictures to record the condition of the place as you are moving in. As friends move your boxes and things into the rooms, try to have a designated area for all of the boxes to go into coordinating rooms. For instance, all things labeled for the kitchen should get stacked up in the dinning area.

7. After you have moved everything and it is the first night in your new place, take time to relax. Make up a bed and get comfortable. I would recommend taking some Tylenol if you are in pain or swelling anywhere from the strain of moving, apply something cold to any painful joints.

8. Take your time unpacking, it isn’t a race. I usually try to accomplish one room at a time. I like to clean the bathroom and unpack that first. I then usually will clean out all of the kitchen cupboards and disinfect the fridge. As you go through each room, make note of the condition if renting.

So one of the many life events for a growing young adult is moving out of their parent’s home. It depends where in life you are, but you will need to sort and move your belongings. As you begin to look around your childhood or dorm room, what should you take with you? There are so many memories of things that you don’t use on a daily basis, but they take up space.

For a childhood room, sort your clothes out. Set aside any clothes that don’t fit right or you have no intentions to wear again. If they have so much meaning you should consider making a blanket with them. Only take things that will be practical! Try to fill a plastic storage box with only the most meaningful memories, that will be stored easily.

Talk with your parents, they may wish to keep your things elsewhere and use the room for another use, such as a guest room or office. If they wish for you to keep it as your room, put things away. If there are things that are useless and meaningless, you should toss or recycle them. Keep out pictures of yourself and a few friends in frames on a desk or dresser, but put away the collage of friends taped up to the wall. If there are lots of items that are cluttering the dresser, desk, or bookshelf, pack them away in a box in the closet. I would empty the dresser drawers so anyone spending the night will have a place to put clothes away.

If moving from a dorm room, you should empty the space of all your belongings. When you get to your destination, you should get rid of anything that is not useful. Try to find a place for everything in your space after emptying all boxes, weather renting a room in a house or unpacking in your first apartment. If you have too many things, consider priorities of space and belongings. One of life’s lessons is that space and time are always expensive. Also remember that you can find scholarships for graduate school after moving out of state.