Preparing to Move
My mom always said: “Those who fail to plan, plan to fail!” She was right. With that in mind, we try to look ahead as much as possible so that we aren’t caught off guard at the last minute by something that we should have anticipated or could have prepared for. Since deciding to buy a new home and deciding to pack up your family and move is (at least) one of the biggest decisions you’ll ever make, we felt it would be useful to share a few things that should help make that process much smoother.
When the big day is more than a month away, you need to start thinking about the move itself. Will you hire a moving company, rent a truck, ask family or friends to help? Since moving everything you own is a lot of work, this is a great time to clean out that house: throw things away, have a garage sale, donate to the less fortunate. Consider your new home and ask yourself where your furniture will go. Will it fit? Will you need additional items? This is also a good time to consider whether or not you will need to make changes to medical offices or schools. Make sure that all important/sensitive documents are in one secure location as you don’t want anything to get lost in the shuffle!
Now that those things are out of the way, you’re likely a month out. Notify family and friends of your new address, as well as the post office, banks, credit card companies, DMV, etc. Also, make sure to notify utility companies of the date to discontinue/transfer service and/or begin service at the new home. Discontinue any monthly services such as house cleaner, gardener, or pool cleaner. If you were previously renting, arrange for refund of your security deposit. When we moved, this was about the time that I enjoyed challenging myself to cook meals using foods that had been in the pantry or freezer for a while so as to have fewer (especially perishable) items to move out of the house.
As the big day draws near and you’re a week or more away from moving, begin to confirm plans with all those involved. If you have small children, arranging child care would be a great idea. If you have older children, you scored additional help on moving day, congratulations! When moving week arrives begin packing items that you won’t need until after you move. Repeat daily, continuing to pack items that you use more and more frequently until moving day arrives (and hopefully you are packed). By the time the big day arrives, you’ve prepared well and everything should run smoothly. Remember to be flexible as things don’t always go as planned, however they will certainly be better than if you hadn’t planned at all!
