Going upstate for the first time? Our readers shared some of their best advice.

One of the most popular questions we get in the weeks leading up to the summer every year is: Do you have advice for someone going to the country for the first time? I don’t know where to start!

Between the five of us, we have very limited experience with the “bungalow scene” so we turned to you, our readers, and asked for your advice. The most common theme was – don’t sweat it. You can get it all up there. Or online. Read on for more…

1. Make a Target and/or Walmart order that includes all toiletries and detergents and have it shipped straight to your summer home.
2. Less is more. In 2022, amazon will deliver almost anything you need.
3. Pack in plastic drawers so they’ll be ready to go straight into the closets when you arrive.
4. Prepare your bedding. Cover duvets and pillows and you’ll only have to put the sheets on the beds when you arrive.
5. If you live near a place that sells kallah packages for the kitchen (like the Peppermill), get one. It’s a one-stop shop and they toivel too.
6. Less is more! It’s actually very refreshing to live with less and more simply for two months.
7. Pack in moving totes (see this post for a great solution) and garbage bags. But then someone else said beware of packing in garbage bags because they might get thrown out. So – use your own judgement on this one!
8. When I went for the first time, I came with basic necessities and slowly got what I thought was missing. Even if you don’t want to shop in stores upstate, there’s always amazon. You can order cutlery and small appliances to be delivered directly.
9. I used a first-time Pesach list and a kallah list for house and kitchen stuff. Then a kids’ camp list for more ideas of basic necessities.
10. Make sure to see the place before it’s time to move in.
11. Don’t overpack! You don’t need your whole house!
12. It pays to go up and prep the bungalow before the family joins you.

And, file this post away to make opening your bungalow before next summer so much easier & keep your things safe over the winter.

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