All that
hyperbolic nineteenth-century rhetoric about Americans being pioneers
with frontier spirit is just high-gloss spin on the fact that Yankees
are a population of refugees. Pretty much everyone who lives here now
either moved a long way to get here or descended from someone who did.
We'd exempt Native Americans from that group, but they've probably been
forced to move the most. Since we've all got it in our blood, let's translate
that 'spirit' into an efficient mastery of the otherwise unbearable process
of moving.
Moving is
a stress-filled pain in the ass, make no mistake. Not only do you have
to handle myriad details of organization, but you have to do it while
enjoying the murky fear of moving to a place that you probably don't know
too much about; oh, and add in all the depressing kicks of saying goodbye
to hordes of old friends. Cheery. We offer this SYW on "how to move
to a new city" as a semi-soviet solution to the problem: emotionless
but effective.
Oh, and we've
found that if you don't follow this guide, the moving trauma is liable
to explode in an overloaded station wagon at some Godforsaken rest stop.
1.
Create a timeline.
There are tons
of online resources engineered to help with relocation. In fact, there may
be too many; if left to hunt amongst them yourself, you may just get annoyed
and overwhelmed like we did (until we remembered that it's our job to feel
that way, so that others need not). The primary theme running through almost
all moving guides, though, is a smart one: create a timeline. You want to
assemble a list of the legion of items you need to take care of, so that
you can stop forgetting to do things -- or worse, stop worrying about forgetting
to do things. With this list in hand, you can move ruthlessly down it, handling
tasks, checking items off, squelching free speech -- sorry, that may be
a little too soviet again.
The obvious
question though is, "What should that list contain and in what order?"
Hakuna Matata, no worries: we've designed a prototypical checklist for
you. Now, if you have particular needs, like "Where do I kennel my
ferret?" and "How do I find an apartment in Azerbaijan?"
you will obviously need to customize your moving protocol.
Most of the
tasks that confront you in a move will break down into two classes: (a)
setting up life in a new place and (b) breaking down life in the old one.
There are a few issues that straddle the two and some that fall outside
of them, but we'll try to cover them all.
2.
Settle your old life
Long
Range Items (6 to 3 weeks before Moving Day)
Medium Range Items (2 weeks to 5 days before Moving Day)
Close Combat (4 days before Moving Day up until you leave)
Long
Range Items
1. Give notice
to your landlord [Moving Day minus 6 weeks]
Even if
your lease is up on a specific date, your landlord will want to be sure
that you are planning on vacating on that day. If you are on a month-to-month
lease, this is particularly important, and you should give more than
just one month's notice. Common decency -- and an outside chance of
legal hassle -- dictate making the phone call and letting the landlord
know; at the very least, just put a note in with your rent check saying
adios in advance.
2. Contact
moving companies [MD minus 5 weeks]
If you
do decide to go with a professional mover, we'll go over how to deal
with them below. But this is the time you should
contact them -- if you leave it too late, no amount of money will be
enough to get them to move your stuff.
3. Chuck
out all your crap [MD minus 3 weeks]
This is
a major hassle but trust us, doing it will make your final packing infinitely
easier.
4. Collect
your important documents [MD minus 3 weeks]
You don't
need to do this too early, but as long as you're digging through all
your garbage, you may as well put aside your important documents at
the same time. In a safe place, gather together all of your legal, medical,
and insurance documents.
Medium
Range Items
1. Change
of address notification [MD minus 2 weeks]
Even if
you've already gone ahead and changed your addresses for subscriptions
and other people, it's always a good idea to pass along your forwarding
address to the post office. Get a form online from the Post
Office.
2. Garage
sale or charities [MD minus 10 days]
Remember
all that crap you found around the house -- let's get rid of it. If
anything is valuable, you should be scheduling a garage sale to get
rid of it; or you can always donate it to Goodwill or The Salvation
Army.
3. Schedule
pick-up [MD minus 10 days]
If you're
going with professional movers, you'll want to check back in with them
at this stage to schedule a specific time for the pick-up and/or packing
of your stuff. If you're driving your own moving van, check out Ryder
or U-Haul for the info.
4. Gather
records [MD minus 7 days]
You've
already put aside all the important documents you have, but that's probably
not all the relevant ones you'll need. Swing by your dentist's office
and clinic to pick up dental and medical records. Other documents you
may need include ones kept by your lawyer, your school, your religious
institution, or your accountant.
5. Recruit
moving day help [MD minus 7 days]
Unless
you're using a full-service moving company, you'll probably need some
friends to help you shift your stuff about. If you can't rustle up any
friends for this, we'd love to help but we haven't written SYW-Get-A-Life
yet.
6. Moving
supplies [MD minus 5 days]
You're
going to need boxes, tape, and packing material for your move; you can
order them online from Staples.
Close
Combat
1. Arrange
a place to stay on your last night in town [MD minus 5 days]
Chances
are, your old place will be barren on the last night you're in town,
so unless you want to crash in a sleeping back on the bare floor with
no food, you should make alternative arrangements.
