YES! That looks like something I'd do. If I didn't have a full time and a part time job, I would of done this.

I'm a unpack it fast type as well. I just don't live well in boxes and chaos. I find it is easier to be very organized in packing, get all boxes into the correct rooms as they come off the truck, then power unpack and set up. The sooner I don't have to see (or smell--the smell of cardboard always makes me think of moving) the boxes, the more readily I can settle down in the new place.

I just want that fireplace! Wow, the place looks great! Kudos for the speedy move in!

Wow, great work!
Now all she needs is a place for her bike and she'll be all set!

ditto newyorklady1--this looks heavenly, if only I had that kind of time. Whenever I've packed to move before, it's always been in a huge time crunch, like in the 3 days between final exams ending and the new job starting halfway across the country. I hate living out of boxes, too, but that doesn't seem to stop it from happening.

I got unpacked in two years once...

That's very impressive! It turned out quite lovely.

Oh absolutely. I've been known to forego sleep for 3 or 4 days just to get the boxes unpacked. Can't live with it.

I did all of these but it still took me six months to fully settle in. For one thing, I had to be at work full-time from day one (and had also worked full-time through most of the packing, which I did myself), and have needed to take sanity breaks. Ideally, I'd take a full week or two to do all this...and it would still take me six months to make "final" choices. Things don't always work out the way your floor plan and paint chips had you thinking it would. And I didn't want the expense of hiring painters, so part of the painting is still waiting for the next burst of energy.

Pack everything in clear bins labeled with what room they go in. It's so much easier to know what's in each box and they stack well. You can get them at places like Home Depot and Target.

Something friends have found this useful... mark the room where each box should go (on a side and the box's top), plus its priority- followed by a mini-index of what is in each box... it's easier to find and unpack things (or as you need them)

EG:
KITCHEN
(essential)
- cutlery
- cut. brds
- dishes
- fry. pan

Wow, she's a miracle worker, very impressive. Five years later I still have boxes in my garage.

Impressive for sure, but the underlying tactic to almost all of the steps is one that not everyone has the ability to do: throw money at it.

Yes, but she's missing some photos in the picture frames. ;) Kidding. Very impressive. I am struggling to complete just ONE room in my house before our August 6th deadline of living here two years.

Home Body, hmmmm, money? I wish I had a lot of money to actually buy a place rather then rent but...I am doing my best like most of us are. I love that you think I had a lot of $ to throw without emailing me and asking me how I did this? Well, here ya go - 90% of my things I ALREADY OWNED! The only things I bought were the $60/each Billy bookcases, a coffee table, a desk and a rug - all bought after thoughtfully researching and craigslist.

To everyone else, thanks for your nice and sincere comments!

and, kerryjewell, yes, I sure am missing photos and some more stuff. Per Abby's post title, I am all moved in BUT not completely settled in. That part does take some time, right AT? Full house tour coming next month - stay tuned!

Cheers!
Rebecca

We've been in our house for 9 months and we still have boxes in every room and tons of crap out in the garage. It's getting to the point where whatever is left out there is obviously not needed so I think I'm just going to have a garage sale and make up the prices as I go.

My boyfriend and I were all moved in after 1 week. The biggest help was having a floorplan. We used:

http://www.homestyler.com/designer

It allowed us to get a good sense of how the space would feel with furniture laid out (there is an easy 3D option). This meant that we spent some time figuring out in the previos weeks where everything should go, but that as we moved in, we knew right where everything should go.

Also, we saved hanging things on the wall until last... as a reward for unpacking all the boxes.

Hiring movers and painters, and buying new furniture - sorry if I was mistaken... that's just the impression the post gave me after reading it.

home body, I describe on my blog about my affordable move. Would you spend $ on a uhaul? I spent probably $100 more on actual movers. my handyman was through a friend so spending $25/hour was a great deal to get something I loved (like lights) and somethings I needed (like curtains) hung up. And the best part, my landlord PAINTED THE ENTIRE APT FOR ME!! I was told to "pick 3 colors". My best advice for you - don't judge a book by it's cover. Most of us are thoughtful about spending money, I know I am.

Cheers!
Rebecca

Congrats on getting settled in so fast.

5 years on and I still have boxes in some rooms that haven't been unpacked. I don't understand how organized people do it.

This (big move, boxes, unpacking) is me next Monday. Thanks for the needed inspiration, Rebecca, and what a lovely abode!

ha. it's been 8 months and i am still not moved in completely! the delivery guy came to my house and caught a peek inside and asked me if i was moving out?! hahha. although i was diagnosed with thyroid cancer and that kept me busy for about 4 of those 8 months!

Also, don't move with toddlers. We have two of them and we are still trying to unpack after almost 4 months.

Boy, howdy! (I dunno...it's just the first phrase that came to mind!) I love it, great job! Inspiring...but it makes me want to move! ;)

Rebecca, you have fantastic decorating taste! I also moved in and had my apartment ready and looking like I lived in it for years after 2 days. I also didn't have money to throw at things (ha! who does!...) to get done so I bought a pizza and got a few friends to help with things like painting and handyman stuff. Can't wait for the house tour- I'm already impressed at just one room!

