Moving can be costly, complicated and create headaches if you don’t have a plan in place. Organizing shouldn’t limit itself to the week of the move, you should start months ahead of time.

Eight Weeks Prior

   If you’re using a moving company, call several and get quotes. Check with the Better Business Bureau to see if the one you choose has an excessive number of complaints filed against it. Are there lots of allegations of broken items, missing boxes, or late deliveries? The price may be right at the moment, but when you’re standing in the kitchen looking over a box filled with broken china, it won’t be such a bargain.

   Are you moving yourself? Get quotes from several truck rental companies. Be sure to check if there is a mileage limitation, additional fees for not returning a truck to the location you rented from, and their policy on motorist assist if the vehicle breaks down on the way to your new home.

   If you’re downsizing, be sure to check out nearby storage facilities. Again, don’t just look for a bargain. Ask to see some of the storage areas. Is it in a secure area? Are the doors in the units easy to raise and lower? If it’s an indoor facility, are the access hallways clean? How often does the facility spray for bugs? Remember, little critters, from spiders to roaches, will hitch a ride with some people’s belongings and you don’t want them to spread to yours.

   If you have kids in school, begin the record transfer process. If they show up at their first day of school and no one there even knows they exist, it will make for some frustrating times and their transition from one school to the other won’t be as smooth as it should be.

   Start a file for all your moving paperwork, from estimates to receipts.

Six Weeks Prior

   Downsize. Here’s your chance to thin out your collection of “essential” non-essentials. Be brave, explore the back half of your closet and pull things you haven’t worn in years. Scour the attic and go through boxes that haven’t been touched since the last century. Have a garage sale, give things to charity. Give your neighbor that puffer fish lamp (made with a genuine puffer fish of course). Lighten your load and come moving day you’ll be a lot less stressed.

   Get medical referrals from your doctor and copies of your records as well. Find a new veterinarian for you pets. Get a travel crate for them if they won’t be able to sit tight for the journey.

   Be sure to fill out the change of address forms at the post office or online at www.usps.com. If you forget, the folks moving into your old home may not forward all the mail you’ll be getting and you’ll never know if Publisher’s Clearinghouse is looking for you because you’re a winner.

Four Weeks Prior

   Gather all your important legal papers in one place—wills, birth certificates, passports, insurance documents, your membership card to the Star Trek fan club. Keep them in a spot where they won’t get lost in the moving shuffle. If kitchen towels are misplaced during the move, that’s inconvenient. Losing your passport could present a much larger problem (especially when you’re traveling long distances to the next Trek convention).

   Schedule disconnection of utilities at your old house and connection of utilities at your new abode. Be sure to ask for a refund of any deposits you made with service providers at your former address.

   Get that garage sale going this weekend. Moving can be an expensive proposition and a little extra money will help offset some of that cost.

Two Weeks Prior

   Pay for a subscription to your new hometown’s newspaper and schedule delayed delivery until you arrive. Call your current newspaper and schedule a delayed delivery end date.

   Get packing materials. Box up things you won’t be using for the next two weeks. Be sure to clearly mark the boxes as to which room they should be placed. Check with your insurance company to see what kind of coverage you have regarding moving. If your items are damaged in transit, what options will you have?

   If you’re moving to a different state, make sure you’re up to date on where to register your vehicle and how much it will cost. Give your car athorough going over, be sure it’s prepared to make the journey. If you’re heading to wintry weather from the balmy south, be sure the radiator is flushed and filled with anti-freeze. Windshield wiper fluid should also be changed to a brand that will not freeze on the windshield in frigid temperatures.

   Put together your travel bag. It should include toiletries; a travel alarm clock; a small first aid kit with aspirin, antacids, anti-biotic salve, bandages, cough drops, scissors, tweezers, quart size plastic bags, and whatever daily medications you’ll need.

   The bag should also have a flashlight, flares, duct tape, a small transistor radio, bottled water and high energy snacks. Having an extra change of clothes immediately handy is also wise. If you spill something on the trip you won’t have to dig through all your boxes to find what you need. If you have kids, having a game or two with you will make the trip pass much smoother!

   Be sure you’ve paid all local bills and have set cutoff dates for services. Gather your credit cards, check books and ID; keep them in one spot so you won’t have to search for them come moving day. Make sure your creditors know you’re moving as well.

One Week Prior

   Be sure your pets have all their immunizations and double check you’ve gotten copies of their medical records. Be sure their traveling kennel is in good shape.

   Drain your lawn mower, snow blower, leaf blower, or any other power tool of fuel and oil.

   Confirm your travel reservations. If there’s a problem, you want to know now, not the day before you hit the road. You should also confirm your reservations with the moving company or firm you’ll be renting a truck from.

   Transfer prescriptions to your new pharmacy and be sure to have enough on hand for the trip.

  And don’t forget to send your change of address cards.

  Be nice. Put together a small packet of information that will help the move be smoother for the family moving into your home.

   If you have young children, arrange for someone to watch them the day of the move. Little hands and feet can get in the way of people moving heavy, expensive pieces of furniture.

One Day Prior

   Transfer your bank accounts and close and empty any safe-deposit boxes you have.

   Defrost your refrigerator and freezer. You can also disconnect major appliances and clean them up for the move. It will be nice to have clean appliances in your new place.

   If movers aren’t going to take apart your bed, entertainment center or other pieces, start tearing them down today. Be sure to have a plastic bag handy to store any small pieces like nuts and bolts that might get lost in the shuffle.

   Confirm the arrival time of your moving truck or the time you’ll be picking up a vehicle.

   Number your boxes clearly. Create an inventory pad and check off each box as it’s loaded. Also check off each piece of furniture that is loaded, indicating whether it has damage or not. Taking 360- degree photographs of all valuable pieces that will be moved is a good idea. If something is damaged during the move, you’ll have more than your word to show the piece was fine before it was loaded.

Moving Day

   Keep all valuable or irreplaceable items with you if you’re driving. If not, bury them in the bottom of one of the boxes and be sure you mark that box down on your inventory sheet.

   Take note of all your utility readings. Be sure to carefully read the bill of lading and inventory before you sign it, then keep the paperwork with you during the move.

   Turn off the water heater and turn down the thermostat. Also give the house at least three full checks, from top to bottom, to be sure you haven’t forgotten anything.

Delivery Day

   If you arrive at your new home before the moving truck does, be sure to check all items carefully as they’re brought in, double checking for any damage. Provide clear direction on which boxes go in which room. For instance, boxes one through ten belong in the master bedroom.

   Be sure to have cash, credit card, cashier’s check or money order to pay the movers. Tipping the movers about $20 per person, if they’ve done a good job, is a good idea.

Settling In

• Make a list of local emergency phone numbers and put it on the refrigerator.
• Change the batteries in the smoke detectors and create a new fire escape plan.
• Change the locks on all your doors.
• Get to know your new neighbors and enjoy!

   Though starting another chapter in your life can be hectic, it doesn’t have to be impossible. Follow these tips and a smooth move will make for a smooth start in your new home.