2. Close
bank account [MD minus 2 days]
Shutting
down a bank account can be a real drag to do from a long distance, so
you should arrange to withdraw all your funds before you leave town.
This can be as easy as writing yourself a check for the balance of your
account, but could be much more involved. It differs from bank to bank,
so schedule an in-person visit to your personal leech.
3. Service
your car [MD minus 2 days]
If you're
using your own car to transport either yourself or your stuff to the
new city, you really should have it tuned up and serviced professionally
before you leave.
4. Gather
your travel necessities [MD minus 2 days]
So you've
put together all the big documents by now, but you want to make sure
you have your driver's license, registration, passport, wallet, credit
cards all within handy reach.
5. Pick up
rental truck [MOVING DAY]
No surprises
here: if you're planning on using a rental truck, you'll have to pick
it up and load it on the big day.
6. Pack &
go [MOVING DAY]
By now,
you're packing should be all done, but you'll need to plan on saving
a couple of hours to load up your truck. Then get the hell out of there.
7. Disconnect
utilities [MD plus 1 day]
Yes, we've
said to cut off the utilities the day after your move. Yes, it may cost
you an extra 23 cents to keep everything running one more day, but on
moving day, you're going to need power. And a phone. And water. Just
call these places after you leave and cut off the utilities once you've
gone.
8. Moving
expenses form [MD plus 7 days]
Moving
can be a very expensive enterprise, but don't get too depressed -- one
of the few charitable decisions made by the IRS is to exempt these costs
from taxable income. We suggest you wait a few days to decompress from
your move, but then fill out the IRS's Form
3903 while all the expenses are still fresh in your mind. Oh, and
be sure to save your receipts.
3.
Establish your new life
Long
Range Items (6 to 3 weeks before Moving Day)
Medium Range Items (2 weeks to 5 days before Moving Day)
Close Combat (4 days before Moving Day up until you get there)
Long
Range Items
1. Find a
place to live [at least 6 weeks before Moving Day]
Depending
on where you plan to move to, this can be the single most exasperating
task of all. If your destination is NYC, for example, you could spend
weeks and even months on just this one task alone. Thankfully, we've
already contemplated such a dilemma in SoYouWanna
find an apartment in NYC, and for those West Coast types, there's
also SoYouWanna
find an apartment in LA. For other places (i.e., the Boondocks)
check out RENTNET® apartments
& rentals for places to live.
2. Reroute
your subscriptions [MD minus 4 weeks]
Magazines
are painfully slow about changing your address and sending your stuff
to the right place. Mercifully, many now have web sites that allow you
to change your subscription information online, which theoretically
should be more efficient than calling up or mailing back postcards.
Whichever way you choose to do it, let's be sure to get your priorities
in order and make sure the entertainment is there waiting -- it's not
like you're going to know anyone when you get there. You should do this
with the rest of your mail too -- like credit card bills, car payments,
insurance plans, etc. Don't fool yourself, you don't get out of owing
all that money just because the bills don't reach you.
3. Consult
your employer's moving policy [MD minus 4 weeks]
Obviously,
if you don't have an employer or don't have one that is underwriting
any part of your move, this is irrelevant. If you do, though, take a
good look at their policies to make sure that you adhere to their guidelines.
They may agree to let you use a professional mover, but limit the list
of approved vendors, for example.
4. Book your
travel arrangements [MD minus 4 weeks]
Unless
you're strolling across campus, you're going to need transportation
for your move. If you and your stuff are traveling together, you'll
probably locomote personally via plane, train, or automobile. Okay,
you'd probably take a bus before you'd ride a train, but we just liked
the sound of that. For plane tickets particularly, you should be booking
at least a month in advance to avoid getting reamed on the last-minute
prices. Check out travelocity.com or expedia.com for airline tickets
and rental car information.
Medium
Range Items
1. Set up
new insurance policies [MD minus 2 weeks]
If you've
got a car, you'll need to adjust your insurance policies to take into
account your move. Believe us, if you total your car in the new city
and you haven't told your insurer, they're not going to find it anywhere
near as funny as you do. Which means not at all.
2. New utilities
[MD minus 10 days]
There's
nothing more depressing than sitting in an unfurnished new apartment
and not even being able to call anyone to stop you from hurling yourself
out the window -- be sure the phone is working by the time you get there.
We'd feel really guilty if you didn't. So call the phone company and
have your phone connection start a day or two before you get there.
You may also need to set up gas, electricity, water, cable, and trash
collection at the new place. You can get the number for all these utilities
from the Yellow
Pages; for new cable, try callling 1-888-668-3759.
3. Maps
Do you
have ANY idea how to get there? You can always get maps online at Yahoo
Maps or Mapquest,
but having good old hard copies would also be a good idea.
Close
Combat
1. Sign lease
[MD minus 1 day]
If you
want to make sure that you have a place in which to live, we suggest
you take care of this little item.
2. List of
things to buy [MD minus 1 day]
There is
going to be an arsenal of things you'll need to set up your new home.
