The Heart of the Home
The kitchen is where I spend most of my day. I cook at least one meal a day, every day. Sometimes, I cook 3 meals a day. My son does his homeschool classes at our table. The kitchen really is the heart of our home because it is where my family tends to gather on a daily basis. I mean, we all need to eat, right?
So how do you pack your kitchen to prepare for a move? Should it be the last room you pack? How can you cook if your pots and pans are in boxes? Do you pull an all-nighter about 2 days before the moving truck is scheduled so you know it will all be packed and ready to go?
Waiting until the last minute to pack this room is a big mistake. Since it is one of the rooms you most likely use the most, it will be the room you want to completely set up as quickly as possible in your new home. After being able to sleep, shower, and get dressed in your new place, the next priority is going to be able to eat there. How you pack the kitchen is going to have an incredible impact on how quickly you are able to unpack it. So let’s get to exactly how you manage selling your home and moving all while still being able to eat nutritious, delicious meals. ….Cause, you gotta eat!
A Dose of Reality
I have two suggestions based on your lifestyle and family needs. First, it’s crucial to make peace with the fact that you’ll need to close down your kitchen while you’re showing your home and preparing to move out. Yes, you’ll need to close it down.
You’re not going to be able to cook lavish meals once your home hits the market and you begin to start packing. Honestly, you might not be able to cook at all. Still, there are ways to stay healthy, eat well, and survive moving without costing yourself a fortune.
I remember we put our house on the market when our son was about 18 months old. Our agent confirmed a showing at 7pm one weeknight. It was almost 6pm and I thought I should quickly boil some pasta for our son so he could eat dinner in the car.
I figured I could make the food because pasta only takes a few minutes. Then, I’d pack it up, clean the kitchen, and have plenty of time to leave so the house would be empty for the showing. Well, the potential buyers showed up with their agent at 6:15pm. I had just drained the pasta. I needed to ask them to wait outside while my husband and I quickly packed up, washed the pot, and left. We managed to do it in 5 minutes, but it still left them with 5 minutes to stand outside inconvenienced. Plus, the house smelled like fresh cooked food, which is not appealing to buyers. Needless to say, those buyers did not make an offer.
So what’s the solution when it comes to keeping your home ready for showings and being able to eat? First, start cooking through all of the food in your pantry about 6-8 weeks before showing your home. Shop from your pantry, freezer, and fridge first before buying more food. Just like packing up your seasonal clothing and accessories so your closets look larger, you’ll want to use the food you have on hand so your pantry area is less full.
Second, start buying less food at the supermarket. You want to keep only the foods you will consume in the next few weeks in the house. If you like to cook regularly, make meals you can freeze to use when you are showing your home. If you are not a fan of cooking, start to plan where you can buy healthy meals. Selling your home is stressful, especially when you are showing it. Eating junk food and fast food is not going to keep you feeling your best. Find restaurants and supermarkets with prepared food bars where you can make healthy, delicious food choices within your budget.
Remember, microwaving your meal still leaves a smell in the house. Be sure to leave enough time for food odors to dissipate before potential buyers walk in the door.
Round One
In addition to eating the food in your pantry, you’ll also want to pack up all the lesser used items in your kitchen and dining room. If you have china or gadgets you use only once in a while, pack it. I tell clients to keep only the bare necessities accessible. This includes a few plates, bowls, cups, glasses, flatware and maybe a pot, pan, and a piece of oven safe, microwave safe glassware. Pack everything else in small boxes. Again, don’t try to shove all your pots, pans and slow cooker into one box. As I’ve mentioned in other posts, keep your boxes light and easy to lift.
Being Show Ready
We showed our home for about 10 days before accepting a full price offer. During that time, we were prepared to spend evenings and the entire weekend away from our home. We slept there, but we stopped doing most of the things that were part of our regular routine. Once we realized people would show up early for showings or arrive unannounced, we gave in to not being at home.
Our go bags were packed and ready, so we could spend the day around town and still have all the things we needed, especially for our son. It took planning and organization, but it was totally worth it because it lessened the level of inconvenience we experienced.
Once we accepted an offer, we returned to cooking small meals at home with our basic supplies. I caution clients not to unpack anything during the month or so it takes to get to closing. You should not fully open your kitchen again. There’s still so much to do before closing and leaving the home. The last thing you’ll have time for is unpacking and repacking the kitchen.
Making It To Closing
Depending on the contract you’ve agreed to with the buyers, you may have lots of steps to complete before saying goodbye to your home. You may need to have an appraisal, a home inspection, or repairs completed before the transfer of ownership. Plus, you’ll need to finish packing all the rest of your stuff.
So when do you pack the basics you’ve been using in the kitchen these past few days? One person using:
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1 plate,
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1 cup,
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1 glass,
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1 fork,
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1 spoon,
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1 knife
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1 pot,
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1 pan,
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1 piece of glassware,
should pack these the day before the move. You’ll spend no more than 10 minutes boxing these things up. If you are a family of four and decided to leave all the plates, cups, silverware, utensils, etc. available, then you need to start packing it all about 4 days before the trucks arrive. The goal is to grab coffee on the go before the movers pull up. You don’t want to be packing while they are taking boxes to the truck.
The true beauty of this system is that it allows you to unpack these last boxes first when you get the keys to your new home. You’ll have everything you need to set up an interim kitchen immediately and start enjoying quick meals at home. Being able to tear open a bag of salad, warm a bowl of soup, or make a hearty sandwich in your peaceful, new home and enjoy them with real dishes and silverware is pure bliss after all of the hard work it takes to sell and move.
More Solutions For Your Move
Here’s more about selling your home and moving all your stuff without a whole lotta stress:
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