Two years.

Depends on circumstances. Some of our furniture was in storage and not delivered for a couple of weeks, and a few boxes remained unopened until the furniture was in place (books, for example). We had a few rooms painted before settling in, so more boxes unpacked. On top of all that, we went on vacation immediately after moving, so another cause of delayed unpacking.

A neighbor dropped by to introduce herself a month after we moved in, saw the last of the unpacked boxes (2 of them) and rather rudely remarked on how long it was taking. Given that I had done nothing in my free time aside from unpack, and she didn’t know us or our schedules, I thought she was pretty out of line.

About a week. Once you unpack several boxes and put them away, the visual difference is so great that it keeps you motivated to stay on task. I took a before picture right after the movers left. Then everyday we chipped away at the pile and I'd look back to that picture and feel an enormous sense of accomplishment. You can do it!

7 years later I’m moving and found three boxes I never unpacked. I unpacked them and donated most of the items and displayed the rest (they were decorative things). Now we can look at them for the month I have left here.

Within a few days.How can it take years?

The important stuff -- which is 90% usually gets unpacked in the first 48 hrs. I'd say 2 weeks for the vast majority to get unpacked. Then there are the 5 boxes that you just don't know what to do with or where to put the pictures -- and those stay in the boxes for about 2 yrs until DH gets an itch and pushed me to make some decisions.

So, somewhere b/t 2 days and 2 yrs. But, we usually have most things unpacked in 2 days so that we can function.

Try using Taskrabbit, a definite tool with helping me make progress with general organization. Definitely helps with making progress

Anonymous wrote:Years

Same here. YEARS.

About 24 hours, spread over two days.

I still haven't found some clothes from my last big move in 2011.... they have to be in one of the boxes sitting in the basement.

It took me a full day to unpack after a move from one house to another. It was a local move so I never packed any of our clothes, just put them in the car on hanger, and moved them straight into the closet. The kitchen and books took a bit of time.

Years

Conquer the kitchen and after that it all feels doable. It can go pretty quickly if your goal is to unpack versus to achieve perfect organization that will last a lifetime. (Which won’t happen, so don’t bother!) Do your best to get boxes out and learn from living in your new space where you REALLY want stuff to go.

It can take awhile. For one move (when I was pregnant!) I actually hired someone to help unpack our kitchen that first weekend. I’ve always found that to be the most important step. Other stuff can take a bit longer.

We moved this weekend, and I'm feeling totally overwhelmed by half empty boxes and stuff. I know I just have to keep chipping away, but it's so hard to imagine and end to this. How long did it take you to settle in?