Overload!!!!!

After over two weeks of non-stop "work", I finally have some time to myself to gather my thoughts and relax. I have so many things to share but let me start with what I did for the past couple of weeks.

For the past weeks I have been a work horse.... mainly to facilitate our move from our old apartment to our new condo. Let me say this, as much as I was excited to move to my own place, I very much dislike moving. It's a virtual juggling act. I have to make room (in my very very busy schedule) for work, school, appointments, housework and etc. etc. etc.

I have been meeting with lawyers, mortgage brokers, haulers, insurance brokers and others. In my experience, including past experiences, here my list of do's for moving in Winnipeg (or anywhere else for that matter): 

1. If you are moving into your own place, make sure that the vendor has everything all set such as the land titles, major installations / fixtures all installed and requirements from the vendor all arranged and taken care of;
2. Prepare enough funds to cover closing costs and legal fees (arrange for a lawyer as soon as possible);
3. Inspect the site / unit to prepare yourself for any possible scenarios - we had to re-schedule our possession date due to issues as land titles and delays in the delivery of the counter-tops;
4. Arrange for a hauler at least a month before possession - possession dates normally happen at the end or start of the month (normally on a weekend) so most of the haulers / hauling trucks are booked in advanced for theses dates;
5. Start collecting boxes from work or from friends; this helps and if the boxes are collected from work or friends, this gives you a lot of savings;
6. Mark your boxes accordingly depending on you preference (be it by item or where you want your boxes  placed) - this helped a lot for obvious reasons;
7. Contact the utility companies and service providers in advance to inform them of your pending move
8. Schedule a walk-through with the vendor's representative to check for discrepancies and ask whether you can get the keys the day before possession (vendor's normally allow this considering all of their requirements are met such as the home insurance and legal documentation has been set)
9. Since you will not be able to unpack everything on the first day, repare on a separate bag/s some essentials such as: extra home clothes, extra work clothes, extra underwear, toiletries, bottled water, disposable plates and utensils, flashlight, paper towels, toilet paper, pens and small notebook
10. Prepare extra boxes or covers for your floors to avoid damage while hauling in your stuff

There are still other stuff that I feel needs to be addressed but it depends on how you handle the move anyway. Basically it all boils down to preparation. Have friends help you out and try and have fun while doing it.

Hopefully I will have most of my stuff organized and be able to upload more posts soon. TTFN.