I relocated from New York to Atlanta. Here are 5 things I'm glad I did to make the move easier, and 5 things I regret.

Aug 04, 2026 09:12 PM - 2 hours ago 1

A selfie of a female successful a mostly quiet apartment.

My husband, my dog, and I arrived successful Atlanta connected a humid June day.

We had spent 2 days successful the car, weeks packing up our life, and months emotionally preparing to time off New York, wherever we had some lived for astir a decade. The existent move was among the astir daunting aspects of relocating, since we had to carrier each of our belongings astir 1,000 miles away.

Over a period aft that sweaty arrival, we're mostly settled into our new home, hanging pictures connected our walls and uncovering stepping paths successful our neighborhood.

Overall, moving was a success, but location were a fewer things I would've done differently.

I'm happy we prepped for our move early.

My hubby and I knew we would beryllium moving to Atlanta almost a twelvemonth successful advance, and we made the astir of the clip we had.

We spent the autumn and wintertime knocking things disconnected our New York to-do list, for illustration visiting definite museums and eating astatine our favourite spots.

Then, erstwhile the New Year hit, we officially put ourselves successful "prep mode" for our end-of-June move. We didn't want to consciousness rushed erstwhile it was clip to really time off the city. I made a to-do list, breaking down what we needed to get done wrong the month.

February and March were afloat of tasks for illustration cleaning retired our closets and finalizing our activity arrangements, and successful April, we decided what furnishings we wanted to return pinch us. By early May, we started packing boxes, giving america astir 2 afloat months to pack.

Because we didn't procrastinate, we were capable to enactment reasonably calm arsenic we packed up the life we had built successful New York. There were decidedly moments we felt overwhelmed, but splitting the move into clear steps helped america enactment organized.

Getting movers helped, but I didn't emotion the action we selected.

A manus gives a thumbs-up successful a sparsely furnished room pinch pavilion doors and a grey pet bed.

Instead of driving a U-Haul ourselves, we did a "consolidated move," wherever master movers loaded our belongings onto a larger motortruck pinch different people's worldly headed successful the aforesaid direction. It costs a small complete $4,000. That's pricey, but it would person costs person to $10,000 if we had our items moved individually.

It seemed for illustration a bully deal, particularly since my hubby didn't person to thrust a U-Haul pinch each our possessions while I drove the rental car pinch our dog. We besides felt bully astir the institution we picked, arsenic it had beardown online reviews. The movers were punctual and observant the time they packed up our stuff. Their agency said our items would get successful 2 to 14 business days, but assured my hubby that 3 to 5 days was much realistic.

Unfortunately, that estimate was measurement off. It took 15 business days (24 existent days), and my hubby and I were frustrated, to opportunity the least. It was difficult to get an update connected the position of our belongings, moreover aft calling and emailing to petition information. To make matters worse, erstwhile our things yet arrived, our tv surface was cracked, and we were only compensated for a mini percent of its value. In the end, the move didn't consciousness worthy the money we spent.

If we could do it again, my hubby and I would person rented a U-Haul aliases gone pinch a different moving institution that was much knowledgeable pinch interstate moves.

I was happy we didn't salary movers to battalion our breakables, though.

A java barroom successful a room pinch mugs connected floating shelves supra it.

The moving package we paid for included master packing of paintings, mirrors, and our tv (so overmuch for that), but it did not see packing our room breakables, which would person costs hundreds of dollars extra.

We were worried astir making judge everything was packed securely, and we were wished to do it ourselves to prevention money.

It was time-consuming, but we pulled it off. In summation to packing paper, foam, and bubble wrap, we utilized our linens, sweatshirts, and jackets arsenic other cushioning for our boxes pinch breakables. It near maine pinch a batch of laundry to do, but only a azygous mug was surgery erstwhile our items arrived in Atlanta.

I wish I hadn't taken a afloat week disconnected to move correct away.

A female smiles connected a rooftop pinch a metropolis skyline down her.

Because we did a consolidated move, I knew it wasn't clear erstwhile our things would arrive.

Still, I took a week disconnected from activity aft we drove down, imagining myself spending it unpacking and decorating our caller home. That didn't hap because our belongings were delivered later than expected.

During the week off in Atlanta, my hubby and I sewage our caller driver's licenses, but it didn't consciousness for illustration the astir businesslike usage of time. I had already returned to activity erstwhile our worldly yet arrived, truthful I unpacked astatine nighttime and successful the early hours of the morning, which wasn't the champion measurement to get settled.

In retrospect, I wish I'd only taken a time aliases 2 disconnected that first week and arranged to return a fewer days separately erstwhile my worldly sewage to Atlanta.

I don't regret renting a location without touring it successful person.

A female smiles successful beforehand of a ceramic wall.

When it was clip to location hunt, my hubby and I considered flying to Atlanta to look astatine options successful person. We yet decided it wouldn't beryllium worthy the value of the flights, fixed that a costly move was approaching.

Instead, we made a elaborate dream database for our early home to make judge our priorities were aligned. Then, we became rental app addicts. I perpetually checked Zillow and Apartments.com, refreshing aggregate times a time to make judge I didn't miss the cleanable home.

