Countdown to Moving
Last month, the world welcomed the new year with 10-second countdowns to 2015. Preparing to relocate residences requires similar treatment but with way more lead time.
Ten weeks before your departure, jot down a list of everything you need to do—from making reservations if you’re traveling by air to taking care of repairs on your current residence, be it a house you’re selling or an apartment you’re renting.
Ninety days prior to your move, start transferring records to new schools, physicians/dentists/vets and banks as well as alerting friends/ family/business associates and post office of your new address.
Eighty days before you go, confirm your moving date with a professional moving company, such as Golan’s Moving and Storage, which can make relocatingless stressful and more efficient.
Seven days before you head out, head into the garage, basement or other storage area to get rid of unused possessions unworthy of making the trip. This may include outgrown clothing and toys or furniture that can be donated to a charitable organization as well as computers, paint or other hazardous chemicals that must be discarded in a responsible way.
Six weeks before the move is a good time to gently address the transition with family members such as children, teens or older parents who will be affected by the new address. It’s also a good time to make arrangements for pets to be looked after on moving day so they don’t run out and get lost during the actual move.
Five weeks before your move, take care of your car registration and insurance so it matches your new address. If your move entails a long drive, get your car serviced to make sure it can handle the journey.
Four days before the move, stop buying groceries and start eating the food in your freezer and pantry. This is a time when you want to clean out items, not bring more into the house.
Three days before you go, go back to the list you made early on in this process to make sure you’ve done everything that needs being done.
Two days prior to your move, pack an overnight bag including pajamas, a change of clothes, and toiletries that you’ll want to keep on your person during the move. This way, you won’t have to go through boxes trying to locate these items after a long day of relocating.
One hour before you leave, take a last look around your place to see if you’ve left anything behind—and to say farewell.
Happy New Home! Your countdown to moving is complete!