We made our “big move” in February! It was a short month and jam-packed with activity for us. I started the month in a pet friendly hotel near our new house. During this time, I frequently visited the new house to monitor renovation progress, or as it turned out, the lack thereof. In any case, it was nice to be reunited with Mr. Vine. The hotel offered free breakfast and I wisely used a combination of breakfast items from the hotel with groceries that I bought for frugal breakfasts and lunches. That will be the topic of a future post. 

The middle of the month was spent packing the condo to prepare for our departure. In the spirit of Little Efforts, I began packing last summer, as soon as we purchased the new home. I also de-cluttered and got rid of items that are little used. My closet could have used more of a purge, but I digress. (Working from home, with a new role and a new company makes it really hard to purge one’s closet and chart a fresh personal style path!). Those prior efforts stood us in good stead, leading Mr. Vine to declare this our smoothest move yet. 

Meanwhile, I didn’t feel like things went very smoothly, but in retrospect, only the last part was stressful as we ran out of time. Our new tenant was ready to move in. We didn’t get the chance to deep clean as much as we would have liked, but ultimately got ourselves and our cats out the door within ninety minutes of our targeted time. 

As soon I pulled away from the curb in our fully loaded SUV, with my beloved kitties in the backseat, I was flooded with relief. I knew in a couple of hours I’d have more work settling our feline family members into the temporary space and perhaps helping Mr. Vine to unload the moving van into storage. But for the duration of that drive, I could relax. 

The human family members and one of our cats quickly settled into our Airbnb. One cat took a bit longer before feeling at home. Being back in the city where I attended grad school brought a happy ending to the month. We are getting back into the habit of cooking at home. 

Our spending in February reflects expenses associated with moving and some renovation costs that we paid during the month. Our grocery bill was high because I prepaid for a CSA share that will begin in June. Hotel stays led to more takeout expenses than normal. And lastly, I paid for a few professional memberships that likely will not be reimbursed by my current employer (but that I want to maintain). The renovation spending should taper off by this summer. We are very much looking forward to more regular spending numbers!