Before you leave your old place, you should make a list of the things
that you think are key. Here's one tip: food. Here's another: cleaning
products.
3. Reserve
the elevator [MD minus 1 day]
Many apartment
buildings will allow you to reserve the elevator for your own personal
use, which greatly reduces the hassle and time it takes to move in.
Call your new landlord and set up a reservation.
4. New bank
account [MD plus 1 day]
You may
not be able to take care of this task until you arrive and can visit
the bank yourself, but you can probably make phone calls before you
get there to inquire about what kinds of accounts the competing banks
are offering.
5. Driver's
licenses, plates [MD plus 1 day]
Again,
you'll probably have to hike over to the DMV and waste a day there once
you arrive -- and you often have a grace period to get your car set
up -- but just remember to take care of this item.
4.
Get your stuff to your new life
Wow, that sucked.
But we're afraid it's going to get worse before it gets better. Now that
you have the outline of what to do and when, you still need to decide which
way you are going to pick up your stuff and get it somewhere else. There
are a few major options and we've listed them here starting with the easiest
and working up to the most involved.
Just
do it yourself
Get someone else to do it
Just
do it yourself
In a car:
Look, you don't need us to tell you that if you want to, you can just
chuck all your stuff into a car and drive to wherever you need to go.
The list of things to remember is still helpful, but beyond that, we'll
trust you.
With a
rental truck: Okay, this is a slightly more complicated option, but
you know the gist. Here are the factors you'll want to consider:
a. How far
are you moving?
You can
pretty much drive a rental truck anywhere in America, but obviously
the farther you go, the tougher it is to do. Unless you have people
who will help out with the driving, pulling a cross-country haul is
going to be tough if you're the only one at the wheel. Hey, even the
professionals need help from amphetamines. And remember how long it
will take you to cross the country also. To get a crisp idea of just
how far you'll be traveling, hit this
site and enter your old and new addresses. You'll get a map and
the distance.
b. How much
stuff you have?
If you
don't have a car of your own, but you don't have that much stuff to
move, you may be able to avoid renting a truck. There's always the three
big shippers; check these sites to get an idea of their costs and services:
- US
Post Office -- For when you don't care how long it takes, you
just want it cheap.
- UPS
-- For when you want the middle ground of cost and time.
- Fedex
-- For when the cost be damned, you need it there now.
c. What does
it cost?
If you
decide to go with renting a van or truck and hauling it yourself, you're
going to need a lot more information. Remember, sharing expenses with
a friend is always a good idea, so before you drop the cash on this
option, check with schoolmates or coworkers. Then, check out these companies
for an idea of your options and costs.
As a general
tip, the cost is usually a function of the amount of time that you have
the vehicle and the distance you drive it. Sometimes it costs more to
drive the car one-way, but not always, so shop around.
Get
someone else to do it
Okay, this
is the big one. Agreeing to have someone come and take all your stuff
calls for a healthy dose of cash and a great leap of faith. Social Darwinism
tells us that the guys grabbing all your worldly possessions probably
never made it all the way through DeVry or ITT, so take a deep breath,
and keep these tips in mind.
First, you
need to know whom to call since you've already discarded the other options
we've laid out for you. So where do you begin? Start by hitting these
web sites that contain directories to movers nationwide. From there, you
can choose a mover who operates in your area and can deliver to your destination.
1. Choose
a mover.
Obviously
you'll want a mover who can meet your budget and your needs. That information
you can get by using the movers' directories. But another strong element
to look for is whether you mover is accredited by the AMSA, the American
Moving & Storage Association. AMSA is a trade organization that
holds its member companies to a higher standard of ethics than just
the general law. Anything that you can use to filter your choice of
mover is clearly worth keeping in mind, and you can easily weed out
the sketchy groups by asking for their accreditation. This
web site has the goods on AMSA accredited movers.
2. Get an
estimate.
Before
you agree to do this, you're obviously going to want a pretty precise
estimate of how much it is all going to cost you. Other than checking
a mover's general rates -- which are typically a function of how heavy
your stuff is and how far you plan to move it -- you'll want them to
come by to see your stuff and to give you a more exact number.
There are
two types of estimates: binding and nonbinding. Binding just means that
they can't change their mind on you later. Not a bad idea, but it doesn't
really matter too much. To get an accurate number for either, you have
to show them everything -- everything -- you plan to move. So clear
out under the beds, empty the closets, bear it all.
3. Plan your
move.
If you're
going full service, the mover will pack your stuff for you. But you
may want to keep an eye on the process, since this is when they'll be
compiling your inventory. So when that Faberge egg your granny left
you suddenly shows up missing, you'd better have a record of it.
You can
dodge this nightmare if you really want to, but if your valuables are
being groped, it's not a bad idea to keep an eye on things. Just stay
out of their way. You will need to show up at some point to sign the
Bill of Lading -- the document listing all the items being moved. Obviously
you should check this list very closely. When you get to your new house,
if you can't find it and it isn't on the Bill of Lading you signed,
you could be s.o.l.
There you
go. You're all set. Now get a move on already...
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