Sharing an exciting life update: we moved to North Carolina!

I’ve been a little quieter online in the last month or so because of the upcoming move. As someone who relocated a few times in NYC, I thought I knew what to expect but once I started building out my master spreadsheets (more on that to come) I realized this was going to be a full-time job.

Doug and I couldn’t be more excited about this next chapter of our lives and leaving our Long Island home (especially the blog room) was bittersweet. Sharing our moving story and answering all your questions below!

Blue Tulle Midi Dress | Nude Slip
Men’s Teal Short Sleeve Button Down | Men’s White t-shirt | Men’s Drawstring Stone Shorts

Why North Carolina?

Doug and I had been thinking about moving for about two years, but we couldn’t decide on a location that felt like “home.” Like most people, during the pandemic we were looking on Zillow and wondering what things would look like if we lived somewhere else.

Earlier this spring, Doug and I both had the idea of looking into the Raleigh area at the same time (literally, the same day!) So many people from the tri-state area moved to this region and we were both interested in exploring the idea more. We connected with some kind friends that had also made the move and one connected us with an amazing North Carolina realtor (check out Jackie Force if you’re looking to move to Raleigh) to help us find our next home!

We ultimately decided it would be best the rent for a year before purchasing our long-term home. It’s such a big decision and we didn’t want to feel rushed! The process of buying a home in North Carolina is very different than in New York, so we felt it would be best to be in-person and take our time for that experience.

Our moving timeline was ultimately created by Doug getting a new job! He connected with an AMAZING company, and they extended an offer we could not turn down. Originally, our plan was to move around Labor Day, or even later in the fall, but we pushed everything up once he received the role and settled on an early August moving date!

How We Moved to North Carolina

We knew for a long-distance move we would not be able to do it ourselves, so after receiving many quotes and doing our research, we used Allied as our moving company. Overall, the experience was positive, and our driver was awesome. He was in constant communication with us and gave us a heads’ up about a day before arriving to our house, so we could prep for our items to be delivered.

Long-distance moves are no small feat (we were warned about this before we started from countless people who had done it before us) so remember to be patient and prepare for a few things to potentially not go according to plan. I had a multipage spreadsheet, color-coded system for our boxes and still had a few bumps in the road! Thankfully, we made it down safely and our moving team was always ready to help us if we had any questions.

Tips for Long-Distance Moves

One word: ORGANIZE! The best tip I have is to do as much planning/packing as you can in advance and leave as little to the very end as possible. We had about one full month to pack our house before the move, so I tried to maximize our time as best as possible.

Sharing my best moving tips below:

1. Make a spreadsheet (or two)
   I created a multi-tab spreadsheet to help us stay organized (like how I planned my wedding.) I had everything from price quotes, contact info and ultimately a count of all our boxes listed in the spreadsheet to keep things in one place. Doug and I have a shared Gmail from our wedding, so doing this in a location we could both access was also helpful!
2. Color code your boxes by room
   This was something that came to me right as we decided to move and was the best thing we did. Every room had its own color tape (we used this multi color tape) and it allowed me to have a quick count on the number of boxes for each room. In addition to labeling what was in the box, I put a small piece of tape on the box and recorded the box’s size. I added that info to my spreadsheet and was able to have a quick overview on what I was ultimately looking for when the items form the truck were delivered. Each room was labeled on the unload day with what color tape went where, which made everything super easy to manage. Can’t recommend this enough for any kind of move!
3. Ask for help (and lots of it)
   Moving is a LOT of work and the more helpers you have the easier things will be! My mom stayed with us for a few days and helped pack most of the house, which was a true gift! We had friends and family come over after work (some even on lunch breaks) to help and it was literally such a blessing. Plan to order lots of pizza, grab a bottle of wine and make some fun memories! Some of the conversations I had while packing were HILARIOUS and we ended up having so much fun!! As someone who loves doing things herself: this is one job you’ll want as much help as possible for; trust me.
4. Make happy memories in your old home
   On our last night in the Long Island house, we had three friends over for a pizza party. Everyone sat on the floor and we all talked, laughed and ate together one last time. It felt like an episode of “Friends” honestly. Highly recommend doing something like this is you have the time: nothing fancy, just surrounding yourselves with close friends before a major life change!
5. Take photos in your new house
   I have been wanting to take “new home photos” since about 2012 when I saw inspiration shots on Pinterest (if we’re not connected on Pinterest, let’s be friends!) We visited our new house for a weekend of cleaning before moving in and took these photos then! Highly recommend having something like this as a memory!

Doug and I (and of course Pancake) are so excited to be in North Carolina! We’ve only been here a short time but feel so welcome and truly feel like we’re home. We’ll miss New York but are excited for all the wonderful memories we’ll make here!

If you’re local to the area, we’d love your recommendations on favorite restaurants, things to do… anything you’d like us to know! Feel free to leave suggestions in the comments!