Checklist for Moving Efficiently | Tips To Make Your Relocation Experience Enjoyable!

Relocating, either across town or across the country, can be a major undertaking that can get overwhelming – if you don\'t plan for it properly. The following chronological checklist has been designed to get you ahead of the moving game, and keep you centered so that you can be most efficient. If approached with efficiency in mind, relocating can be a refreshing and enjoyable experience. The goal is to be able to direct your attention to the real matters at hand: re-establishing yourself in a new area, learning your new environment and making new acquaintances. So here we go!

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Checklist To Make Moving Enjoyable & Efficient

60 Days Before Moving

It is going to be a taxing deal, but you have to jump in and do an inventory of your home. This is the time to remember the ancient wisdom teachings that say to not be attached to possessions. Let this move be a new start to you and your family. Be honest with yourself and decide which of the items in your home absolutely must be kept, and which don\'t need to be kept at all. Think about the dimensions of the rooms in your new home. Will the furniture fit? From your leather couch to the last piece of mismatched silverware, everything either has to get packed (eventually) or be dealt with in some other way. Begin to gather everything that you wish to sell, auction or donate into a separate room.

Now, all of your belongings that are going to be moving along with you need extra consideration. Determine if certain items need protective packaging. What about extra insurance for selected items? Get a notebook out and create an inventory of everything you intend to take along with you to your new home. Remember that the more you plan now, the easier and more successful move you will have when the time comes.

Explore Moving Company Options

Choosing the right moving company to work with is a very important step in the moving process. Take your time and ensure the following:

• Get several estimates from different moving companies in your area. Get your estimates in written form; not via the telephone. Reputable moving companies will be happy to provide you with written estimates.
• Check out each moving company\'s website. And it never hurts to check the BBB, Angie\'s List and other consumer interest resources.
• Be willing to pay a little more for quality, established moving services. You won\'t be moving that often in life if you\'re like a lot of folks. So make this move a quality, relaxed and easily-successful one!

It\'s a nice idea to start a special folder in which you keep all of the paperwork that has to do with the upcoming move. Use it to keep your estimates, receipts, titles, school records, veterinarian records and everything else you may need on the spot.

45 Days Before Moving

• Get in contact with your children\'s school(s) and let them know that the kids will be transferring. Make sure all the paperwork is complete and that it\'s where it\'s supposed to be, and with whom.
• Make a list of and then order the products you will need when it comes time for packing and moving. Do you need tape, boxes, bubble-wrap, tissue paper, sharpies, dish barrels and/or other specialty storage containers?
• Start using up the perishable foods that are in your fridge. Also, deplete your stores of frozen foods, pantry foods and all other foods you don\'t want to end up losing. You won\'t want to pack these things, so use them up! Think about using up all your household cleaning supplies too as these can be dangerous to travel with.

Helpful Moving Tip:

Instead of labeling your boxes with what\'s inside them, just number the boxes. Write what\'s inside the numbered boxes in a notebook. It\'s no fun to write what\'s actually in the boxes on all sides of the boxes. That takes a lot of writing! Just write the numbers on each side of each box, and then keep the master log in your notebook. This way, when the boxes are stacked and difficult to see, you can still see what numbers are on them easily!

30 Days Before Moving

• Decide on which moving company you wish to use. Contact them and make the arrangements. Lock it in – you\'re moving!
• Visit the post office or go online and fill out your change-of-address form. Also, let your post-person know that you\'ll be moving and when. And just in case, have a trusted neighbor continue to check your mail for you for at least a couple weeks after you\'re gone.
• Notify all your magazine subscriptions, credit card issuers, insurance companies and other necessary entities that you\'re moving. Have your forwarding address attached to your accounts.
• Call your doctors and let them know you\'re moving too. If you\'re moving out of the area, then see how they can assist you with finding new healthcare professionals where you\'re going to.
• Call your veterinarian and let them know about your move. Make sure you have all the records and other forms that may be applicable to your situation. Having these handy will make things go a lot smoother when you meet your new vet.
• Contact your bank and make any necessary arrangements.
• Call your utility companies and schedule your disconnects. Give them your new address so they can forward final bills.
• Start the process of packing. Don\'t wait. Begin packing the items that you can\'t live without, but never seem to use that often. You can start with things like books, slow cookers and old photo albums. Just jump in. You\'ll see how much there really is to deal with in the next thirty days!

15 Days Before Moving

• Arrange to have your schedule free, at least on the day of moving, but preferably for longer. Just taking one day off work won\'t do. If you can, give yourself three or four days off to establish yourself in your new home.
• Take your vehicles in for tune-ups and oil changes. If you are moving far at all, the last thing you need is a surprise from your car breaking down mid-move. Have your mechanic give your vehicles a check-over to make sure they\'re roadworthy.
• Call your moving company and reconfirm your arrangements. You don\'t want any miscommunications this late in the game.
• If you are moving long distance, you may need to book airline flights, or purchase Amtrak tickets or make other travel plans.
• Continue packing everything into your numbered boxes, recoding their contents and stacking them in the \"to move\" area.

1 Week Before Moving

• Contact your pharmacy and make sure all your prescriptions are filled and ready for the move.
• Try to finish all packing up a couple days before the move is scheduled. One of the goals here is to not have any last-minute packing or decision making to worry about.
• Cut your grass (if in season) and tidy up the outside of your current home. Inside too now, c\'mon!
• Defrost your freezers and get your refrigerator ready for moving. If it\'s going with you or not, it needs to be empty, clean, unplugged and left to air out.
• Continue your efforts to ensure that you\'ve anticipated everything necessary to make the move pleasantly successful. Get everything packed, but make sure you maintain easy access to items that you will still need while traveling.
• Get travel containers ready with snacks, beverages and other comforts. Keep a first aid kit handy, and a flashlight with fresh batteries. Also, keep any changes of clothing, and your toiletries, that will be needed during travel readily accessible. It\'s no fun digging through a well-loaded vehicle to get a toothbrush...

It\'s Moving Day!

• Don\'t be stressed. People move every day and everything turns out just fine. Breathe and stay positive.
• Coordinate with the moving company workers. Be calmly in charge and give them good directions. Offering refreshments is always one way to ensure that workers give a little extra in their efforts (hint-hint). And if they do a very nice job, then consider tipping them fairly. Their jobs aren\'t the most glamorous available.
• Make a check of your home\'s utilities. You may need to shut the water off, turn the breaker box off, lower the thermostat, set the alarm or make other adjustments.

If you have been actively planning and preparing for this move, then you should be feeling confident and optimistic right now. Don\'t worry – everything is covered! And if there is something that you have forgotten, don\'t worry about that either. The fact is that you are making a move in life. You\'re moving on to something better – and any little things you may have forgotten will surely work out soon.

Congratulations on your move!

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