Moving After a Divorce: Navigating Emotions and Logistics

Moving during or following a divorce can be an emotional rollercoaster, and if you’re a custodial parent moving with children then that further complicates your move. 

All My Sons Moving & Storage helps individuals, families, and businesses navigate life’s many transitions. We understand that your belongings matter to you, and the items you’ve chosen to take with you into your next chapter help you maintain your lifestyle and identity even as one path of your life’s journey comes to an end. That’s why All My Sons treats every move with custom care and compassion, offering the services that support your individual needs best. 

When you make your first move after or during a divorce, whether that’s moving directly out of the home you shared with your former spouse into an apartment or transitioning into temporary housing, you’re often taking weighty emotions with you along with your boxes.

All My Sons advises you take five steps into your new living arrangement post-divorce.

Consult your divorce decree and your lawyer before making a significant move. If there are no children involved then you might still need to mind temporary orders or formal judgements about property.

If you have children, you may need to follow certain procedures before you are able to move, especially if you intend to move out of state. A court will always look to see if a move serves the child’s best interests and not just your own. 

Should you believe yourself to be unsafe in your current home, you may need to make an emergency move into temporary housing. You can find resources for people in your situation through the national domestic violence hotline, visit thehotline.org.

There are a variety of ways that using storage can help you complete a move, whether you’re staying in a temporary living situation until you can find a more permanent home or you’re waiting for an apartment or house to be ready for you to move in. 

Renting storage can be especially helpful for those navigating a divorce. When you move a full household of items you used to share with a life partner, you’re undoubtably going to experience a full range of emotions. Even in the most amicable of separations, going through a shared household and memorabilia could invoke bittersweet memories. It’s possible you won’t be in the right headspace to sort through what you need to let go of. Using storage gives you space and time to process. You can hang onto your items until you are ready to go through them. 

Full-service storage, provided by companies like All My Sons Moving & Storage, allows you to sit back and focus on the rest of your move while the packing, loading, and transport of your belongings is handled for you. When you are ready, you can request your items back and they will be delivered to your new home without you having to lift a finger.

All My Sons recommends going through your household inventory and decluttering before every move. This is the fastest and more efficient way to save time, money, and energy on your move. It’s possible that you will not be emotionally ready to sort or let go of certain items, and that’s okay. You can place items in storage until you are prepared.

When the time comes, either while you are packing directly after receiving your divorce decree or months later as you go through your storage unit, sort your items into these five categories.

• Keep: These are the items coming with you into your next home. Sort the absolute must-haves into this category first. Everything that remains a “maybe” must take a backseat to the items that you feel undivided about. 

• Sell: Items in excellent condition that you have decided against keeping might be able to score a few dollars for your moving budget. You can try listing items on Facebook Marketplace or OfferUp. Clothing can be taken to your local thrift store for cash or store credit, or you can sell items to online thrift stores like ThredUp, Mercari, and Poshmark. Books, vinyl records, and media collections such as CDs and DVDs can be taken to a local used bookstore like Half Price Books for an immediate cash offer. You can also hold a garage or yard sale, just check your local city regulations.

• Donate: Items in good condition that you do not desire to keep could help a local community cause in your area. Be careful to only donate items that are in functional condition, otherwise you’re just making disposal the charity’s problem. You can search for niche causes in your area or take donations to a nationwide charity like The Salvation Army or Goodwill.

• Discard: Items that are not in good condition or items that would be meaningless to another person (filled photo albums or children’s memorabilia) should be responsibly discarded. Recycle materials that can get a second life like paper, plastic, cardboard, and textiles, and then dispose of the remaining trash. If you have sizable items to discard, you can call a junk removal company like Junk.com to come pick the items up on your schedule. Junk.com prioritizes sustainable methods of disposal and will do all the sorting for you. 

• Store: Items that you want to delay the decision on can be put into storage until you are ready. You can also choose to store items that you do not use everyday but would like to keep on hand, such as holiday decorations or off-season clothing. Remember to organize your storage unit well so you have an easier time finding items later.

When you have sorted through your household inventory, you will likely find your move more manageable. 

You’ve found your next permanent home for life post-divorce, and it’s time for the heavy lifting and loading. At All My Sons Moving & Storage, we believe that an organized move is an efficient move, and we have a few tips on how to make organizing your post-divorce move easier. 

• Make a Moving Checklist: Write all the important tasks you need to complete before your move, such as finding your new house or apartment, researching moving companies, and scheduling your utilities for disconnection and connection. 

• Craft a Moving Budget: Money might be tight post-divorce. Figure out how much you have to set aside for things like moving supplies, professional movers, and security deposits. Look out for the hidden costs of moving. You might be able to save money on your move by looking for free boxes in your community. 

• Create a Moving Inventory: While you pack, use an inventory app or a paper journal to write down the contents of each of your moving boxes. When you have a moving inventory, you know which items went into which boxes without having to open them all up, which will come in handy during your unpacking phase. 

• Cope with Your Moving Emotions: Your post-divorce move could be a heavy time for you. Remember that sadness and anger are a natural response to loss and change, and it’s okay to feel those emotions. Find healthy ways to express your emotions such as journaling, taking a break to cry for a few minutes, or practicing progressive muscle relaxation for those tense times. If your emotions are keeping you from performing the functions of your move, seek help from trusted friends, family, and mental healthcare professionals. 

• Practice Good Moving Self-Care: Take good care of your body, your mind, and your spirit during your move. Eat nourishing food when you’re hungry, fit joyful movement into your day, and practice good sleep habits. You will feel mentally prepared to manage your move best when you feel your best.

• Pack Essentials Separately: Your essentials are the items that make everyday living possible. These items include toilet paper, sheets, silverware, and soap. You want to pack these items LAST to be unloaded at your new home FIRST. All My Sons recommends you use brightly colored tape to distinguish your essentials boxes from the rest of your household inventory.

• Keep a Bag on Hand: Important documents, medications, phone chargers, and overnight toiletries should be kept on your person during your move, not packed into a box who knows where in the back of your moving truck. If you are moving with your kids, each child should have their own bag of important items with them too. Older children should be able to pack and carry their own bags.

Once you reach your destination, you can have your pro-movers assemble and arrange your furniture to your liking, deposit each box in the room it belongs to, and you can set about unpacking with vigor.

Life post-divorce in a new area might feel lonely. It’s important to forge and strengthen your community connections during this time. Once moved in and settled, here are some ways to go about making friends and meeting neighbors.

• Look for Support Groups: Navigating a significant life change like a divorce can be easier when you don’t feel alone. Search your new area for support groups for people experiencing divorce. You might find these groups through churches, community centers, mental health programs, or online. 

• Explore the Neighborhood: Look for your new community’s hubs like coffee shops, gyms, churches, recreation centers, and hobby stores. Some of these places might have physical or online bulletin boards advertising events or groups. Find the spaces that closely align with your interests and show up ready to introduce yourself to others.

• Try Apps for Social Connection: Eventbrite can help you find in-person and online events around your area. Interest groups might advertise their weekly or monthly events on Meetup. Or you can skip straight to swiping through friendship matches on Bumble BFF. 

Establish a routine on your new home turf, and nurture the new friendships you find. Pretty soon you’ll be enjoying life at your new space post-divorce.

Your post-divorce move could be the time for a clean slate and new adventures. Allow All My Sons Moving & Storage to help you get there.

Our licensed and insured professional mover help with every kind of life transition, from helping young adults move for college to assisting seniors moving for retirement. Move local to an apartment close to your family or start totally fresh post-divorce with a long-distance move into a new state. Click the quote button below to start your next move.