While we might have gotten our previous house ready to sell in just a couple weeks, moving into our new house has taken quite a bit longer. In some ways, I wish we were all settled in after living here for almost 3 months; however, I’m also glad that we’ve taken our time in unpacking. 

If you haven’t been following our moving and remodel adventures, head over to my Instagram and check out the Remodel highlights. We have had quite the project since we moved into this house. 

When I was getting ready to move, I searched for moving tips on Pinterest. So many posts that I saw were how to unpack quickly, but getting things out of boxes as fast as possible shouldn’t be the goal. The goal should be to set up your new home exactly how you want it. 

We were in somewhat of a hurry to pack up our home since the process was moving so fast. I did manage to get a few carloads of items off for donation; however, towards the end, everything just got tossed into a box and I decided to deal with it on the unpacking side. This means I need to be even more diligent at inspecting each item when I unpack. 

A couple weeks ago we finished setting up our master bedroom. While our walk-in closet is larger than the previous one, it actually has less hanging space because it also includes many drawers and shelves. This change required me to really think about which items are deserving of hanging, and which ones are better suited to be put in drawers.

As I went through each item, it was also a great time to reevaluate how much I really wore it, and whether it justified the space it took in the closet. Tees that I made for Disney, Christmas themed shirts, and heavy winter sweaters were sent to the dresser in the other room. Outfits and accessories that hadn’t been worn in years got placed into the donation pile. 

If you are moving into a larger house, it is easy to simply keep everything from the previous house because physically there is enough space. But in a year or two, as new items come in, are you going to feel cramped because of all the stuff?

One of the great features of our new home is the HUGE garage (seriously, I mean huge. The workshop portion of our garage is actually larger than our previous home). While this is a feature, it is also a risk because there is always space to put a box of random items. My goal as we unpack is to avoid using the garage as random extra storage. 

The kitchen is a great place to start with intentional unpacking. Was your previous cooking utensil drawer overflowing? How many spatulas and wooden spoons do you REALLY need? I know that I have about 10 million wooden spoons and generally use two of them. Same with kitchen gadgets, does the cherry-pitter that gets used once or twice a year deserve prime drawer real estate? Maybe a small basket in the pantry or cabinet above the fridge is a perfect spot! 

Moving is also a great time to re-think the decor items you display. My mantle and bookcases basically looked the same year after year because even though many of the items would come down for Christmas, I would put them back up in the exact same space afterwards. The framed picture might no longer be a favorite, but it had always been there, so it stayed. As my glassybaby collection grew, the shelves simply got more crowded. 

Unless you managed to basically move into the exact same house, your furniture is going to be re-arranged. If you’re like me who had a hard time changing up the decor, use this major change as an excuse to mix up the decor and really highlight your favorite pieces.

Intentional unpacking might be a bit more drawn out, and it may create some extra chaos with boxes around for an extended period of time; however,  it will be completely worth it in the end.