This week has been a total whirlwind. There hasn’t been much of a chance to breathe, let alone sit down to write much. I honestly can’t believe we moved yet again, and at the same time… you can’t expect anything less of me. I LOVE moving for whatever reason and even though it can be crazy hard, it always seems worth it once we are finally settled. We did things way differently than we have in the past by trying for a more eco friendly move, and it made the whole process so much easier. I mean, here I am, 48 hours into having moved and we are totally unpacked! (definitely NOT decorated, though!)
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After our car was totaled in a random middle of the night electrical fire a few months ago, we hummed and hawed about our next move. If we lived anywhere else, we would have immediately just gotten another car! But living in Upper Manhattan, we had two choices. Get another car… Or finally make the move downtown. Trust me. This was a way harder choice than I thought it would be. Having a car was like a lifeline to the outside world. Targets, mountains, lots of our friends. But at the end of the day, we decided to opt for easing our daily life first and foremost!
Without a car, we were faced with a brutal commute to school for my oldest. Over an hour on the subway and bus in rush hour traffic. Both times of the day. We would leave the hours around 7:15 and a lot of the time he wouldn’t get home until almost 5:00. I know this isn’t the end of the world for a ton of families, but it just seemed super unfair to have some of my three year old’s days be spent commuting for almost three hours. Hard pass!
So, we did something a little radical and downsized our already small two bedroom NYC apartment to a big one bedroom close to school. Surprise! You read that right. We are a family of three plus a dog, choosing to live in a one bedroom. It really wasn’t that far fetched for us. Outside of the city this is probably completely bonkers and unheard of, but it is honestly way more common than your would think. We already have a kid who wants to sleep in our room most nights and the square footage wasn’t that different. We were just subtracting a wall. Don’t worry! I plan to share all about how we make our space work once we are settled and have everything sorted out.
For now, we are all just camping out in the bedroom while we wait for some of our creative furniture to get here. My oldest thinks he is having a sleepover with his favorite people! And whether we are in different rooms or the same, he is still crawling into our bed at 6:00 every morning…. So, it doesn’t make too much of a difference. Yet!
Sustainable Moving
Next up, I want to chat a little bit about HOW we decided to move this time around. Our last move was totally haphazard and we threw things in garbage bags, tons of randomly sized cardboard boxes, and, honestly, had no idea what the heck we were even doing. When we moved this time, I wanted to be organized, efficient, and at the same time stay true to my resolution to reduce the amount of waste my family produces. I looked around for some how to execute an eco friendly move, and came across a few amazing reusable bin companies.
After a little research, I went with Bin-It. Obviously, the thought of stacking exact size matched bins made my OCD heart sing a little. But they also offer free delivery and pick up! This is a pretty big deal in the town. I was stocked to not have to deal with setting up boxes, taping, cutting, worrying about water damage (it rained the day of our move!), or stressing about a box being too heavy. The boxes are heavy duty and STRONG. All you have to do is close the lid, zip tie, and you are ready to stack. And guys, they even SANITIZE the bins after every person. So, they come to your bright and squeaky clean!
In the end, I am pretty sure we ended up saving money by using the Bin-It vs buying boxes. We definitely saved time both in packing and packing. There wasn’t a recycling room full of cardboard and plastic tape. And no dry hands caused by copious amounts of cardboard! Total win in my book. They were right on time for the drop off, and pick up was perfect. Having a time frame for the bins helps that it kind of forced me to get my stuff put away. No storing away cardboard boxes for months on end. We just had to get it done!
If, I should say when, we move again, I will hands down use Bin-It. You can rent them for different lengths of time, but two weeks was perfect for us! They even offer storage and moving services if you need a bit of extra help getting your stuff to your destination. I will say, you may want to size up if you are looking at how many bins to get. We did the two bedroom apartment and had JUST enough. We don’t have much stuff compared to a lot of people, so keep that in mind if you decide to try them out for your next move!
It has been an exhausting two weeks, but I am already so happy to be where we are at. The sun has peeked out, spring is coming and I can’t wait to spend the summer downtown with my boys.
