Control the Chaos of Moving

August is prime moving season. It can be quite a task if you are packing up for your first apartment, or heading to your forever home. Not only do you need enough boxes, but you’ll soon be learning a new route to work or school, trying to figure out the parking situation, and going through the fun of setting up utilities, internet and other necessities. As you race around trying to get everything prepared, it’s easy to get frustrated or forget important things.

Here are some helpful packing tips that can make the effort a little easier:

• Make sure you have enough boxes for your move (find a box calculator here)
• Designate an “essentials” suitcase or bag for hygiene products, medications, toothbrushes, chargers and a change of clothes you’ll need for a few days (and keep in your car)
• Keep clothes on hangers, zip tie them together and wrap them in plastic for easier transition into a new closet
• Put fitted sheets on both sides of a mattress to protect it
• Pack glass bottles in kids pool floaties to protect them from breaking
• Wrap breakable dishware and glass in t-shirts or towels
• Use painters tape to label electrical cords with the name of the corresponding appliance for hassle-free matching, and pack them in toilet paper or paper towel rolls
• Put screws and other small hardware in sandwich bags and tape them to the piece they go to
• Instead of using markers, use color-coded tape to designate where each box will go

Getting to your new home and realizing you left important things behind can be a real downer. Here’s a list of some essentials things you’ll want to do:

1. Submit your change of address to the Post Office a couple weeks before your move – it often takes ten-business days to get processed
2. Open a checking account in your new city a few weeks prior to the move
3. Get copies of your family’s medical records and veterinary records for your pets, as well as copies of prescriptions you may need to transfer
4. Have official copies of your child’s school records (needed to enroll them into a new school)
5. Look for valuables you may have hidden around the house (jewelry, stamps, coins)
6. Remember items you left at the cleaners (or the watch at the repair shop)
7. Leave some cleaning supplies for the after-move clean-up
8. Bring an extra roll or two of toilet paper (enough said)
9. Leave behind the garage door opener – many people forget to take them out of their vehicles
10. Gather all the house keys you have hidden or given to neighbors and friends, and to rekey the doors of your new place

You can find an easy to use, downloadable moving checklist here.

Here’s an important note: If you are renting a moving truck, most auto insurance companies don’t extend coverage to those type of vehicles, and auto insurance may not cover rental trailers. You should contact your insurance provider before the move, and consider buying the rental truck company’s liability, damage waiver, and cargo protection policies.

TAKEAWAY:

Are you ready to move? Download a renter’s moving checklist from our resources page, mycalcas.com/resources. Also, let one of our advisors make sure you have the coverage you need for your big move. Contact us at 1.800.800.9410 option 3.   

control the chaos of moving