Moving In: The First Night In Your New House

You bought a home and now it’s time to move in. Whether you are using professional movers or bribed your friends and family to help, it’s best to have a game plan and get organized. This will help keep your move on track and most importantly keep your stress levels low!

First Night in Your New House

Here’s the top 3 things to remember to pack for your first night in your new house:

1. An overnight bag: Each person in your family (including pets) should have an overnight bag filled with necessities such as medications, pajamas, and chargers for electronics.
2. A home essentials box: You should include items like trash bags, bottled water, snacks, and toilet paper.
3. Valuables: Important documents, jewelry, and paperwork needed for the move (and your new home).

Click here to download a complete First Night in Your New Home Packing List.

Only Unpack the Essentials

Unpacking doesn’t have to be the only thing you do on the first night when moving to a new home. Moving is tiring and the process can leave you with mixed emotions. On one hand, you’re starting a new adventure and on the other hand, a lot of change can come alongside that adventure. It’s important to take some time to celebrate moving day and your big accomplishment!

Here are a few ways to enjoy your new home on the first night:

• Order take-out or delivery: This is a great way to try out some local restaurants.
• Go for a walk in your new neighborhood: You can meet some neighbors and explore the area a little bit if the weather is nice. Don’t forget to take your pet along with you if you have one!
• Celebrate with champagne or sparkling cider: End a busy day with a festive flair and let each person in your family share why they’re excited about living in the new home.
• Spend quality time with your family: Moving day can be stressful, so it’s better to spend the evening having fun and playing a game. If you have kids, play indoor hide-and-go seek to find all the hiding places in the new house.
• FaceTime with friends and family: If you want to share your moving experience with friends and family members, schedule some time to spend with them virtually and walk them through the new house!
• Go camping in the living room: Since it’s likely that all the bedrooms aren’t put together, make the best of it and camp out in the living room.
  
  

Take Your Time

Many people feel the need to get unpacked as quickly as possible, which can add to already elevated stress levels. Remember that it takes time to get settled into a new home and you need to give yourself some grace. The unorganized state of your house is just temporary, and you can regain control by unpacking with a system.

• After you have unpacked your essentials and taken a breather on move-in day, you can focus on unpacking the kitchen and then the bedrooms.
• You can put the beds together (if you didn’t already to this on the first night) and focus on furniture placement and closet organization.
• Once you have the main items sorted out in the bedrooms, you can start to unpack the boxed items.
• You can even put each member of the family in charge of unpacking their own bedroom—this is helpful to keep kids busy during a move too!
• Next up, deal with the bathrooms. You can quickly unpack towels, toiletries, and any other small bathroom items like shower curtains, and items to put in linen closets.
• Lastly, work on how you want your furniture arranged in each room or if anything needs to be assembled. That way you can assemble the furniture close to where you know each piece will be placed.
• Last, but not least, focus on your utility areas (garage, basement, laundry room, etc.)
  

As your settling into your new home, know that it’s not a race. You can always go back and organize once everything is unpacked. Just stick to your unpacking plan and pace yourself!