This past week we helped move our daughter to her apartment in Brooklyn, NY. After drying my tears I was able to put together a list of the top 7 things we did to make the transition easier.
#1 Shipping boxes
To save on boxes and keep items fresh and protected my daughter opted to purchase vaccuum sealed bags and a small vaccuum to suction the air. I thought this was brilliant because more items were able to be shipped in less moving boxes thus making it more convenient to store her items. She mainly vaccuum sealed her clothing. By vaccuum sealing her clothing the items were protected from additional stretching and any exposure to the elements. The best part is that the bags are reusable. I’ll attach a link below.
#2 Shop for Essentials First
After hours of traveling upon arrival to her apartment we ran to use the restroom. Holy Moly! No toilet paper! Toilet paper, Paper Towel, Cleaners, Toilet brush, Cleaning Gloves, Mop are a few basics to consider purchasing immediately.
#3 Check to Make Sure Everything Works
As soon as we arrived we started to check that everything was in working order. We turned on the appliances and checked the plumbing. Sure enough her apartment had a plumbing issue. Don’t wait… contact the landlord as soon as you notice something is not right. My suggestion is to make a list of all the issues that need to be addressed and once the list is complete send it to the landlord. That eliminates multiple communications and possible confusion and provides a complete picture of all the repairs needed all at once.
#4 Order Online What You Can
Because my daughter was moving to NYC it was not very convenient to travel via subway with large purchased items. Instead she ordered online. By ordering online she was able to compare prices across sites and she was able to receive the items conveniently to her door step. A win win on both. Side note: often you can find similar products or furnishings online for a fraction of the price than what exclusive retailers offer.
#5 Explore the Neighborhood
Take a little time to get acquainted with the surrounding area. Discover nearby restaurants and shops. Take the local transportation to get a feel for the area and the culture. We were able to discover the happening spots in her Brooklyn neighborhood as well as become familiar with nearby grocery stores and dry cleaners and hardware stores. Helicopter parents that we are, my husband and I accompanied our daughter to the street that her office is on so she knew where to get on and off the subway. My advice is to make up an excuse so your child doesn’t think you’re babying him/her! We told her we were going to breakfast down the street.
#6 Implement a No Shoe Policy
After walking around the streets of NYC and riding the subway my daughter quickly implemented a “no shoe” policy in her tiny apartment. She placed a shoe rack,a bench and a can of lysol disinfectant in the foyer. Upon entering a quick spray on the bottom of the shoes and placing the shoes on the shoe rack ensures that the apartment floor stays clean. Won’t lie, for us this took some getting used to. Especially when you need to grab something that you forgot in the other room on your way out and already had your sneakers on!
#7 Shop Local
My daughter needed to make lots of purchases as she began to set up her apartment. We needed to evaluate the distance to decide if it was truly worth heading farther out to a store that was cheaper but not nearby . Example: we needed a hammer. There was a hardware store literally across the street. The hammer was pricier at the hardware store across the street. Sure, we could have gone to home depot but instead opted to go across the street. When we calculated the time, energy, distance and transportation it just wasn’t worth the trouble to travel 2 miles to the nearest Home Depot!
