Moving can be a very stressful yet exciting times. Moving alters all aspects of our lives for several months at a time. Aside from all the packing, planning, house hunting and traveling, there are the goodbyes, the changes, and the anticipation. Moving affects our sense of identity, our sense of home, our friendships, our extended families, our children’s friendships and schools, and of course our marriages. The key to surviving – and enjoying – any big change in life is to plan ahead. For those who have never moved or those who are veterans, here are a few tried and true tips to help make your move go a bit more smoothly.
First, always do what you need to do to remain healthy. Get enough rest: don’t stay up packing late into the night; you can pick up where you left off the next day. Continue your exercise routine: you’ll be lifting and bending a lot more than usual, and your body will handle the new stress much better if you stay limber and fit. Eat right: avoid too much caffeine or sugary foods that will make your blood sugar sky rocket and then plummet. Eat regular meals and healthy snacks. This is not the time to get run down or sick. You have a lot to do and the clock is ticking, so make your personal health a high priority.
Second, force yourself to get organized. If you’ve always said you’d reorganize the file cabinet or go through all those boxes of baby clothes in the basement, now is the time. The demands of daily life can seem overwhelming as moving day looms on the horizon, so set short term goals for yourself, beginning at least 3 months before the big day. Buy a pocket calendar that will go with you wherever you go and use only that calendar. Each night, make a list of everything you plan to do the next day. Even schedule in exercising, eating, and taking a shower or a nap; if not, tasks such as these important things will easily get shoved out by something else. By relying on your daily list, at any given moment you will only have to remember two things: what you are currently doing and the location of your daily list.
Once you’ve got your daily list and are learning to rely on it, there are certain things that need to be done before a move – in order. That first month should be spent purging. Get rid of, sell, or throw away anything you don’t want to find in a box at the other end of the move. The easiest way to do this is to gather three boxes or bags for each room. Label one as “sell,” one as “give-away,” and one as “garbage.” Then begin going through drawers, closets, storage bins and cabinets and toss anything you haven’t used in the past year into one of those bags. This isn’t the time to clean or pack, but to really clear out your belongings and decide what’s important to you. Depending on your stuff, you may need to schedule in more than a month!
After everything is purged and organized, you should be down to two months before moving day. This is when things really kick into gear. Two months before you move:
1. Meet with your mover. Decide whether you want to do any of the packing yourself or hire professionals to do it all. Show the mover everything that is to be moved so he can give you a fair estimate.
2. Prepare your children. Explain what is happening in words they will understand, and talk to them about all the things they will see and learn, as well as new friends they’ll make. Be positive.
3. Search for your new home. This is the time to give notice in your current apartment or rental home, or put your house on the market. If you are moving to a distant location, plan a house-hunting trip to the new area.
4. Look for a new bank in that area and arrange to have your funds transferred. Find out if your insurance covers moves.
5. Gather personal records. Collect all medical information such as prescriptions, dates of last exams, and phone numbers of your doctor, dentist and hospital, to help transferring records easier. Look for doctors and dentists in your new area. Begin the transfer process for credit cards and driver’s licenses. Give new information to the schools to authorize them to send records to the children’s new schools.
6. Start packing. If you’re going to do any packing yourself, start gathering boxes and packing materials. On your daily calendar, plan which room will be packed on which week, so that all packing will be finished by moving day.
A month before moving day:
1. Fill out your change of address forms for the post office. Make a list of businesses, relatives and friends you want to notify about your new address, such as: utility companies, insurance companies, government and public offices, subscriptions, and any clubs or organizations.
2. Have a garage sale for all the things you purged early on.
3. Keep packing.
About three weeks before moving:
1. Prepare household items. Dispose of flammables, drain fuel from power machinery, discard propane tanks, have rugs and curtains cleaned. Set a date for having utilities and phone disconnected. Decide what to do with house plants.
2. Pets. Get health certificates, vaccination updates and rabies tags for pets. Arrange transportation either by car or air.
3. Return library books and collect any items at dry cleaners or storage facilities.
4. You should be on the home stretch of packing.
Three days before moving:
1. Pack suitcases for the trip for everyone in the family. This includes food, pillows and toys for the kids.
2. Pack an “immediate” box for opening when you first get to your new home. These will be things you need right away, in case the moving van doesn’t arrive when you do. For instance: cleaning items, toilet paper, a few kitchen items, snacks, and bath items, such as towels. Even a couple of sleeping bags can come in handy.
3. Check all dresser drawers to make sure there is nothing breakable, since drawers are usually left in the dresser during a move. Pin clothes to hangers if they will be moved in a cardboard wardrobe. Empty and clean out the refrigerator and freezer. Do laundry for the last time. Take your phonebook with you.
The day before moving:
1. If you hire someone else to pack your items, this is the day they’ll arrive. Be very clear about what you want packed and what you want left alone. Label things so they won’t be confused.
2. Plan a place to stay that night since all bedding will be packed.
3. Put pets in a kennel or temporary lodging to be moved as planned.
Moving day:
1. Eat a healthy breakfast.
2. Be at home and ready when the movers arrive.
3. Keep children out of the way.
4. Take your mover through the house and show him the boxes and belongings.
5. Stay with the house and the moving truck until all your belongings are loaded. Make sure the driver or person in charge gives you a copy of the inventory.
6. Make sure the driver has the correct address of your new home and give him contact numbers so he can reach you.
7. Take a last look around to see if anything was left.
In spite of the excitement and anticipation of moving to a new home or a new city, moving can be very emotional and stressful on the entire family. If you plan ahead, eat right, exercise and get enough rest, you’ll take a large chunk of stress out of your move. Happy traveling!
