The following post was sponsored by Capital One®.  All opinions are my own and not directed by Capital One. To learn more about the GM BuyPower Card, click here.

Did you miss it? The Roses are packing up and heading south.

A few weeks ago we made it “Facebook official” that we are moving to Nashville. I feel like now that it’s on the Internet, it’s for reals. Like FOR REALSSSSS.

Can I be the first to tell you how hard it was to hide something that LARGE for months?

I hate secrets anyway, but that one? Phew.

If you know me, you know my M.O. is transparency. The good, the bad, the ugly and the million toddler tantrums followed by gallery wall therapy to keep me sane.

I don’t hide life well. In fact, hiding life makes me die inside. I live to tell our story, even when our story isn’t roses. <— See how I did that there? Uh-huh.

For months I had been hiding that GIANT secret and I may or may not have felt like I was slowly suffocating by having to hold it in.

Not because the world needs to know, but because I needed to get it out.

And so…

I don’t own a single pair of cowboy boots and country music is not necessarily my thang’, but Nashville… you will be our new home anyway.

Can you tell I’m nervous?! Even with the big secret out, I’m nervous. I have never moved more than 10 miles from home in my entire life. I know, insert eye roll and complete judgement that I have only child syndrome. I give you permission.

After we officially made the decision to move, then came the dreaded process of actually moving… you know the getting every single thing we own for 6 people to a new location.

The logistics.

And possibly the main reason I have never gone anywhere in 36 years.

How the GM BuyPower Card Makes Spending All That Moving Money A Little More Painless

As anyone who’s moved knows all too well, it can often feel like you’re just senselessly throwing money out the window for months at a time.

Between buying countless boxes and making a few (and by a few I mean like 10) trips to Nashville to neighborhood hunt, meet with our home builder and get a plan in place for the big move, we’ve definitely been spending the big bucks. That’s pretty typical for big moves.

I’m a fan of anything that makes spending money less painful, and there’s no better time to use those tips and tricks than when balancing a moving budget. If your family is going through something similar, the GM BuyPower Card from Capital One can be a great resource to have on hand during the whole process, whether you’re moving solo or have all the littles in tow like me.

GM BuyPower Cardmembers can take full advantage of all the perks. When you are approved for the GM BuyPower Card, you accumulate 5% Earnings on your first $5,000 in purchases every year, then 2% unlimited Earnings on purchases after that.

Once you’re ready to redeem your Earnings from spending like you normally would, you can apply your Earnings as dollar-for-dollar savings when you buy or lease a new Chevrolet, Buick, GMC or Cadillac vehicle. A new car?!! Yep! The best part is, GM Earnings can be used on top of most current GM offers and incentives.

So while using the card to pay for road trip necessities (while you drive back and forth), boxes and bubble wrap, or even unexpected home repairs, you’re gaining Earnings toward a top of the line GM vehicle each time you use the card.

6 Ways I’m Preparing for The Big Move

#1 Purge, purge and purge some more

The first step in packing for the move began with the massive process of purging… and then purging some more… and then purging to the point where our kids think we’re literally going with just the clothes on our backs. Oops.

Oh, you want to take your toys with you? Pick five. Ha!

It’s crazy how much stuff you can accumulate over the years. But I promise you, you don’t need every single paper your kid has ever brought home from school since pre-k and you definitely don’t need 250 toy cars.

TWO HUNDRED AND FIFTY!

I mean, you’d think I was hosting an official race or something.

Purging has been my favorite part so far because when the clutter is gone, you feel free! Trust me, rid yourself of all things you do not absolutely need. You will thank me later.

#2 Get organized

Part of that purging process meant getting every kind of storage container they sell and finding a place for everything. We kicked a lot of our junk to the curb so we were left with all the things we did want to keep, which meant organizing the “keep” pile.

*Oh hey trash man, I owe you a cup of coffee!

Just like with the road trip expenses I mentioned earlier, if you have the GM BuyPower Card, you can make every single bin, basket or box that you purchase to organize everything (like the bin Nella thinks is her personal chair) work toward purchasing your next car. Cha-Ching people!

Point here? You can organize the stuff you are taking with you (which will keep you sane when you get to the new home) AND help save while doing it.

#3 Hire help

Need I say more? It’s a full time job keeping four kids in line, but packing and moving too? We are going to need to “phone a friend” to make that happen.

Or if you don’t want to burden your friends with begging them to help you for free pizza, call moving companies. Compare quotes and find a company in your budget who can help you not lose your mind.

#4 Research the new area

From important things like doctors and school districts to sports teams and ummm, hair dressers, there’s a lot to discover about a new city.

One of the best things I did was ask my social media followers to holler if they’re in Nashville because… I need friends. Friends who know which grocery stores won’t overcharge me for eggs and bread, which doctor won’t always be running an hour behind on appointment times and who can do my hair without interpreting “just trim it” as cut 2 inches off.

I’ve been swamped replying to tons of messages from women helping me get a lay of the land and it’s been AMAZING.

You can also find A LOT of information online by researching things in your new area. The more things you can research prior to moving, the more at ease you will feel once you get there, right?!?! That’s what I’m telling myself anyway.

#5 Don’t procrastinate

The countdown is ON! Whether we’re ready or not, we’ve sold our house and are headed out.  One of the key things I’m trying to tell myself during this move is to just get it done.

Whatever the IT is, let’s do it now so in those final days before we leave we can spend time with friends and family and leave little stress to the final moments.

If you have enough of a heads up on the move (over 3 months in our case) then start doing a few little things each day to help get you ready. For example, tackle purging one room or closet of your home each day. It will feel way less overwhelming than trying to purge your entire home in 24 hours.

Movers get booked up pretty quickly so make sure you do your homework as soon as you know your move dates. It will save you from scrambling to find that help you will so desperately need.

#6 Record memories before you go

With having four kids, they’ve each got a mini bucket list of things they want to make sure to do before we move. One of the things I want to consider is how they will be leaving friends and their neighborhood whiffle ball crew.

I know how hard it will be for them to leave their life here. I know, because I know how hard it will be for Jeff and I.

We are trying to soak up our time left by spending it with friends, taking lots of pictures and making sure our kids know that saying goodbye to their home doesn’t mean we won’t remember all of the wonderful memories we made here.

I want to make the most of the time we have here before we move… even if this move in the end will be super exciting and fun for everyone!

Speaking of, I should probably go pack the kitchen…we have our big neighborhood goodbye bash this week and I want to make sure I’m fully present and not wishing I was home packing.