Moving Across Country or Across Town
Two Months Out
1. Get rid of stuff you aren't going to take with you!
• Plan a yard sale: Try to sell everything that you can not store or do not want to move.
• Call the waste company: Set up a date for them to haul away all the big things like old appliances, furniture and other items that won't fit in the trash can.
2. Decide whether or not to hire a professional moving company or whether it's more cost-effective to move it yourself.
• Shop for a mover: Get some free quotes.
• Line up a rental truck: Rental trucks are scarce on weekends, so make sure you reserve a truck now and get some friends and neighbors on tap to help you move.
• Line up some big guys to help: Check the cost on a couple of pros to help you out.
• Already covered? Call your insurance agent to make sure.
• Are you renting? Get some quotes for renters and auto insurance.
• Moving can be a traumatic experience for kids and teens. Preparing them well in advance gives them plenty of time to prepare for the move, say goodbye to friends and look forward to making new friends.
• For a well-written article on this subject, see this Canadian Relocation Systems (PDF) document.
One Month Out
1. Start packing!
• You have lotsa stuff! You need to start the packing process as early as possible.Do one room at a time, but, starting moving now.
• Use the Right Packing Supplies! Remember to use the right containers. Books and heavy objects belong in smaller boxes. Light and light–but–bulky objects can go in larger boxes. Clothing and dishes should only be packed in boxes designed for that purpose.
• Pack Right! Keep boxes light enough to lift, then close and tape them FLAT.
Rule #1: Never use boxes from food stores or other places that may harbor pests like roaches or rodents. These disgustos love to live in discarded boxes. Instead, buy your moving supplies from a local moving store like U-Haul.
Rule #2: All boxes need to close FLAT. Leaving items protruding or bulging from the top of boxes is the surest way to crush your stuff —even if you're only moving across town. If it's sticking out the top, say goodbye forever when it goes into the truck.
Rule #3: If it's sharp IT WILL CUT you! Throwing kitchen utensils and knives willy-nilly into a box almost guarantees the person who grabs that box will discover a knife blade sticking out the side. Wrap sharps well before placing carefully into a box.
Rule #4: Do NOT use newspaper to wrap dishes! Black ink (newsprint) rubs right off the paper and onto your china. It's messy and hard to remove. Using old newspapers is cheap, but creates lotsa extra work and mess. Use clean wrapping paper.
Rule #5: Do NOT pack liquids or cleaning supplies! Moving any kind of liquid in bottles, jars and plastic containers is VERY RISKY! Liquids freeze and break their containers! Heat expands the liquid out of their containers! Normal jostling inside the truck breaks their containers! Then, two bucks worth of Clorox, ammonia or lawn mower gas leaks all over your clothes and furniture. Never pack liquids!
2. Get your records in order.
• Bills & Banks: Collect a copy of all your utility bills, your bank statements and any monthly payments you make (e.g. credit cards, car payments, insurance, etc.). You'll need these account numbers when you go to transfer your services and address.
• U.S. Mail: If you know your move-in date, put in a change-of-address order with the post office. Notify the newspaper and your magazine subscriptions that you're moving.
• Medical Records: If you're moving here from a long distance, make sure you call your doctor and dentist and have your medical records transferred.
The Last Days
1. Cancel the Newspaper. And, stop all other deliveries and the mail. Make sure you transferred, or stopped, the utilities.
2. Clean the Refrigerator and Stove. And, make sure you leave your former residence clean and trash-free. Remember, if you leave a mess, your landlord or new buyer may hold you responsible to pay to clean up the mess!
3. Finish Packing! Remember the golden rules of packing! It's in the rush that sloppy packing occurs and valuables items are set up to be broken.
4. Loading the Truck. No matter how careful you try to be, some damage always occurs on moving day. A piece of furniture gets dented or gouged. Something will fall and break. Be calm.
MINIMIZE the DAMAGE:
Loading Rule #1: Do NOT "dust" and/or polish wooden furniture before the movers get to your home! Removing dust and applying polish may make you look like a "clean and tidy" householder, but it guarantees that your wood and veneer furniture will be extremely slippery (pads slide right off) and difficult to control through doors and down/up stairs! Ask yourself: Do you care what these movers think, or, do you prefer your furniture to arrive with the least damage? Don't dust or polish before moving!
Loading Rule #2: Do NOT allow movers to stack furniture items without using padding and coverings. You can rent or buy furniture pads or use thick blankets. Pack items tightly, but well-padded from other items and the walls of the truck. Stacking unprotected furniture is surest way to DAMAGE your furniture. Think about it! What do you think happens as the big truck bounces out of your driveway and over bumps in the road? What do you think happens in the back of that truck the first time the brakes are applied? ( Hear that scrapping sound?) Now, what happens when the truck starts out again? ( Hear that crashing sound?) Uh oh! It's turning a corner! ( More crashing and banging!) Load the truck carefully and properly, even if you're only moving across town.
Loading Rule #3: Move your fragile stuff by hand to your new place using your own vehicle. Fragile artwork, computers & peripherals, sensitive electronic & home entertainment equipment, house plants and similar items DO VERY POORLY traveling in the back of the truck. Take the valuable stuff on one trip, the kids on another.
Loading Rule #4: Do NOT plan on serving beer or alcohol to helpers! This is a very common, but MAJOR MISTAKE that results in broken and damaged furniture and a loss of help before the heavy lifting is done. Hold your thank-you party the following week.
5. Plan for the First Night
• Clothes and bedding: Have the clothes, bedding and toiletries you'll need to get through the first days of unpacking in an easily accessible place.
• Unloading and unpacking: Get plenty of rest between loading and unpacking. And following the golden rules of packing and loading!
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