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Planning Your Move
If you’re getting ready to move and feeling overwhelmed by the whole process, these short lists of general advice can help you out. Moving can be a trying experience, but never more than when you’re not prepared. Our website has provided you with articles tackling many of the tricky situations that arise during the process of a relocation. For a general overlook, however, this is a good place to start. So take a deep breath and dive in.
Planning Your Move
- Take an Inventory: You will need to take stock of your possessions. Go from room to room with pen and paper and make a list of all the items you’ll be moving. This will help when you’re ready to get a quote from moving companies, and it will also help when you’re deciding which insurance you need to have for your relocation.
- Get Rid of Stuff: Whether you’ve lived in your current home for one year or ten, you will undoubtedly have accumulated things that you don’t really need or use anymore. So have a garage sale or make a run to your local thrift shop; the less you own, the less you will have to pack and move.
- Arrange for Movers: Decide whether your budget allows for a professional moving company or whether you’d rather rent a moving truck. Start doing research and get some quotes online or over the phone. Decide on your method of transportation, and book the deal.
- Buy Packing Supplies: You’ll need sturdy boxes (uniformly sized if possible), packing tape, bubble wrap and other padding, unprinted newspaper, and permanent markers. You can get these at moving companies, truck rental companies, or most office supply stores.
- Pack: Start packing the things you don’t use often as soon as you find out you’re moving. The more packing you do ahead of time, the less stress you will have as moving day approaches.
- Get Insurance: Decide on the value of your possessions and figure out which insurance is right for your relocation. You can get this through your moving company and possibly acquire some coverage through your homeowner’s insurance policy. Whatever you get, make sure to read the fine print to insure that you are properly covered.
- Change your Address and Move Utilites: E-mail all your friends and get a change-of-address card at the post office. Send this out to all your creditors, and to anyone from which you receive mail. Also, make sure your utilities are set to turn off when you leave and will be turned on in your new location when you arrive.
- Get Help: Whether you’re hiring movers or not, you’ll want someone around to help. You might need help watching the kids, packing last minute items or loading the truck if you’ve rented one. This could be your husband or some friends who owe you big; just don’t try to do it alone.
Moving Day
- Protect Your Valuables: If you have valuables (jewelry, irreplaceable documents, paintings, family heirlooms), you’ll want to take added measures to protect them. This may mean extra insurance from your moving company or, whenever possible, keeping valuables in your possession rather than entrusting them to the movers.
- Label, Label, Label: All boxes should be clearly and concisely labeled. Your label should include a brief list of contents as well as the room in which you want the box to end up.
- Keep the Kids Busy: Remember that moving is stressful for the whole family, including your kids. You can keep them out of the way by sending them to grandma’s house, or you can create projects for them to make moving fun. Enlist them to pack up their own clothes, wad up newspaper or set up boxes (just let them play in the boxes for a few minutes before you take them away).
- Clean out the Fridge: An often-overlooked chore, the fridge is full of stuff that’s got to go. If you’re moving a short distance, you may consider taking condiments with you; it can be expensive to replace them all. Otherwise, get out the trash bags and start cleaning.
- Pack an Overnight Bag: Don’t pack everything! You’ll need all the necessities for the morning after your move: toothbrush, toothpaste, towel, soap, deodorant, clean change of clothes, medications, etc.
- Final Check: Once the moving truck is full, be sure to go back into your house to check for any left items or damage that should be repaired.
Now off you go!
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