Hi Rebecca! Love your place! Would you mind telling me where you got the mirrored side table?

whaaaaat - exactly how many gallons of Red Bull?

It does sound like spending money (movers, handyman, new furniture) was part of what it took to make this fast move in happen -- nothing wrong with that! It sounds like spending was within the available budget and achieved the desired outcome -- so, good choice.

Another bonus is having the landlord paint it! Nice! Not that many landlords allow tenants to specify the color scheme to be painted, and then paint it, too.

It's nice to know what it actually takes to have a fast move it -- and although spending didn't seem extravagant to the person who moved, not everyone has the extra $ to spend on movers, handyman, and new furniture, or a kind landlord to paint the property before move in.

SanDiegoAT, one word, budget

Great tips! I've been living in my place for almost a year and it still looks pretty sad and bare! That living room looks great, can't wait to see the house tour.

Hi Rebecca, not sure why you are triggered by the mention that spending money helped you accomplish a fast move in. I did pick up it was within your budget. :-) No worries, I am not second guessing or criticising your decision.

I noticed spend some money was the #1 item on your list of tips to help you move in quickly on your blog. :-)
http://lovinglivingsmall.blogspot.com/2010/07/small-move-10-tips-for-setting-up-shop.html

"1) Spend a little extra money to unload mountains of stress when packing and moving"

It seems like the previous comments that spending money was part of the solution were spot on. No problem there from me, just another decision to make as part of the process.

Some are budgeting just to make a move, and it is good to acknowledge that is sometimes the way it goes too.

This is a great post about tips to help you move into a new home seamlessly and efficiently. While none of them are new, and have ALL been featured on AT before in one way or another (as well as being common sense), it's nice to see them put into practice with such a lovely result.

That being said, all commenters have had valid points to make. I think that the observation that allowing more in the budget is a fair one. For example, great that the landlord agreed to paint the property, but one assumes that during this time Rebecca was paying rent for a place in which she was not living, and was possibly paying two lots of rent.
Also a handyman does cost, whether or not he's a friend (of a friend) or someone from the phonebook. Added costs are buying and installing things like light fittings, which may not be essential. These are all things that people may not have the extra budget to allow for, on top of the cost of movers and potential days off for moving etc.
It's been a while since I moved, and I thank my lucky stars we haven't had to move since having kids, but when I was in my more nomadic days, I never had the luxury of time or budget for re-painting an entire place before moving in. Often I would have to move in, and then paint room-by-room.

An expanded budget is not a bad thing, and it does not matter what size budget a person has for moving. Everyone makes different sacrifices and choices to be able to afford what they feel they need.

It is such a shame that Rebecca has gone defensive, rather than just acknowledging the views/opinions/questions put forward in the comments, and maintaining a certain level of respect for the commenters. What makes it worse is that she is a writer for AT, and thus a representative of the site.

hnhkt, no defense at all. just clarifying people that have made assumptions, including you.

SanDiegoAT, yes, it was worth it for me to spend a my part of budget on movers. It equaled out to about $100 more then a uhaul and having to do it myself. Very much worth it! Your initial statement seemed broad to me and assumed I was "throwing money around". Which you can assume - I was just explaining the situation.

besse, good luck w your move - I am sure it will go great!

ellerRVA, yes, pizza, friends and wine were all a great help to getting settled in. :)

RebeccaATLA, I think it looks great. I would love to see more pictures.

Everyone will budget differently depending on their particular situation; that's totally fine. My husband and I borrowed a friend's rental truck and took his family out to lunch for helping us move in. We have yet to paint or fully furnish our home, or even finish unpacking, for that matter, mostly because of financial restraints. (Well. We haven't finished unpacking because I'm tired of unpacking. But still.)

While this kind of settling in may be slow, and frustrating, and generally inconvenient, there's something to be said for growing into a space. Case in point: I was dead-set on a gray living room until about a month into it, when I realized how much I loved the warm and bright light coming through our windows. Gray is NOT the ideal color for that space.

There's just so much you can learn about your home if you leave it a blank canvas for a while, you know?

I love your coffee table! where did you land that gorgeous find?

How to full renovate and move into a Nashville loft in just 10 days:

http://goop.com/newsletter/85/en/

And on a limited 'independent film budget' to boot!

age3944/jayhwkgrl, my designer friend helped me get this lovely table a few years ago. It's definitely one of my fave pieces :)

Ah! the title of this post is my ultimate wish at this moment, but at three months after move-in date, I think it's a bit too late to beat the one week deadline. I sleep on a foam mattress through which I can feel the floor with my back, I sit on a step ladder to use the laptop, and my decor style at the moment can be deemed as "cardboard box chic", much favoured by all those mover-ins and mover-outs. Amount of closets/storage spaces in apartment: 0! And wait, it gets better: I was kicked out of my last (shared) apartment just in time for 2010 Small Cool because my roommate no longer had financial problems, and didn't need me to pay half his rent anymore. Now I'm the one with financial problems, go figure!

