Preparing for Your Move:

While moving is generally considered a stressful task, it can be a relatively smooth and effortless one with the proper planning and preparation. Here is a checklist spanning down the last six weeks prior to a move.

Six Weeks Before Your Move

To Take or Not to Take?

More weight means more money. So decide what's coming with you and what can be tossed. Books you've read and will never read again? Records you haven't listened to since college? The pan with a broken handle or the children's long-neglected games?

Check if you can sell anything.

Colorful Moving File

Open up a file for the details on your move. It could be a brightly colored organizer folder with pockets—you'll be less likely to misplace it. Make sure to collect receipts for any moving-related expenses.

Know Tax Deduction:

Depending on your reason for moving, you may be entitled to a tax deduction. Check with your accountant.

Floor Plan:

Start working on the arrangements in the new home—for example, where you’ll be placing furniture, etc. Mark and label specific pieces of furniture on your diagram, and put it in your moving folder. This makes the after-move work easier and less stressful.

Four Weeks Before Your Move

Inform Everyone of Your Change of Address:

This includes the post office, magazine subscriptions, credit card companies and friends and family. The U.S. Postal Service offers a kit to make this process easier. Stop by your local postal office to pick one up.

Contact Utilities

This means alerting your gas, water, electricity, telephone and cable TV providers to schedule disconnection of services on the day following your move. Remember that you'll want to have utilities on while you're still in the house. Concurrently, call the utilities in your new town to arrange for service to start the day before your move so that you have service when you arrive at your new home. And don't forget to arrange for an expert, if necessary, to install fixtures upon their arrival at your new home.

Repair:

Complete any repair work on your old home, and arrange for any critical services needed at your new home.

Self-Packers:

Start packing nonessential and seldom used articles like fancy dishes and glasses, specialty cookware, clothing, curios, photos, and decorative items.

Sale:

If you’re planning a garage sale, pick a date at least a week before the move, and advertise it locally. Consider joining hands with neighbors who may also want to sell some of their belongings.

Three Weeks Before Your Move

Label:

Self-packers: start your serious packing. Label the contents of all boxes and pack carefully.

Catalog boxes:

Box essential and similar items together, and write on them "open first/load last" on these boxes. When you move into your new home, you'll be able to easily identify these boxes.

Documents:
Make sure you have your driver's license, auto registration and insurance records.

Things to Discard:

Make note of the items you will take with you and those you will discard.

Medical records:
Contact your doctors, dentists and veterinarians (if applicable) to receive copies of medical records.

Old Pals:

Make sure you have the phone numbers and contact addresses of all your friends.

Food Requirements:

Your food requirements need to be addressed. Plan as little as possible because you can't ship them.

Children's School:

Contact your children's current schools and arrange for records to be forwarded to your new school district.

Safe Box:

Make new bank safety deposit box arrangements in your new hometown. Make arrangements to safely transfer items from your old safe deposit box to your new one.

Travel:

Make personal travel arrangements (flights, hotel, rental cars) for your trip.

Two Weeks Before Your Move

Insurance:
Check with your insurance company to cancel current coverage or transfer coverage to your new home.

Pets:
Make arrangements for transporting your pets and any house plants, because movers can't take them in the van.

Bank Accounts:
Meet with your bank to change account status.

Prescriptions:
Transfer all current prescriptions to a drug store in your new town.

Newspapers:
Cancel any delivery services such as newspapers. Consider starting a subscription to the newspapers in your new town to introduce you to local news happenings.

Car Servicing:
Have your automobile serviced if you're traveling by car.

Spare keys:
Be sure to empty secret hiding places and remove valuables and spare house keys.

One Week Before Your Move

The Lawn:
Mow your lawn for the last time.

Flammable Items:
Dispose of toxic or flammable items that can't be moved. Drain the gas and oil from gas-powered tools such as lawn mowers and snow blowers.

To Be with You on the Move:
Make a list of all necessary items that should go in your car and not the moving van: for example, your checkbook, cash or travelers checks, medications, essential toiletries, light bulbs, flashlight, toilet paper, pet food, spare glasses or contact lenses, baby or child care items, toys and car games for children and your notes containing moving information

A Babysitter:
If you have young children, arrange for a babysitter to watch them on moving day and further until you settle down. This way, you concentrate fully on the moving work.

Pack your own suitcase of clothes for the move.

Special boxes:
Put your "open first/load last" boxes in a separate place so the mover can identify them.

Bills:
Pay all outstanding bills. Be sure to indicate your new address on payment receipts.

One to Two Days Before Your Move

The Packing:
The movers will arrive to start the packing process.

The Refrigerator:
Empty and defrost your refrigerator and freezer, clean both with a disinfectant and let them air out. Put baking soda or charcoal inside to keep them fresh.

Safe Deposit Box:
Empty your safe deposit box. Plan to take important papers, jewelry, cherished family photos, irreplaceable mementos and vital computer files with you.

Van Operator:
Write directions to your new home for the van operator, provide the new phone number and include phone numbers where you can be reached in transit—either a car phone or friends, old neighbors, a place of business or relatives with whom you'll be in contact. This way, you'll never be out of touch for long, should an emergency arise.

New Occupants:
Leave your forwarding address and phone number for your home's new occupants in case of emergencies or if your mail forwarding doesn’t kick in yet.

Plus:
1. Take down curtains and curtain rods.
2. Clean and air your stove.
3. Plan your breakfast. Paper plates service is fine. Eating something on the road is better.
4. Pack your personal belongings except your alarm clock.
5. Go to sleep early the night before your move—you'll be glad you did the next day!