It’s time for my family to move again, and this time we have a 3 month old, in addition to our 2.5 and 5 year old daughters! Thankfully we’re moving within the city of Ames so no goodbyes.
Preparations?
We’ve planned what needs to happen week by week for four weeks out from the closing date on the house we’re buying. We could have used a couple more weeks, but four is what we have!
Four weeks until closing:
1. Schedule carpet cleaning and move-out inspection for the house we’ve been renting. The prices really very for carpet cleaners. One company insisted on coming out to measure before giving an estimate. After that we knew the exact square footage to get estimates from other carpet cleaners. Make sure you know what method they’ll use. Many property management agencies insist on the hot water extraction method.
2. Take stock of friends and family who’ve offered to help, and pray about how best to use them. (childcare, cleaning, loading, unloading, lawn mowing). We find scheduling volunteers in shifts of 1 and 1/2 to 2 hours works best for everyone involved.
3. Reserve a moving truck– I think the expense is worth the convenience of making a couple trips across the city verses many trips with boxes etc. crammed into cars. Remember that if you’re moving on a weekend at the end of the month, during the summer, moving trucks are going to be in high demand. This time I rented one from U-Haul. A 14 ft. truck, for 24 hours, costs about 45.00 + .99/mile. That includes insurance. This price was much cheaper than Budget, and Penske didn’t have any trucks available the weekend we needed one. If you bought a house, check with the realty company that your realtor works for. Sometimes they offer the best price.
4. Pack what is not going to be needed or missed in the next couple weeks. For us this is most of our book collection, winter blankets, coats, my fabric collection, and pottery or dishes that we use for special occasions. I like to make a three column spread sheet with the number of each packed box, a brief summary of its contents, and where it should go in the new home. Each box can be labeled with its number and where it should go in the new house.
5. Process what you want to donate, sell or throw away and get it out of the house!
6. Think about how you’ll live differently in the layout of this new home. For example, our main floor square footage is about twice as large at our rental house than in the home we’re moving to. That means relocating the office, playroom, and other things to the finished basement.
Three weeks until closing:
1. Pack office non-essentials.
2. Pack toy non-essentials. Maybe the girls will spend more time in the backyard if I pack up their toys!
3. Double a couple of dinners so that you have meals in the freezer for the next two weeks.
4. Visit the neighborhood you’ll be moving to. If you have children take them to the park to play and anticipate the fun you’ll have there.
5. Collect coupons for eating out when your kitchen is packed up.
Two weeks until closing:
1. Set up or transfer utilities, including the internet/cable, trash, etc.
2. Announce new address including move-in date to work, schools, church, magazines, doctors, dentist, friends, family, usps, bank, credit cards, pension, insurance companies, rewards programs, pay-pal, amazon, charities, library, phone company, etc.
3. Move as many boxes as possible into the garage of the home you’re moving out of, if you have one, so you’re staged for the big move. This is a nice way to get those moving boxes out of sight too.
4. If you have children that are too young to move boxes and need supervision, schedule childcare for the busiest days.
One week until closing:
1. Pack a suitcase for your family to live out of for as long as you think it will take to get settled again.
2. Pack the rest of your belongings, beginning with the least essential.
3. If you have children at home, make a point to schedule a few outings.
4. Take down pictures and cover in bubble wrap. Patching and painting nail holes is extra nice.
Moving weekend:
1. Let work and friends know that you may be difficult to reach over the next few days while you move and get connected at the new place.
2. Pick up thank you gifts for people who are helping you relocate (realtor, friends, etc.).
3. Establish a place on a table or counter top at your new home where you can keep important papers, keys, purse, and other small things that could easily get buried in the boxes and packing paper. – Marla Opgenorth
4. Remember to look behind open doors! I lost a lovely mirror this way. The same applies for bird houses you may have suctioned on to your windows outside.
5. Label keys. This is a huge help to the person moving into your house. Put keys in separate ziplocks and label them. -Marla Opgenorth
6. Celebrate! Mark the occasion by planting a tree, hosting a family meeting, or just sitting on the deck sipping your favorite beverage.
What would you add? Please leave more suggestions in the comment box!