Making Moving Manageable
...found in the print edition of the Denver Business Journal, September 22-28, 2006
Relocation Guide (for breaking business news every business day)
by Sally Allen
On average, 46,000 Americans move their households every day. They bundle their lives into boxes and try some place new. Regardless of the size or distance of a residential or office relocation, careful planning, communication and organization are essential for a successful move. The following tips don’t address all of the emotional and psychological aspects of a residential upheaval, but they will provide direction for a productive and stress-free move.
WHERE TO BEGIN
First, examine all your belongings and determine which are valuable enough to move. Sort and purge before the move. Anything you do not get rid of has to be packed, loaded, unloaded, unpacked and placed in your new home. If you can replace an item inexpensively, you might not want to move it. Decide what to save, sell, donate or trash. Does it fit…on you or in your new home? If not, get rid of it.
Next create a moving binder or folder. Make notes and reminders about your move as they occur to you. Retain contacts, contracts and receipts pertaining to the move and place in this folder.
List people to contact, errands to run, resources for repairs or for consignment, favorite charities, recommended realtors and van lines.
Also, create a moving calendar. Schedule final appointments with doctors, dentists, teachers, and others beforehand. Schedule a time to notify key contacts about your moving plans, such as your insurance company, phone and cable companies, auto, bank and subscriptions. Provide your new address to the post office weeks in advance to make sure your mail is forwarded. Schedule the days to disconnect utilities at the old house after you move out and to connect service at the new house before you move in. Check off tasks as they are completed.
Supplies you'll need:
32-gallon trash can.
Boxes/tape/markers/packing materials.
Acrylic containers with lids large enough to hold memorabilia.
Tags and colored dots will identify what is to be sold, what goes to family members, what is given away or what needs special handling.
Floor plan of new home.
To keep you from becoming overwhelmed, tackle each room one at a time. Make sure “immediate needs” boxes are identified and taped in red. These are the items you need to survive the first night in your new home, such as a coffee pot, can opener, linens, paper towels, toilet paper, telephone, prescriptions, plate/knife/fork/spoon, small pans, drinking glasses, soap and other items. . Load these last so you can unload them first.
Now that you have a few tips to help you get started, below is a room-by-room breakdown to help you focus and concentrate on the job at hand. Remember, preparing for the move does not get better with age! Giving yourself enough time to get organized will make your move more manageable.
ORGANIZE BY ROOM
Bedrooms
Closets – Schedule a time to go through your closets when you know you won’t be interrupted. Allow several hours to complete your sorting. Get rid of items you no longer wear and determine if you need shelves or other storage options in your new closet. Take everything out of the closet. Toss wire hangers and purchase new sturdy hangers. Be ruthless about purging. If you haven’t worn something in months, chances are you won’t after the move. Consider if there will be a change in lifestyle. Will you be wearing career clothes, leisure or formal wear? Return items to the closet with similar articles grouped together, such as tops /pants/skirts/dress shirts/suits/formal wear. Fold sweaters and T-shirts. Put shoes in shoe racks or boxes.
Dressers – Take everything out of each drawer, and keep items that are worn consistently or are in are in good shape. Donate the rest. Soft items may be moved in drawers. They do not have to be boxed-up.
Bathrooms
Vanity/medicine cabinets - Take everything out of cabinets and drawers. Discard old prescriptions, ointments, makeup and hair products. Keep several bath amenities from hotels for your guest bathroom. Toss the rest. Buy small acrylic- lidded containers or acrylic drawers for loose items under the vanity. Purchase dividers to keep loose items organized in the bathroom drawers.
Home Office
Desk – Attack with a vengeance. Sort though those endless piles of paper and stuff you’ve accumulated for “later.” Clean off the top of the desk, drawers, cabinets and shelves. Recycle old technology hardware. Determine subscriptions you can cancel. If you like certain articles, clip them out, but toss the magazine. Magazines are heavy and will cost you more to move. Donate unwanted books to family, friends, libraries or used bookstores. Review retention schedule for archival records and papers. Toss outdated materials.
Kitchen
Are there old/new appliances that you forgot you had and never use? Topless, discolored plastic containers? Rusty old baking pans? Cookbooks that look good, but you never touch? Now is the time to go through the loose, scattered, jagged-edged recipes that looked tempting at the time. Keep or toss. Is a whole shelf taken up with promotional coffee mugs and water bottles? Keep a few. Toss the rest. Give away multiple items, because who really needs three potato peelers? Purge outdated spices and non-perishables. Group similar items together for easier packing, unpacking and settling in.
Garage
Be sure to make room for your cars at your new home. Make this your last garage sale. Remember less is more.
TIPS FOR MOVING DAY
If moving into an apartment building, be sure to make prior arrangements for the movers to use the elevator. Be prepared to stay at a friend’s or with family the first few nights. Have a floor plan so that you know where to tell movers you want items placed in the new home. Provide snacks and beverages for the movers.
Unpack a few boxes each day. Soon the mountain will become a molehill and you will have time to enjoy your new home.