I love this post, and that your move was eco friendly! Such a great idea and really the perfect way to pack. I hope this idea catches on I know I would totally be wiling to try it 🙂 Congratulations on your new place and your new journey!
Wishing you much happiness and many blessings in your new home Maddy! Life is short, spending more quality time together, rather than using your time commuting sounds like the exact right decision to me. These bins are such a great idea, my daughter is moving again soon, I am going to check if something like this is available in our area.
Eco bins that’s definitely new. I have a move this August, for sure I am going to try it.
That is so cool that you moved like that. I am a family of 9 me and 8 kids. Yes, that is a real fact. I just downsized from a 7 bedroom to a 3 bedroom to be on my own with them and we moved it all in 6 hours flat. We used anything in the house to move laundry baskets, dressers were just tapped shut it was a fun time. NOT! Moving is so stressful I wish I had thought of these cool little crates you use I bet I could have gotten some easily. Food for thought for next time. You did an amazing job moving so fast and efficient! Your little boy is absolutely adorable and being in a one bedroom will make you even closer as a family. Happy blogging to you.
I’ve never heard of those before but those look awesome! I love how easily they stack and that they won’t cave in if you put a heavier box on top! I’m definitely looking into these for our next move…
i moved offices with those crate style boxes. they really are amazing! I’ve moved houses/across the country with loads of cardboard boxes and they all end up going in the garbage, such a waste!
My youngest child will be graduating net year an I am seriously thinking about moving downtown . Atleast I would get to save on gas cause I could walk to more places. Thank you for sharing
We are only a week in, but it has been such a good change so far! Not driving all the time is SO nice (Even if public transportation isn’t. lol) At least you can read or catch up on emails while going to and from your destination!
That’s smart move and great idea. That’s true, it is not good to have hard times as a kid and I’m sure you are great parents 🙂
What a great idea to use those bins! I love NYC and I can understand completely why you made the move. How exciting!
Your post couldn’t come at a better time, Maddie! You and I have lots in common. Not only are we moms but we have both moved a lot. I jokingly tell my husband that most people Spring clean once a year – and we don’t need to – instead – we do the moving thing (LOL). I love the bins and will check them out. 👍🏼 We should meet up when I’m in the City… moving there this Sept 😍. ❤️ xo, Evelyn, PathofPresence 🦋
How cool, I have never heard of this… way better concept than regular boxes!!! 🙂 so great… I now wonder if anything like that is around here!
I’m currently moving and this is my first time dealing with all this and it’s tough! Your little boy, Marcus, is so cute! I love his hair!
I completely understand the rationale to move closer to Marcus’ school, even if it means living in a one bedroom apartment. Sacrifices we momma’s make, right. Not to mention, living in the city limits your choices. Regarding those bins, that is such a great idea. I wish I knew about them when I moved. Cardboard boxes can be expensive when you are buying many of them and the cost of packing tape. UGH. You scored on this one. Nice job.
This is such a great idea for moving, especially when it comes to moving to the downtown part of the city. I live in Los Angeles and, while I am not looking to move out of my apartment, I am definitely going to look into doing something like this whenever I do move.
Thanks for sharing! x
Michelle
dressingwithstyle-s.com
Cardboard can be eco if it is recycled. I work in it, so I would be using cartons while moving out 😉
That is so exciting! What a fun change for you guys!
Congratulations on your move! I bet that would be a hard decision to make. I’ve also never heard of Bin-It – I like the idea! We used cardboard boxes and it was a complete mess breaking them down!
This sounds so exciting! Whatever works for you and your family is best and no one can say otherwise. I love the idea of bin it! I’m going to see if they have this service in my area… I’ve been on this whole green and sustainable tip so this is right up my alley.
This is a concept I have not heard of before. thanks for sharing
Your project is really cool! Eco-friendly products are always amazing, they are so kid friendly! This is so safe for the environment!
This is the first I have heard of – bin it – what a fabulous concept. I wonder if there is something like this in my community
deff going to have to try bin-it, thanks for recommendation 🙂