Finally, we saw a location we loved on Zillow successful early May. It ticked astir each of our boxes based connected the photos. After sending a relative of excavation to an unfastened location to make judge it looked akin successful existent life, we jumped astatine the chance to rent it.

It was a small nerve-racking to move into a location show unseen, but it saved america money and gave america bid of mind to unafraid lodging sooner alternatively than later. We're perfectly successful emotion pinch the location now that we're settled in.

I wish we hadn't spent truthful overmuch money connected moving materials.

A selfie of a female pinch boxes down her.

We didn't person a car successful New York, and it was challenging to bargain moving supplies because we couldn't easy thrust to a spot for illustration Home Depot. We besides couldn't rent integrative bins that threat unopen (which would person reduced the magnitude of portion we needed to buy) because we were moving retired of state. I sewage a fewer ample reusable containers from Amazon, but pricey cardboard boxes made the astir consciousness for our move.

We bought immoderate of our boxes from a Walmart kit, and we purchased further supplies arsenic needed from a section hardware store. It felt for illustration we were buying boxes and portion up until the time we moved, and the costs added up.

In total, we spent astir $500 connected moving supplies. Looking back, it whitethorn person been financially savvier to bargain integrative bins that I could person resold connected Facebook Marketplace. Moving is costly nary matter what, but I wish we had recovered ways to trim costs connected supplies.

Having aggregate farewell hangs pinch friends made my relocation easier.

A female smiles arsenic a personification holds a Polaroid photograph successful beforehand of her.

I knew I would miss the friends I made successful New York. It was difficult to wrap my caput astir the truth that I wouldn't beryllium capable to spot them whenever I wanted.

I decided that having dedicated goodbye hangs pinch my adjacent friends would thief maine process our impending separation.

In June, my hubby and I had an charismatic goodbye statement astatine a barroom successful Brooklyn, chatting and giggling pinch friends complete drinks. Then, we had smaller dinners and meetups pinch friends for much intimate, sentimental goodbyes. Some of my astir cherished last memories of surviving in New York see reminiscing pinch my first roommate from the city, laughing pinch pals I met done my husband, and going to a burger associated I'd ever wanted to effort pinch 1 of my closest friends.

I'm truthful grateful I took advantage of the clip I had pinch my friends successful the weeks earlier we left. I still miss them dearly, but I don't consciousness for illustration I wasted immoderate clip pinch them.

In hindsight, we should person hired cleaners for our move-out.

My hubby and I rented an flat successful a larger Brooklyn building owned by a guidance company. The building head provided america pinch a elaborate database for our move-out procedure, which included cleaning the flat from apical to bottom.

We were bully astir cleaning our space regularly, but immoderate of the things connected the list, for illustration cleaning the oven, wrong the refrigerator, and the dishwasher filter, weren't connected our regular schedule.

We spent respective days cleaning each inch of the apartment, spackling the walls, and scrubbing forgotten corners successful the hopes of getting our afloat information deposit back. Unfortunately, the building only returned a portion, saying we hadn't cleaned the fridge, a furniture shelf, and the stove good enough. Sigh.

If I could do it over, I would person hired a cleaning institution to cleanable the apartment. We apt would person gotten much of our information deposit back, and we wouldn't person had to walk truthful overmuch clip cleaning connected our last days successful New York.

I besides regret not taking a definite container pinch america successful the car.

I wish we had packed immoderate room items successful the car.

We tried to support our car minimally filled, focusing connected basal documents and contiguous necessities.

I'm gladsome the movers handled arsenic overmuch arsenic possible, but I do regret not uncovering abstraction for a container of kitchen items successful the car pinch us. Because we were without our belongings for 3 weeks aft the move, we relied heavy connected takeout and restaurants. It made america consciousness retired of routine, and each the eating retired was expensive. We besides spent unnecessary money connected immoderate basal pans and knives to do a small cooking astatine home.

It would person saved america clip and money if we had packed a container of our room basics successful the car.

One of our champion decisions was to divided our thrust to Atlanta complete 2 days.

A canine lays successful the backseat of a car pinch boxes and bags nearby.

The drive from New York to Atlanta is astir 13 hours. It's doable successful 1 day, but we decided to break it up truthful our canine would beryllium much comfortable, stopping halfway to enactment the nighttime pinch my in-laws. It turned retired to beryllium 1 of the champion decisions we made for the move.

On the Saturday we near the city, my hubby and I were emotional. After a fitful nighttime of slumber connected an aerial mattress, we took 1 past teary-eyed locomotion done Prospect Park pinch our pup earlier we drove off. We teared up again arsenic we rolled retired of the metropolis and caught our past glimpse of the Manhattan skyline. By the extremity of the day, we were emotionally and physically drained.

On Sunday, though, we had a restful nighttime of slumber successful a comfortable bed. My hubby and I couldn't hold to get to Atlanta and commencement settling into our house. Because we processed our goodbye to New York connected Saturday, we were capable to attraction connected the caller life waiting for america successful Atlanta, emotion thing but excitement and anticipation arsenic we pulled into our driveway for the first time.

I'm truthful gladsome the two-day thrust made abstraction for condolences and joyousness successful our departure.