It’s official! You’ve signed the papers, dotted all i’s and crossed the t’s—you own a new home! You’ve almost reached the end of your journey. However, now, faced with the daunting task of moving, it may seem as though the journey has just begun. Moving can be a time-consuming and stressful experience if you let yourself be overwhelmed by the job.
Remember, though, having a successful move means taking care of the details, one by one. If you break the process down into steps and arrange your time accordingly, you can make it manageable. In this two-part blog, you will discover easy to follow checklists for the key areas of moving, guiding you to a successful, relatively stress-free move!
Household
You have built a home by setting up accounts and acquiring items. Contact all your service providers and deliveries to update your new info.
- Arrange to have your mail forwarded to your new address.
- Forward or cease all deliveries to your home, and forward or cancel newspaper and magazine subscriptions.
- Disconnect utility, cable and phone services and accounts. If you plan on using these same services through the same providers, simply have these transferred to your new address.
- Arrange for utilities to be connected at your new house for your date of possession.
- Cancel pre-authorized bill payments.
- Begin going through closets and discarding any unnecessary items.
Packing
Packing up an entire home can seem like a daunting task. Simply break it down and plan your packing as you would any large undertaking.
- Purchase or acquire suitable containers. Most moving companies have specialized containers you can buy. Alternatively, speak with others who have recently moved—they may be looking to get rid of boxes.
- You’ll need the following types of boxes:
- Small boxes for heavy items (books, tools, etc.)
- Large boxes for bulky items (bedding, stuffed toys, etc.)
- Medium boxes for bulky but less heavy items (towels, small appliances, etc.)
- Begin to collect other packing materials to protect your possessions. Decide which items you’ll need from the following checklist:
- White paper
- Tissue paper
- Paper towels
- Newspapers
- Non-printed paper
- Packing tape or twine to seal boxes and containers
- Scissors
- Labels and stickers (available from your moving company)
- Felt marker to label boxes
- Notebook and pen for listing contents
Some moving tips
- Set goals and deadlines for yourself. Aim, for example, to pack one room per week.
- Attach a list of contents to each box. Separate and label boxes to be placed in storage.
- Consider holding a garage sale to rid yourself of excess belongings. You can also look at donating unwanted material and furniture to charities, such as The Salvation Army or Goodwill.
- Begin to use up the food in your pantry and freezer. Let the food you already have dictate your menus.
- Have rugs cleaned that are to be moved, then roll and wrap them.
- Make special arrangements for the moving of plants or pets.
- Collect all personal items from local services (dry cleaning, storage, photos).
- Service all appliances you are taking with you. (Note that all gas appliances must be emptied, as it is illegal for movers to carry flammable substances)
- Take inventory of all the boxes, and contents of the boxes, you have packed.
- Have your car serviced and tuned up.
Now that you have a plan for dealing with items inside your home, part two will guide you through what to do with your community, insurance and family records.