Moving is considered one of life's most stressful events. I've moved at least 20 times in my life. (I'm a military brat and spent 6 years in the military myself.) Here are ten things you can do to make moving easier. Some of this may not apply if you are only moving a short distance.
- Once you know you are moving, start the process as early as possible. Last minute attempts to do all these things can be extremely stressful.
- Have a garage sale. Get rid of as much stuff as you can, then give away any unsold items to charity.
- When you pack, use a color-coding system with stickers placed on boxes to indicate which room each box belongs to. For example, yellow colored stickers for the kitchen, blue for your son's room, pink for the girl's. This will make your movers very happy, or at least make things easier for you if you do the moving yourself.
- Pay someone else to clean up your old residence. Sure, you could do it yourself, but do you need the additional stress? Besides, they are professionals.
- Notify the Post Office, your friends, family, and business associates as soon as you have a new address. Notifying the Post Office is extremely important.
- Contact the phone company in your new location and get a new number established and provide your old company with a date to disconnect. Be sure to request the forwarding message.
- If your cell phone provider provides services in your new location, find out if you can keep the same phone number. If you prefer a new number with a local area code, put that in motion as soon as you can. If your existing cell phone service does not provide services in your new location, you should be able to get out of any long-term contracts.
- If you have Direct TV, arrange for a new antenna to be installed and ready to go once you arrive. If you have cable, you can utilize the Cable Mover service. Call your existing cable provider and ask to be transferred to the new provider. You can also call 866-596-0424 or visit the web at http://www.cablemover.com for assistance.
- If you have children, begin investigating your new school options before you arrive. You can always find this information on the Internet. Make sure your children are up to date on all vaccinations before moving.
- Be sure the rest of your utilities are cut off by a specific date so you don't continue to get billed. This includes trash pickup, gas & electric, and water.
Moving to a new location can be an exciting time, with new people, new jobs, and lots of exploration awaiting you. Make the move easier by getting through the initial steps with as little stress as possible.
