Packing your family's things and getting the furniture ready for the move can take days or even weeks. Do yourself a favor by creating a packing and moving schedule. Put important moving tasks on this schedule and stick to it. You'll be able to keep track of your progress and to be ready on moving day.
Whether you are packing the house yourself or using hired movers, pack valuable, sentimental items on your own. Keep them separate from the other goods. Also pack and keep separate medical and financial records and anything you might need quick access to in an emergency. Allow your kids to select a couple of special toys to take along to your new home.
Keep you address current. Provide the postal service with your forwarding address and give credit card and banking representatives your updated information.
Notify your gas and electric companies of your new address. Call them before the move and set up a date that represents the end of your stay in the property and the end of your responsibility for the utility bills. Forgetting to do this can have costly consequences, especially if the new residents use "your" electricity without paying for it.
As you pack, label each box on the top and on at least one side. Indicate where that box needs to go in the new house. Just write "kitchen" or "bedroom." Labels can dramatically speed up your unpacking.
