PACKING TIPS

Two Months Before Moving:

Sort through your belongings to reduce number of things you move.

Have a garage sale or donate items you no longer need to charity.

Make reservation with a moving company.

Gather packing supplies: boxes, pacing material, tape, felt markers and scissors.

If you are moving a long distance, make travel arrangements with the airline, hotel and rental car agency. If you're driving to your new home, get maps and plan your travel route.

Save all moving receipts, because some moving expenses may be tax deductible. Check the current tax code for requirements.

Place your legal medical, financial and insurance records in a safe and accessible place.

Purchase insurance coverage for valuables to be moved.

One Month Before Moving:

Start packing items that aren't regularly used such as off-season clothes and decorations and items in storage areas (garage, attic and closets).

Make travel arrangements for your pets.

Get medical records from your doctors, dentist, optometrist and veterinarian.

Send items (rugs, drapes, clothing, quilts, bedding) to the cleaners.

Back up important computer files to the floppy disk.

Packing Tips:

Gather boxes in all sizes from friends, neighbors, and stores.

Collect cushioning material such as bubble wrap, foam pellets, furniture, old blankets, plastic bags, tissue paper, newspapers, and small towels to use as padding inside boxes.

Create a "portable packing kit" with marking pens, a tape measure, packing tape, twine, and scissors. Carry it with you as you pack up items around your home.

Reinforce the bottom of boxes with extra tape for additional strength

Label each box with the name of the room in your new home where it should be placed.

List the contents of the box in the side of it.

Number the boxes and keep a list of which boxes go in which room in your new home.

Label boxes containing fragile items with large red lettering.

Place china in plastic bags and stack plates upright on their sides, not flat.

Pack your TV, stereo, and computer in their original boxes whenever possible.

Keep boxes to 50 pounds or less.

Pack heavy items into their own smaller boxes and place lighter items together into larger boxes. (Don't pack all your books into one box!)

Don't move flammable, combustible, corrosive, or explosive items such as paint, gasoline, and ammunition.

Pack a bag or personal items you'll need during the move (change of clothes, toiletries, your phone book, medicine, maps, food, and drinks.) Keep it an easy-to-find place when you pack.