Free Moving Tips

You've finally decided to move. Maybe you or your spouse got a great job out of state, you bought a new home, or you just want a change. There is so much to consider when you're making a move. You don't want to be frazzled during a time when you need to be focused and organized. A moving checklist can help. Here are ten things not to forget.

1. Get Estimates. Get estimates from moving companies, moving pod companies, and hired muscle to do the heavy lifting. Decide which you would like to use considering what they cost versus how much of your time it would take. Some of us have more time, while some of us have more money to spend. Book your reservations as far out as 2 months ahead to insure availability, more if you are moving during the peak summer months.

2. Contact Who You Pay Your Bills To. Contact all of your utilities and other companies that you pay a regular bill to. Make a list using old bills with your customer ID numbers and the company phone numbers so that you can try to get them all in one sitting. Inform them of the date of your move to cancel or transfer your accounts. Keep this list so that after your move so you can check to make sure your information was changed in their systems.

3. Get a Change of Address Form. Use a moving form from your local post office or the online form to have your mail forwarded. It is a good idea to do this as soon as you have a new address to insure that your mail goes to the right place. You don't want to have your personal information in a stranger's hands, your mail stolen or missing a final bill. If you have someone that you trust, it would also be a good idea to have your mail forwarded to their address for a little while, long before your move, just in case your mail transfer does not go through the first time you submit it. I have seen this happen.

4. Get Your Kids Schooled. If you have school aged kids, contact their new school to inform them that you are moving into their area. This should make the transition smoother for your kids.

5. Boxes, Boxes, Boxes. Did I say boxes? Buying boxes for your move can really add up. As soon as you think you might move then you should go ahead and start collecting boxes. Sometimes you can get them from grocery stores, liquor stores, big box stores, toy stores, and (my favorite) hospitals. Just ask someone to point the way. Of course if you are at the end of the packing and no longer have a lot of time to go box hunting then moving companies are an excellent, but generally more expensive, place to get them.

6. Neither a Borrower or a Lender Be. Return anything that you have that is borrowed or rented. Library books, tools, toys, furniture, that CD that your kid borrowed from their friend at school. Also make a list of items that have been borrowed from you, and contact the borrower to get them back.

7. Pack Early. Start any early packing of items you know you want in the new house but you can live without before you move there. This is an excellent time to organize and label your boxes. Start early and continue until you simply run out of time. This will not only help you when you are unpacking, it will also help you keep your belongings in perspective.

8. Do I really Want This...Thing? If you are making a long distance move consider whether you really need to pay to have each item moved. Use this time to purge out duplicates and things you just don't want to move. Plus, sometimes it is cheaper to buy that item after you move than pay to have it moved.

9. How Should Spot Run? If you have a pet decide what the most humane way of moving them would be. I mean both humane to the pet and humane to the humans. If you are moving long distance think about having a friend or relative keep the animal either in the town that you are moving from or the town that you're moving to so you can use an airline to ship the tranquilized pet. If you want to take the pet with you on the trip, then consider where and how the pet will travel. Remember that you don't want a pet under the driver's feet even for a second. Also don't forget to make hotel arrangements that include your pet.

10. Eat, Drink and Be Merry, for Tomorrow We Move. Use up as much of your food and toiletries as you can. These are usually items that would cost more to move than replace when you get there, so I would highly recommend giving what's left over to a friend, relative, or, in the case of sealed packages, a charity.