I live in Mexico City, and while the cost of living is lower (food and rent, for example), wages are waaaaay smaller and furniture (among other things) costs roughly the same here than in the States and Canada, where I'm from.

So let me put it this way: Even when living in Canada, I had a hard time moving around, and for myself, as I'm sure it is for most people, it was usually this way: Either you have the money but not the time, or you have the time but not the money. And I'm sure most of you folks of the AT community are amazing people who have loads and loads of willing friends to help over pizza and beer, but some of us sometimes have trouble luring people in to help even with candy.

Conclusion: Unless you're pig-filthy rich, own several slaves, or both, moving is ALWAYS a hassle, so Rebecca, I say so much achieved with so little resources: dayum! ^_^

Wow. I totally get that it's frustrating to get snarky comments on something you spend time putting together. And AT has it's fair share of snark.

But it's disappointing for me to see Rebecca's comments here. I was enjoying the article and comments until I saw how unprofessional some of the comments were.

RebeccaATLA, two words, "off" and "putting."

Not to stoke the fire or anything, but I think initial comments about RebeccaATLA "throwing money" at her move set the wrong tone, and Rebecca just responded to correct an assumption. Anyway, I'm not put off at all Rebecca, this one room looks lovely and I'm looking forward to seeing more.

Well said, idontdobeige.

Anyone know what those paint colors are? I'm moving this weekend and all I'm thinking about is paint!

i'm the same way. i don't live well out of boxes and chaos. my last move was a nightmare though. my ex-roommate never fully unpacked, while i had all of my stuff unpacked and put away within a few days she just let stuff sit around. by then end of 2 weeks i told her she needed to do something with the boxes sitting around. another 2 weeks and i moved her stuff to the basement. i'm just a little neurotic with organization and cleanliness.

One snarky comment is one thing. You see them all the time on this site. It's how we respond to such comments that determines the tone of the ensuing conversation.

As both a writer for and subject of the site, I would think that Rebecca would understand more than most people that you can't control how people respond to what you post online. If you really do feel the need to respond and not just rise above it all, there are ways to "correct assumptions" that don't involve creating more bad feeling. Even the commenters who attempted to correct the tone and repair the damage were treated brusquely at best.

The initial comment was snarky, yes, but Rebecca's responses did her no favors.

I've been living in my house for 3 years and it doesn't look this lived in. Clearly I need to get it together.

@heatherette, well said. That's what I was trying to convey, but you said it perfectly.

I think it's a great result.

I can think of far worse ways to spend a few hundred dollars than on getting one's new home set up and comfortable rather than dragging it out and depending upon the not-always-dependable help of friends.

Another way to look at it is this:
Would it cost more to take time off from work to get this stuff done than to write a few checks? If so, then it's money well spent.

Rebecca - thanks for this post. Not sure why people accuse you of being some kind of "lady of leisure" because you hired some movers and got your place painted before you moved in. If you move you are spending money. I see plenty of 4K chairs and light fixtures on this site.

The BEST money we spent when we moved was on our movers (who rocked our 9 hour move on a blistering summer day) and on getting our place painted before we moved in.

Who knew how much work moving from a 3 room apartment could be? And EVERY day I think about how much I love the color of our new place and how it never would have happened if left to our own devices (full time job/toddler/travelling husband).

That said my heart goes out to anybody who is forced to move because of a lost job or bad mortgage and who's first priority isn't decorating.

PS your place is fab

no matter how busy my life is, my home is always the most important. I will make sure, no matter what, that my new home is in order within a week.

Love the look and can't wait to see the full tour. This came in the knick of time bc I'm moving next month (2 households combined into 1) and my intentions are to be unpacked within the 1st-2nd week. Although I can't paint the walls (at least, I haven't convinced the boyfriend yet), the rest of the list is very similiar to my plan. My big thing is getting rid of everything I will not need. Not only will make my move easier but will mean less stuff to find a place for! Also, I'm already scouting out stores that I can quickly go to and grab items I may find we need, do not have, etc. Thanks again!

I did it too...had everything roughed out in one day and was pretty much set by the end of the week. I did a lot of the things that were mentioned, but here are a few additional helps (they did cost money): 1) Have ALL dirty laundry done by a drop service--everything comes back neatly folded and ready to stack. 2) buy several of those dish packs from U-haul--so much faster and better protection than newspapers--PLUS you have a good storage box for china, etc. And all my dishes were unloaded in minutes! 3) Buy LOTS of Contractor bags...I used them for garbage, but also wrapping large or fragile objects inside packing. Finally, this may be obvious, but I made a "transition kit"--a box filled with things like paper plates and cups, cutlery, salt and pepper, splenda, ice trays, masking tape, simple tools, shower curtain, note pad and pencil, etc. These 4 little things really helped a lot.