Begin with a floorplan.  Whether you utilize Changing Spaces SRS’s floorplanning services or do your own, be sure that someone is getting accurate measurements of your new home and the furniture you want to bring, so you can ensure it will all fit

Take into consideration the changes in your lifestyle in your new living space. For example, if you are moving to a retirement community that provides most of your meals, you will not need four cookie sheets and eight casserole dishes. Most of our clients bring too much kitchen stuff.

Take inventory of your canned goods, frozen foods and paper products. Plan to use as many as you can before moving.  Think about donating surplus items to the food pantry. 

If you know that certain items will be thrown away, start putting these out with your regular garbage collection NOW. If you do this gradually, quite a few items can be picked up on your regular collection days.

Clean out your medicine cabinet and bathroom cabinets. Old, expired drugs can be taken to any Walgreens or CVS to be properly disposed of.

Keep pictures in frames only if you’re going to display them. Otherwise, remove them from the frames and keep only the photo (they take up much less room this way)

If you have a large number of books, reduce your collection as books are heavy to move and can take a lot of space.  Donate books to the library, any branch will accept them at any time and will give you a tax receipt.

Go to the U.S. Postal Service and obtain a change of address card – this will forward your mail for 12 months. This gives you a full year to contact all the companies and people that send you mail to them your new address.

Pack a Survival Bag for moving day. Include any items you must have such as medications, toiletries, cell phone and cell phone charger, wallet and checkbook, toilet paper, trash bags, paper towels, basic cleaning supplies.

Limit the number of people in the new home on move day. It can be a chaotic and stressful day, and the fewer people in the mix, the better.  If family members plan to be there, they should expect to be put to work!  Try to wait to have interior designers, cable/Internet providers, and handymen come a day or two AFTER you move, not on move day.