Moving Day Checklist

The Most Important Things To Include On Your Moving Day Checklist

The kids are restless, boxes are still only half filled in the kitchen, and milk just spilled on the counter. The day has finally come for you to move, but you are far from ready and wish you were far away from this scene. Many people dread moving for the chaos that it brings and the tedious work that it involves. There is a simple solution to avoiding stress and making your moving day go a lot more smoothly. As unbelievable as it may seem, a moving day checklist is the key to keeping chaos from overtaking your moving experience. A checklist can help bring you peace of mind. It can prevent you from forgetting anything and help you to pace the tasks that need to be accomplished in the time frame required so that you are ready on moving day. There are some important things you might want to include on this checklist.

Eliminate

Packing, in itself, can be overwhelming, especially if you have accumulated a lot of things over the years. Some things are really no longer useful to you, and become burdensome clutter. A good solution is to get rid of the things you don’t need, a few weeks ahead of the move. The more you eliminate, the less you have to organize before and after you get to your new home. The following are a few ideas you can do to discard the extra stuff in your house:

•    Have a garage sale.
•    Donate unwanted household items and clothing to a charitable organization.
•    Give away plants to relatives or friends.
•    Use up frozen foods and pantry storage.
•    Properly discard propane tanks, excess cleaning fluids, and other substances that may be toxic or flammable.
•    Return library books and anything you have borrowed from neighbors or friends.

Plan Ahead

Some tasks require that you make reservations ahead of time. If you need to purchase airline tickets, or reserve a hotel room or a moving truck, you can do this at least six to eight weeks ahead of time to assure your arrangements are secure. Also, remember to contact the post office and fill out a Change of Address form. There are other businesses that should be notified at least two to four weeks before you move:

•    Utilities (arrange for shutoff dates)
•    Banks/Credit Card Companies
•    Newspapers/ Magazines
•    Doctor/Pharmacy/Dentist
•    Insurance Agency
•    Department of Motor Vehicles/City and County Tax Assessor

Packing

If you are working with professional packers, communicate with the company which items you do not want packed, and which items are fragile and need special attention. If you are doing the packing yourself, label boxes according to rooms, and have everything packed before moving day. Begin packing about a month before the move to give yourself time to pace the project. Pack a special box ahead of time with things to entertain the kids and keep them occupied when the big day arrives. Keep this box accessible so that it can be one of the first ones unloaded at the new house. 

Moving Day and Final Check

Supervise the move, making sure that that furniture is disassemble and everything gets on the moving truck. Fill out the bill of lading and take a final look around to make sure you have remembered everything. Check the cabinets and closets for anything you might have forgotten. Shut off all faucets, the furnace, and the air conditioner. Turn off light switches, and shut all windows and doors.

A moving day checklist can ease your mind so that you can avoid being overwhelmed and enjoy your new home in greater comfort.