8 Moving Checklists To Help Your Next Move Go Smoothly
Source - by Leslie Lang on
1. If You Like a Lot of Detail
Looking for an in-depth moving checklist? The SpareFoot Moving Guide has an 8 Week Countdown to Moving Day Checklist that covers everything you need to do starting two months before you move. This detailed check list covers everything you could possibly need to do including budget worksheets and other downloadable documents.
2. If You Are Hiring Professional Packers
This checklist from The Moving Blog details what you should do before the professional packers arrive. It even specifies exactly what is considered hazardous and reminds you about perishables and plants – none of which professional packers will tackle.
3. For Women Moving Alone
We like these Safety Tips for Women Moving Alone for the commonsense security checklist that applies both during the move itself and also when you’re settling into your new home.
Betty Sikes is Claims and Military Manager for Circle Moving and Storage, which represents Allied Van Lines in Long Beach, California, and she tells everyone – not just women – to research their moving company.
“You can check with the American Moving and Storage Association to make sure a moving company is on the up and up,” Sikes says.
Ask about background checks, as well. Allied Van Lines, she says, does a background check on every employee who goes inside people’s homes.
4. Print and Check Every Box
Mayflower’s printable moving checklist suggests what to do week-by-week. It’s nicely detailed, right down to when to “empty your locker at the club or gym.”
5. There is an App For That
The free moveAtlas app, available for iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch, offers “Don’t Forget” and “Around the House” checklists for your move, as well as packing tips and a four-week planner. There’s also a checklist for moving day.
6. For Military Families
The Ultimate Guide to Military PCS Moves, Overseas Edition, written by a military wife with plenty of moving experience, divides tasks into those you should do when you are anticipating the move but don’t have orders yet, and those for once you have orders, three to six months before moving, one to two months before, and one to two weeks before. It’s detailed, and specific to military families (“Obtain anti-terrorism training,” which she explains is required for family members over 14, is one item). It too is printable.
7. Moving With Children
This checklist for moving with kids centers around Portland, but you can easily transfer its great ideas to your own location to make moving fun and simple for your children. See #4, “Pack a treasure box.”
Lori Collins Burgan’s book Moving with Kids: 25 Ways to Ease Your Family’s Transition to a New Home is divided into 25 tips to make a move easier on children. Her favorite?
“Empower your children to make as many decisions as possible. This is a decision being forced upon them, and they have no control over it,” she says. “It’s important to find things throughout the process of moving in which children can exercise some control.”
8. When You Can’t Remember Where You Packed Anything
The $1.99 Moving Van app, for iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch, lets you keep track of what’s in each box (and take photos of the items) and then assign each box to a room for the movers. It lets you find your items when you’ve moved in but not yet unpacked. It can be useful if needed for insurance purposes, as well.