The Challenge of Moving into Kismet Cabin

Every other time I've moved in my life it's always been the same. I neatly and meticulously pack my everyday things that I use and need into boxes. Then I jam the rest of the I'm-not-sure-why-I have-it-but-I'm-sure-I'll-need-it stuff in whatever leftover boxes and bags I have. I'll wonder when I got that thing and why. I'll also find that thing I've been looking for since who knows when. I'll load it all up in a U-haul, again neatly organized like a Tetris puzzle with the whatever boxes and bags haphazardly tossed on top. Once I arrive at my new abode, either a room or a corner is designated for the boxes while furniture is brought in piece by piece until the U-haul is fully unloaded. It will take a few weeks or months to unpack all the boxes.

Moving into Kismet Cabin was completely different. There is no unused corner to stack boxes while I play around with the layout. The reality is with a small space, if something doesn't fit ... it doesn't go there. The result, of the 25 pieces of furniture in my apartment - I only moved 6 of them into the cabin. The remaining furniture is going to my parents for their house or being put in their garage sale. So, I'll still be loading up a U-haul.

I did end up buying 2 pieces of furniture for the cabin. One was a sofa bed and the other was a C-table. The Manstad sofa bed was from Ikea, and if you've ever gotten anything from Ikea it's a puzzler's wet dream. And since I'm a puzzler, I was a happy camper... until I got it to the cabin and realized I couldn't unpack it inside. I literally had to unpack it out in the grass and bring in each piece one at a time.

There was barely any room to maneuver once all the pieces were stacked in the corner. With some careful organization and well-thought-out moves (I kinda felt like I was playing chess), I was able to put the sofa bed together inside the cabin.

Aside from the challenges of figuring out what furniture was going to go into the cabin, I was trying to figure out what things were going as well. I didn't realize how much of my packing previously was based on "I'll figure it out when I get there" or "I'll find a spot for it" mind set.

The minimal space in the Kismet Cabin does not allow for that type of thinking. Everything I pack into boxes to take to the cabin has to have a predesignated space it is going to. If I can't designate a space for the object, it doesn't get packed. Sometimes this means I need to get creative as well as really specific about what gets moved.

An additional problem with moving into a small space goes back to my earlier comment about no spare corners to stack boxes. I have figured out that I can move in approximately 3 boxes at a time and set them on my couch. However, because the couch is where I eat, study and sleep - all the boxes have to be unpacked and put away immediately. Then, I repeat.

Needless to say, my space is staying very tidy thus far.