Make Moving A Breeze With This Checklist

Are you getting ready to move? Congratulations on your upcoming move. Hopefully you aren’t overwhelmed. If you are or don’t know where to start, here is a checklist to help you out just a bit. Good luck!

1. Get started right away- Do not procrastinate! As soon as you know you are going to be moving and you know to where you should start the process of packing and having a plan.

2. Make a list of everything you need to get done- Know everything that you need to get done prior to moving. When you have a physical list you can mark things off as you go.

3. Make a keep, toss and donate/sell area in each room- We all accumulate tons of things that we don’t necessarily want to take to the next place. Every room in your home has things that you’ll want, things that are garbage and then things that someone bought you but you never liked. Doing this will help you make room if you are downsizing or you are hoping to get new stuff once you get to the new home.

4. Only keep in your fridge what is needed- There is no need to keep or get bulk food that is perishable and can’t be eaten prior to you moving. If you are able to donate food to a food shelter or see if your friends are willing to take your food.

5. Have your utilities turn off and on seamlessly- If you know exactly the day that you 100% be out of your home, make sure that is the day that the water and electricity is turned off. Your cable or satellite service should be off at least a day before you move and the equipment should be returned, unless you are able to take it to the new home.

The day that you are in your new home the electricity and water should already be on. It can be very difficult to move in and there isn’t power or water.

6. Make a plan for moving with pets- Pets aren’t usually the biggest fans of being stuck in a bag or cage for many hours. Granted, that is just meant for dogs and cats who can be sedated for the move. If you have fish and you are moving far away you might have to think of an alternative way to get your fish to your new home.

7. Know the policy for getting your new license- This is especially important if you are moving out of state. If you are moving within the same state then you are able to change your address online to get a new license. If you are moving to a new state, you will more than likely have to go to the DMV and surrender your previous state license to get the new one. Also, this is supposed to be done within the moving to the new state.

8. Do your change of address ahead of time- It is said that you can do your change of address up to 2 weeks before you move. The great thing is the earlier you do your change of address through the post office the sooner you’ll get your mail once you have moved.

9. Let your movers know your needs- Don’t assume that the movers are going to be where you need them when you need them. If you are needing your movers to be at your new residence on a certain date, LET THEM KNOW! If you don’t give them ahead instructions then getting your stuff to you may not be their priority job. Also, know if they are going to do another job prior to dropping off your stuff.

10. If you don’t need it right now pack it- Anything that you won’t need or haven’t even looked at in a long time but you must keep it, then pack it up! Your 18th century book collection or winter clothes and it’s the middle of July, pack it.

11. Label all your boxes appropriately- Making sure that all of your boxes are labeled by where they belong and who they belong to will be so helpful once you get in to the new home. There is no need to play, ‘what’s in the box’ once in your new place.

12. Make sure you have ziploc baggies for screws- If any of your furniture has to be taken apart then having a ziploc to put the nuts, bots and screws in to will be helpful once that piece is being put back together. Write in black sharpie so that you can clearly see what those screws belong to. You can either put the bags in to your toolbox or tape the bags to the furniture it belongs to.

13. Also, put your electronic wires in to ziplocs- Just like with the screws and such unplugging your wires and putting them in to a plastic bag will keep all of those wires together and you won’t have to worry about what wires belong to each electronic.

14. Clean your fridge, washer and dryer before movers come- You need to clean out your big appliances prior to moving. Your fridge needs to be cleaned out of everything and defrosted. It also need to have the water line removed the day before the movers come.

The washer needs to be drained of water and the water line disconnected prior to the movers coming. The dryer being cleaned out will just help once you get to the new home so you aren’t having to worry about dust or dirt trapped in the machine.

15. Decide ahead of time what you will need in the car- You may want to stuff all sorts of things in to your car but unless you are in school and need it right away then your encyclopedia, dictionary or school books don’t need to be in the car. 15 toys for the baby or the dog don’t need to be in the car. And a months worth of clothes don’t need to be packed in the car.

16. Have your necessities close by- If you need to clean up after the movers leave or clean the new place prior to the movers getting there then have those cleaning products in your car. Also, anything that you will need right away like medicine, a change of clothes, pet food or baby food should be in an accessible place within your vehicle so you can get to it easily and quickly.

17. If you have children make sure to keep them entertained- Children can get bored within minutes. Know that your children will be hungry, possibly upset about leaving friends and annoyed with the traveling part of moving. If they love to read have several books available that they’ve never read.

If they love to play games then have a handheld system that is charged up prior to getting in to the car, plus you have a charger for it. If they love to watch movies and shows then have plenty of dvds/blu-rays ready for them to enjoy. If you are able to then have tablet/computer loaded with things to keep them entertained.

18. Know your travel plan- If you are traveling several hours away or several states then you need to have your travel plan mapped out. Know prior to leaving the best way to go. Also, if you are going to need to stay the night somewhere you will need to know if they have vacancies and if you have your pets if you can have your pets in that hotel.

19. Put out garbage- You may be moving in the middle of the week and the garbage and recycling was picked up on Monday morning. You don’t know how much garbage you may have. Get rid of as much junk by your regular garbage pick up date, if you aren’t able to then bag your junk up and put it in your cans so they can be picked up the following week.

20. Check and recheck- Once you are finished doing everything do a thorough check. If you are able to have someone check after you. Many times we can forget things in cabinets, in a garage or backyard.