The other side of being accepted....shopping and planning the trip! :D

[bosanbo]

We are moving cross-country and really looking forward to it. The family consists of me, the man, and a dog. We found a place in Ithaca via Craig's List last month, and my aunt and uncle drove over from Buffalo to check it out for us. We are mostly purging stuff at this point, because we're moving from a three bedroom house into a one bedroom apartment. The dog has been accepted. We took this apartment because it was a reliable landing pad and got the worry of housing off our plate. If we hate it, the lease is only a year, and then we'll be "on site" to look for new housing in a less stressful way.

 

The house was purchased as an investment and will be rented out when we leave. We're minimalists, so we haven't filled the house much, but we still have loads of things we don't need. I find it very liberating to donate them. Honestly, this fits nicely into our life plan of being more mobile and having less in general.

 

Right now, work is the scary part. We have a savings cushion and the income from the house (renting out for several hundred more than our rent will be at the apartment), but other than that... The man is taking the plunge with me. He's got a very specific skill set and there's a place in Ithaca that looks tailor-made for him, so he's contacted them to "warn" them of his arrival and interest in working there. 

 

We'll need a new bed, couch, and dishes when we arrive. Other than that, we own everything we need. We're ditching the big furniture so we don't have to use a moving truck, and all clothing will be stored in closets - no dresser. Dishes are ones we aren't attached to, so it's better to give them to someone here and not worry about them breaking. 

 

I am most looking forward to a couch. We've had a horrid, uncomfortable couch for over a year now, and we didn't buy a new one because we knew we were moving (grad school or not). I'm so, so ready for a comfortable couch that doesn't look like something you'd find in a garage... 

 

It's intimidating, but we're treating it like an adventure. We're both adventurous people, and this feels really right to us. It's nice to rid myself of most of my unnecessary things. Books are another story...

Edited April 24, 2013 by bosanbo

[BrookeSnow]

My to do list:

 

1. Upgrade to a smart phone: I've had the same flip phone with no internet or texting forever

2. Decide if I am going to get a new laptop

3. If I dont get a new laptop am I going to get an ipad or just hang on to the old laptop

4. Figure out banking in my new town

5. Figure out if I need a car or bike ( Need to know if I need to drag these across the country or not)

6. Find winter clothes and summer clothes. Ohio's summers and winters are more extreme than where I am now and none of my current staples will cut it.

7. Throw out or donate stuff to make room for the above mentioned items.

Edited April 30, 2013 by BrookeSnow

[Arrowfletch]

I'm mostly looking forward to outfitting a new apartment (once I get there, that is, no point buying things here).  Since I'm taking the summer off and I love making things myself, I have a few crafty projects in mind already that will fit in any place I get. Clothes probably aren't going to be a big thing for me--lab clothes are lab clothes, and I don't think I'll need much more than I have in the way of more formal outfits.

[Lulubelle]

I need to buy clothes because I've always worked in very casual offices, but I know that for my assistantship, I'll need to dress up more (no jeans). Not to mention that I realize I probably should start dressing like an adult. Most of the furniture in my room now was leftover from the previous tenant, and I won't be taking it with me, so I will need to find some bedroom furniture (aside from my bed) when I move. Probably some storage-type items, too, because I just use some built-in shelves right now. 

 

As for housing, I went out in April to find a place and was scraping the bottom of the barrel. Where I'm going is such a college town, so most students sign leases in March or so. That was the same for me in undergrad, so I sort of expected it. It was easier than expected, but mostly because I was meeting potential roommates who already had places.