Moving, whether you are moving a home or a business, can be very stressful. There is much you need to concern yourself with and it could be quite overwhelming. When there is much to do and very little time and assistance to do this, you will be helped greatly if you are armed with a well-prepared checklist. Committing the things you need to check and do to a list diminishes stress as you are able to free your mind from the need to constantly think about these things.

A well organised checklist will include everything you need. It is designed to serve as a guide so that you can refer to it throughout the course of the move, and you do not lose your way. It is designed to help you from the beginning—up to the time you have finally settled.

Over 2 months before you move:

  • Design the floor plan. As you have already made a solid decision to move out and move in, you will have details about the place you are moving into. You know what kind of space you are working with, so you need to write a floor plan so that you know where to put things when you move in.
  • Make an inventory of your possessions. Before you pack and move it will be important for you to go through all your things, so you can categorise them accordingly. You can group them into three categories: “things to throw away”, “things to sell or give-away” and “things to bring”. To save yourself a lot of time and effort, it will be best that you get rid of the clutter and junk, right away—and not bring it to the new place.
  • Make a list of things you need to purchase. Based on the plan you design and any decisions you make regarding your possessions, you will need to decide whether or not new things have to be bought to replace what you used to have or to perfectly match the new place.
  • Survey the vicinity for other things you will need. The proximity of your home to services and establishments is going to be important. If you are moving with family and children, you need to survey the area for schools, hospitals, parks, groceries, libraries, banks and so forth. Proximity to these important establishments is good and if you need to make prior arrangements for any of these, this is the right time.
  • Make financial arrangements. Apart from the stress involved with the move, it could also be very expensive. You can see if your insurance can cover any of the expenses, so that you can receive some financial assistance.

A few weeks before you move:

  • Make important notices. If it matters, you will need to contact your bank, magazine subscriptions, employer and all other people and companies, about your move. Whatever mail or packages you are expecting need to be directed to your new address, so notify the concerned agencies.
  • Start packing. You should have started this a few months ago, but you need to have completed this job. By this time you should have cleared all corners. You do not want to leave important things behind, so you need to be thorough and organised. Inventory all your belongings and mark the boxes appropriately, so it will be easier to unpack and put things in order.
  • Contract a movers company. You are packed and ready to go, so you need to find an experienced and trustworthy company, such as Giraffe Furniture Removals, to work with. Giraffe Furniture Removals will provide you affordable and quality relocation services. Since there are other customers, you need to make prior reservations to ensure availability at the date and time of the move.
  • Plan your party. If you are planning a party as a last hurrah in the old place, this will be the right time. Not everyone does this, but if you are keen on celebrating the move, this will be the perfect time for this.
  • Clean the new house. The mess you will bring with the boxes and bulk will be grand. Give yourself a hand by giving the new place a good sweep before you move in.

Additional arrangements

The following are not obvious guidelines but it will be smart to be prepared for these:

  • Pack clothes and basic necessities, separately. This is so that you do not have to rummage through your large boxes for your basics. Have these prepared and within reach so that you do not have to struggle in finding them.
  • Make reservations for temporary accommodations while you are transitioning from old to new home. If you would rather not stay in a messy house with all the boxes, you can set things up first in the new place and stay in the comfort of a hotel, motel or apartment.

This checklist will only serve as a template. Customise it so that it is patterned to your exact needs. As this is meant to be a guide, print it out and carry it with you at all times, so that you can easily refer to it.