5 Weeks Before Moving
Select your mover, and meet to discuss dates and costs. Make your best decision not only based on price, but pick up and delivery moving dates, the reputation of the mover, and the details that they have agreed to meet. GET MULTIPLE MOVING ESTIMATES!
Decide now whether you want to pack yourself or hire your mover to do this task. Self-packing can save money. Hiring a mover helps ensure a professional packing job, minimizes breakage and saves you considerable time.
You can also get a moving quote based on the moving company packing more than you originally planned on and then scale it back by doing a lot of the packing most of the moving boxes yourself. A high up front moving quote will be a great motivating factor and will excite action like nothing else. Or, you may find the moving quote for a full pack within your comfort level and you can relax more than you thought.
If you've decided to pack yourself, you'll need to begin gathering boxes. Your mover can provide boxes most suited for moving, including special-purpose containers for items like clothing on hangers and lamp shades.
Save up your newspapers, bubble wrap packaging materials, and old towels and linens. These items can be found for free and used well if they still have integrity. However do not use newspaper or less than adequate packaging materials on fine china or items of age, like porcelain or cermaics that have crazing (fine cracks). The ink will get into those cracks and will only be able to be removed safely by a professional.
Whatever you did not sell at a garage sale or moving sale, or online at CragisList or maybe the Recycler, donate it! If you are moving locally, find a local charity to have the moving truck and crew drop off at. It is getting tougher to find a charity with a moving truck and crew to pick up items nowadays. Call charities ahead of time. Don't wait until the last minute! Also, most municipal santiation departments will allow a one time move in or move out bulky item pickup.
Contact your local City Hall to find out if special parking permits or moving truck restrictions apply. Some cities, like Beverly Hills, CA require moving truck parking permits, but they will allow you to block off a portion of the street to limit the distance that a moving crew must walk with your household goods during your move. Some cities like Manhattan, NY do not allow 53' tractor trailer moving trucks to drive on the roads at all! Make that call to City Hall!
