So you've decided to make a move. Are you ready to box up
everything you own - all the possessions that mean "home" to
you and your family - and ship them to another part of the
country? It's no wonder that moving is ranked among life's
most stressful events. However, with the proper planning
and preparation, you can make your next move a smooth one.
This calendar will serve as your "countdown" to
moving day.
Six Weeks Before Your Move
- Take an objective look at what you own, and decide what
must go and what can be left behind. Books you've read
and will never read again? Records you haven't listened
to since college? The pan with a broken handle or the children's
long- neglected games? Extra weight costs more money.
- If you have a lot of things worth selling, you may want
to organize a garage sale.
- Start a central file for all of the details on your move.
It's a good idea to buy a brightly colored organizer folder
with pockets - you'll be less likely to misplace it. Make
sure to collect receipts for moving-related expenses. Depending
on your reason for moving, you may be entitled to a tax
deduction.
- Create a floor plan of your new home, and begin thinking
about where you'll want to place furniture. Advance planning
eases the stress of making major decisions when your furniture
arrives at your new home. Mark and label specific pieces
of furniture on your diagram, and put it in your moving
folder.
Four Weeks Before Your Move
- Notify the post office, magazines, credit card companies
and friends and family of your change of address. The U.
S. Postal Service offers a kit to make this process easier.
- Contact utilities (gas, water, electricity, telephone,
cable TV) to schedule disconnection of services on the
day following your move. You'll want to have utilities
on while you're still in the house. Call the utilities
in your new town to arrange for service to start the day
before your move so that you have service when you arrive
at your new home. And don't forget to arrange for an expert,
if necessary, to install fixtures upon their arrival at
your new home.
- Complete any repair work on your old home, and arrange
for any critical services needed at your new home.
- If packing yourself, start packing seldom-used articles
like fancy dishes and glasses, specialty cookware, non-essential
clothing, curios, art, photos, and decorative items.
- As you pack, remember to keep each box light enough to
be handled by any of the members of your family - not just
the strongest person. Heavier items go in smaller boxes,
lighter items in larger boxes.
- If you are planning a garage sale, pick a date at least
a week before the move, and advertise it locally. Think
about teaming up with neighbors who want to sell some of
their old belongings, and plan a neighborhood "super
sale."
Three Weeks Before Your Move
- Take inventory of your everyday household goods, such
as radios, pots and pans and small appliances. Decide which
items you will discard or put in storage.
- Self-packers: start your serious packing. Label the contents
of all boxes, and pack carefully.
- As best you can, box essential items together, and write "Open
First/Load Last" on these boxes. When you move into
your new home, you'll be able to easily identify these
boxes and get to important items like pots, dishes, silverware,
alarm clocks, bedding, pillows, towels, cherished toys
and essential items for babies or children.
- Make sure you have your driver's license, auto registration
and insurance records.
- Contact your doctors, dentist and veterinarian to receive
copies of medical records.
- Pack phone books from your old town to make staying in
touch with old friends easier.
- Make personal travel arrangements (flights, hotel, rental
cars) for your trip.
- Plan your food purchases to have as little as possible
in the freezer or refrigerator by the time you move. Use
up all frozen items, and buy only what you'll eat in the
next three weeks, because you can't ship them.
- Arrange to clean your new home, or plan to clean it yourself
as close to move-in as possible. Since the home will probably
be unoccupied by this time, make sure the cleaning is thorough
and covers all those nooks and crannies usually blocked
by furniture or appliances.
- Contact your children's schools, and arrange for records
to be forwarded to your new school district.
- Make new bank safety deposit box arrangements in your
new hometown. Make arrangements to safely transfer items
from your old safe deposit box to your new one.
- Hold a garage sale now.
Two Weeks Before Your Move
- Check with your insurance company to cancel current coverage
or transfer coverage to your new home.
- Make arrangements for transporting your pets and any
house plants, because movers can't take them in the van.
- Meet with your bank to change account status.
- Transfer all current prescriptions to a drug store in
your new town.
- Cancel any delivery services such as newspapers. Consider
starting a subscription to the newspaper in your new town
to introduce you to local news happenings.
- Have your automobile serviced if you're traveling by
car.
- Be sure to empty secret hiding places to remove valuables
and spare house keys.
One Week Before Your Move
- Mow your lawn for the last time.
- Dispose of toxic or flammable items that can't be moved.
Drain the gas and oil from gas-powered tools such as lawn
mowers and snowblowers; movers will not take them if full.
- Double check to make sure arrangements have been made
to disconnect and service your major appliances being moved.
- Pack your "trip kit" of necessary items that
should go in your car and not the moving van: your checkbook,
cash or travelers checks, medications, essential toiletries,
light bulbs, flashlight, toilet paper, pet food, spare
glasses or contact lenses, baby or child care items, toys
and car games for children and your notebook with moving
information
- If you have young children, arrange for a baby-sitter
to watch them on moving day. Since you'll have your hands
full, the extra attention from a sitter will distract the
child's attention from the turmoil of a move.
- Also arrange for a baby-sitter to be available when you
arrive at your new home with young children.
- Pack your own suitcase of clothes for the move.
- Put your "open first/load last" boxes in a
separate place so the mover can identify them.
- Pay all outstanding bills. Be sure to indicate your new
address on payment receipts.
- Remove any fixtures you are taking with you and replace
(if specified in your home- selling contract),
One To Two Days Before Your Move
- The movers will arrive to start the packing process
- Empty and defrost your refrigerator and freezer, clean
both with a disinfectant and let them air out. Put baking
soda or charcoal inside to keep them fresh.
- Arrange for payment to the moving company. This payment
must be made when your belongings arrive at your new home
- before your belongings are unloaded. Find out your moving
company's accepted methods of payment, terms, and its policy
for inspecting your belongings when they arrive to determine
if any breakage has occurred.
- Empty your safety deposit box. Plan to take important
papers, jewelry, cherished family photos, irreplaceable
mementos and vital computer files with you.
- Write directions to your new home for the van operator,
provide the new phone number and include phone numbers
where you can be reached in transit - either a car phone
or friends, old neighbors, a place of business or relatives
with whom you'll be in contact. You'll never be out of
touch for long, should an emergency arise.
- Leave your forwarding address and phone number for your
home's new occupants.
- If your old house will be sitting vacant, notify police
and neighbors.
Moving Day
- Remove linens from the beds and pack in an "open
first" box.
- When the movers arrive, review all details and paperwork.
Accompany the van operator to take inventory. Verify delivery
plans.
- If there is time, give the home a final cleaning, or
arrange in advance for someone to perform this service
the day after moving out.
Move-In Day
- If you arrive before the movers, take some time to tidy
up your home (dusting shelves, etc.) so the movers can
unpack items directly onto clean shelves. If you plan to
line cupboards with shelving paper, this is a good time
to do it.
- Unpack your car.
- Review your floor plan to refresh your memory about where
you want furniture and appliances placed.
- Check to make sure the utilities have been connected,
and follow up on any delays.
- Confine your pets to an out-of-the-way room to help keep
them from running away or getting unduly agitated by all
the activity. You might even consider boarding them overnight
at a local kennel until you're settled.
- Plan to be present when the moving van arrives. Be prepared
to pay the mover before unloading.
- One person should check the inventory sheets as items
are unloaded. A second person should direct the movers
on where to place items. Once all items are unloaded, unpack
only what you need for the first day or two. Focus on creating
a sense of home for your family. Give yourself at least
two weeks to unpack and organize your belongings.
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