The Six-Week Checklist For A Smooth Move
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. Remember, extra weight costs more money.
- If you have a lot of things worth
selling, you may want to organize a garage sale.
- Get an estimate from your mover on the cost of letting the company professionally pack all or some of
your belongings. The time and effort you save may be worth the cost. While
the mover is liable for breakage to any items it packs, you're responsible
for damage to improperly packed items that you have boxed yourself.
- If you've decided to let your mover pack for you, begin separating what you plan to
sell, give away, throw away and keep.
- Contact the Chamber of Commerce or Visitors
Bureau of your new town to request information on schools, parks and recreation,
community calendars, and maps.
- 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.
Five Weeks Before Your Move
- Select your mover, and meet to discuss dates and costs.
- Decide now whether
you want to pack yourself or hire your mover to do this task. Self-packing
can save money. Hiring a mover helps ensure a professional packing job, minimizes
breakage and saves you considerable time.
- If you've decided to pack yourself, you'll need to begin gathering boxes. Your mover can provide boxes most suited
for moving, including special-purpose containers for items like clothing on
hangers and lamp shades.
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. If you
are planning to move major appliances, talk with your mover to schedule disconnection
and servicing a few days before you move. 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 fike 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.