25 moving tips to help you do it right

Here are 25 handy tips to make moving day easier and a little less stressful. From organizing and planning to packing, here is what you need to know before the big day.

1. Notify everybody of your change of address—contact Canada Post; the federal and provincial governments; your Internet, phone, cable, and electricity providers; and don’t forget family and friends.

2. Arrange for the transfer of utilities and other services. Make sure the power company and your phone and Internet provider will have things up and running when you move in to your new home.

3. Sort through your belongings. Don’t waste your time packing things you’ll only throw out or give away on arrival at your new place. Remember: donate, recycle, and discard.

4. Reserve everything you need for the move in advance, especially for peak moving periods—book a moving truck, movers, and friends to help out.

5. Book the freight elevator if you live in a high-rise. Some residential buildings impose a fine for an unexpected move.

6. Register your children at their new school.

7. Plan the move for your pets. Have them stay with friends on moving day or take them to a kennel. You don’t want Fido to run away on moving day, of all days!

8. Prepare a box of essential items for the first night in your new home, such as sheets, pillows, snacks, and toiletries.

9. Pack in storage boxes and label any items you won’t need right away, such as off-season clothing, seasonal decorations, and extra tableware for special occasions.

10. In one well-labelled box, place all your important papers, such as mortgage agreements, deeds, and insurance policies. Keep this box in your personal care, rather than sending it with the movers.

11. Take the time to explain to children the reasons for the move. Tell them about the new neighbourhood, their new house, and all the activities in their new town. Take them to visit the area.

12. Involve them in the move. Let children label moving boxes and sort and pack their own toys.

13. Photograph the old house and all their favourite places in the neighbourhood and make a scrapbook together.

14. Get all the necessary equipment for a move: boxes, strong string, wide moving tape, markers and labels, and bubble wrap or old newspaper for breakables.

15. Use all your towels and washcloths for packing fragile items.

16. Seal closed boxes with tape.

17. Bind bulky items with string to make them easier to carry—this works for curtain rods, brooms and even window blinds.

18. Label your boxes. If you specify clearly which room they need to be brought to, you’ll save untold sorting and slogging later on.

19. As you remove screws from gadgets and appliances, group them into plastic zip-closure bags and identify them.

20. Tape together and label all TV, computer, and cable wiring for quick installation at the other end of the move.

21. Go through every room again before leaving to be sure you didn’t forget anything. Throw any left-behind bits and pieces into an empty box or laundry basket.

22. Sweep the floors and take out the garbage out of respect for newcomers.

23. Move valuable or fragile items in your car rather than in the truck.

24. Have a box of handy items on hand, including toilet paper, paper towels, snacks, and bandages.

25. Take good care of the friends who help you move—cold drinks and pizza or donuts are always a hit!

Remember, if you suffer from back pain, do not move your own furniture. Hire professional movers to do the job. And because moving gives you a chance for a fresh start, record the dimensions of all the rooms and windows in your new home so that when you see great bargains at the furniture store, you’ll be ready to pounce!