Prepare your family for the jolt of moving
Morris Digital Works Wire Service

Relocation is one of life's top stresses. Leaving your town involves several losses: friends, identity, place, routine. With some planning, though, the jolt of relocating can be softened, and the effort to get established in a new place made easier.

With careful planning, the stress of your move, and the possibility of encountering last-minute crises, can be greatly reduced. Begin planning at least a month in advance. Confirm your closing date with your real estate agent before setting your moving date. Make a list of all records that must be transferred to the new location, including school, financial and medical records.

Send change-of-address cards, available free at the post office, to magazines and organizations. Provide change-of-address instructions on credit card bills; leave forwarding information with the post office.

Before you move, try to spend several weekends in your new city. Also research activities and organizations in which you and your family can get involved.

Begin packing early. If you have hired a moving company, request boxes and packing paper. If you're a self-mover, ask local grocery or beverage stores the best time to get boxes from them. Label boxes clearly, packing items according to the room in which they belong.

Make a list of things to be packed separately from the movers' items. Keep maps, prescription medicines, toys for children, and relevant phone numbers within easy reach. Keep items you will need to settle in (cleaning supplies, light bulbs, tools), during the first few days of arrival (food, utensils, appliances), and medical and insurance records together. Pack a suitcase that you could live out of for several days if necessary.

Two weeks before moving, contact utility companies with service disconnection dates. Arrange for utility service in your new home. Plan for the transfer of bank accounts.

On moving day, make sure heavy boxes go on the bottom and are tightly stacked. Make a final check of all rooms and closets, and lock all doors and windows. Have an empty box handy for those items that got left out of other boxes.

When you arrive at your new home, check the fuse box or circuit breakers to make sure everything is turned on. If the house is not in the condition you expected, address concerns immediately with your real estate agent. Don't try to unpack everything at once. Since you organized while packing, putting seldom-used items together, some boxes can wait until you have settled. Take your time unpacking, doing it together as a family.