Moving Tips and Tricks:
Moving isn’t all fun and games, it’s a lot of work and can be stressful at times. Here are a few things that we hope make your move a little easier.
General Tips
- Create a file or binder for documenting your moving plans, saving receipts, storing estimates and quotes, writing down measurements and so on.
- Save all receipts! Some moving expenses are tax deductible.
- Consider hiring movers, house cleaners, carpet cleaners, etc. Call companies to get estimates
- Don’t be afraid to say “no” to social gatherings and meetings prior to and during your move.
- Decide what to sell, give away, donate, throw, or recycle. Move only items that fit into your future (plus sentimental items), you will lighten your load.
- Gather your legal, medical, dental, financial, vehicle, and insurance records in a safe place.
- Start packing things you don’t use, such as off-season clothes, decorations and so on. Pack boxes to 50 pounds or less.
- The more paper you use for packing, the better. We recommend that you make sure each piece of dishware is fully wrapped at least once.
- Pack heavy items in smaller boxes and put lighter items into larger boxes. Do not pack all your books into one big box!
- Do not move flammable, corrosive, explosive items such as paint, gasoline, ammunition.
- Place china in plastic bags and stack plates upright on their sides, not flat (which distributes weight more evenly, as opposed to too much pressure for those at the bottom of a heavy stack).
- Label boxes that contain fragile items with large red lettering.
- Purchase insurance coverage for valuables.
- Number the boxes, keep a list of what’s in them, and which room the box goes in. Pack by room–do not combine items from different rooms.
- For added strength, reinforce the bottom of boxes with heavy items.
- Deplete canned and frozen foods, so there is less for you to move.
- Make arrangements for canceling or changing newspapers, lawn service, pool service, day care, utilities, phone, cable television, trash, gas, water, etc.
- File a forwarding address with your post office. Confirm your new address with your doctor, dentist, therapist, veterinarian, accountant, lawyer, financial advisor, broker, cable company, telephone, utilities, Internet, bank, insurance companies, credit card companies, magazines and newspaper, state and federal tax authorities, employers, co-workers, friends, family, professional organizations, school, college, alma mater, church, and real estate agent.
- Get all your prescriptions refilled or check your medications to ensure that you have enough for the next 60 days..
- Re-key your locks to ensure your safety and ease of mind.
Tips for Children
- Do not put children in charge of preparing, moving, or watching pets.
- Even if you have lived in a home for a few years, for a young child it is nearly a lifetime.
- Avoid moving during school. Ideally, move 1-3 months before a new school year begins.
- Involve children to communicate your expectations, goals, wants and needs.
- Show them the home you’ve purchased in person or by video or photographs. Keep talking to them about what’s going on. Young children and teenagers are not always paying attention.
- Assure them that they won’t forget their friends. Have a good-bye party and write their friends’ addresses on index cards. Have your children hand out goodbye notes with their new address.
- Make a scrapbook of photos of the old home, school, church, friends, family and goodbye parties.
- Do not throw, sell, or give away their things. Let them decide what to keep.
- When packing, give them their own boxes that they can decorate.
- Invite their new friends to your home.
- Let them choose a new family restaurant.
Tips for Pets
- Purchase a sturdy pet carrier that your pet can’t chew through.
- Keep an eye on your pet as some animals will hurt themselves trying to claw or chew their way out of travel carriers. The last thing you need is a trip to the vet while you’re trying to move and settle into your new home!
- Limit the amount of food that you feed your pet in case he/she gets sick while moving.
- Always provide lots of water – especially in hot climates.
- Talk to your vet about prescribing a tranquilizer. You MUST give the tranquilizer to your pet about one hour before the excitement begins; otherwise, it won’t work.
- After you arrive at your new home, put your pet in a bathroom and close the door so that he/she does not run away while your family, friends or movers are going in and out of the house.
- Give your pet lots of attention during the first couple weeks of settling into your new home.
- Watch how much he/she eats and keep an eye on his/her stools and urine. The stress of moving can affect your pet’s immune system and cause health issues.
- Keep your pet indoors or in a fenced area more than usual, in case he/she tries to run away and return to your previous home.
Feel free to print this off and use it as a checklist of sorts.