The Essential Moving Checklist: How to Move to a New Home with Ease
Moving to a new home can be chaotic and stressful, especially if there are children and pets involved. Minimise your stress by creating a checklist that you can refer to when moving to make sure that you don't forget all your important things. Below is a sample checklist you can save and print out for reference.
Eight Weeks
1. Create a folder to store receipts, check lists and other expenses
2. Gather quotations for storage facilities and moving companies
3. Draw up list of miscellaneous moving expenses: storage boxes, materials, etc
4. Get floor plan of your new home or apartment and begin assigning rooms and furniture
5. Finalise budget for moving.
Seven Weeks
1. Compile all your important documents such as birth and marriage certificates, health records, school record, etc.
2. Talk to your children's school and ask for records to be transferred to their new school.
3. Talk to health clubs and local organisations you've joined to ask if your membership can be transferred to the corresponding club in your new neighborhood
Six Weeks
1. Make a list of all the furniture and items you plan to keep and prepare for a yard sale to discard unwanted items.
2. Make a list of friends and relatives who you plan to inform of your move.
3. Try to use up all items that cannot be moved such as perishables, cleansers in aerosol cans, etc.
Five Weeks
1. Buy or ask friends for boxes, newspaper, bubble wrap and tape that you can use for moving.
2. Pack items and furniture that aren't used often and start labeling items for discarding or selling.
3. Finalise moving date and coordinate with your movers.
4. Finalise plans with storage facilities and decide on either a long-term or a short-term plane.
Four Weeks
1. Email or mail your credit card companies, postal office that you are moving to a new address.
2. Call all utilities to inform them of your move and tell them until when you plan on using their services.
3. Hold your yard sale.
4. Arrange for transportation of your pets, if any.
5. Start packing.
Three Weeks
1. Check with your laundry service to make sure all your dry cleaning items have been picked up and paid for.
2. Get rid of garbage and empty cans and other flammable materials properly.
3. Inform your new apartment about the day of your move so you may schedule the use of their service elevator.
Two Weeks
1. Close all bank accounts in your neighborhood and prepare cash for miscellaneous expenses whilst traveling.
2. Confirm details with your movers and storage facilities.
One Week
1. Finalise packing and double check your home or apartment.
2. Email or send relatives and friends your new address and contact number.
3. Buy any prescription medication or medicine you might need on the trip.
4. Defrost and clean your refrigerator at least 24 hours before transporting.
5. Prepare and pack an "essentials box" that you can keep with you during the trip. This should contain all important documents as well as prescriptions and medication.
Moving to a new home need not be as stressful as you think. Organisation and a well-written checklist prepared two months before moving day are important keys to easy, stress-free moving.