For most people contemplating a move, the piece that involves the actual moving is the most overwhelming. Buying a new house is exciting—beginning a new chapter in life, whether you are moving into your dream residence in Tulsa and Oklahoma City or getting something smaller, there is something about a move that helps you feel like you're starting fresh. Then, you see all your dirty old belongings and that rocketship you are riding over the clouds to your new abode dies and you find yourself in a pile of old magazines and kid's artwork that you have to contend. However, if you schedule your move and follow a simple checklist, you can most likely pack your life and move it to Tulsa and Oklahoma City without a lot of uneasiness and headaches.
It's normal to have a moving time frame of roughly three months, so this timeline assumes you have that much time to facilitate your move. All you need to begin is a large file folder.
Three Months Out
Select your moving company—think about if you want full-service moving or you prefer to do it yourself or somewhere in between, sort of an a la carte option. A moving specialist comes by your residence and goes through to approximate how many trucks and how many boxes you'll require, figure up time to load, drive time, and unload, and give you an estimate for other items, like packing, taking apart furniture, and storing, if needed. Once you figure out your moving company and services needed, make sure to confirm you are on the calendar. Keep a copy of the quote in your folder. One huge thing is now done!
It's never too soon to start purging—what to donate, trash, or pack. How you go about the task is up to you, what is good for some does not work for all. Pay no attention to all the blogs and YouTube videos and get started on what works for you—one day you could clean out closets and start to box up what's moving, the next weekend you might decide to continue purging and leave things unpacked. There really is no right way to do it, so do not stress out if you do not follow the "rules".
Two Months Out
This is usually when it gets real—the calendar is seemingly going quicker than it should be, and the truth is that besides choosing your moving company and pitching takeout menus and mismatched socks, you have not done anything.
If you are going to be leaving your job and have not talked over your move with your manager, now is the perfect time--it provides them the time to train someone for your position so they're ready when you go.
If you have decided to handle your own packing, reevaluate. Assistance is at your fingertips; your moving company can send over professional packers to handle the job—they'll schedule dates closer to your move because they get there and get the packing accomplished in short order, and you will need clothes and the coffee pot until the final day.
Alert your service providers that you'll be moving—if your move is local, give your yard service the new address and you're done. Otherwise, here are some of the crucial ones.
Medical—doctors, orthodontists, dentists
Nowadays, most physicans are part of bigger networks and your records are available if you switch doctors. Ask your general practitioner for referrals. They network well and could have old buddies from medical school they can recommend. While dentists and orthodontists don't have those networks, they will be able to refer you old-school, also.
Prescriptions
As pharmacies merge you could manage to maintain that relationship, but to be prepared place hard copies of all your prescriptions in your file folder so that you'll have them handy in the event of an oversight along the way. The last thing you want is to run out of blood pressure medication the day you move and have to deal with a new pharmacy.
School
If you have kids in school, enrolling them in a new school district is a necessary evil—you need every document you can think of to register them—birth certificate, social security info, proof of address (a copy of your contract if you have not closed in Tulsa and Oklahoma City yet), and immunization records at the very least. Ask exactly what you'll need, and be proactive and put all the documents in a safe place—the file folder.
If you have older children in college and you're moving to a different state, find out the rules for keeping in-state tuition. Each state has different regulations, and the reasons for the move and the distance can be a deciding factor—some states allow in-state tuition if you're moving under a certain number of miles.
Keep sorting and boxing—make a goal for a room every week, or all the closets in a week.
One Month Out
By now you should have gotten rid of, organized, and have all your non-essentials in neatly packed and labeled boxes in an out-of-the-way place. Right. Now is when you get ruthless with purging--especially if you've selected to have the moving company pack whatever is left. It is astonishing how really inconsequential that old lamp becomes when you do not love it anyway and now it's going to cost you to move it. So, throw it out and keep moving.
Activities--Community, Religious, Social
If, by chance, you've forgotten to mention to anyone that you are moving, don’t delay any longer. Especially any volunteer groups you're a part of, and if you are overseeing committees or on any boards, you should have already notified the groups so they can fill the gap you're making. Do not forget to turn over any files or records you have (Girl Scout cookie moms) to your successor. If you are part of a nationwide organization, (Rotary, Junior League) get your transfer documents ready and submitted--you can usually do these online.
Many mainline churches and synagogues offer the opportunity to transfer memberships; after you are unpacked and have found a new religious home, they will handle that for you when you are ready to have a new church home.
If you're a member of any organization, you'll want to update your membership--depending on the organization, you could be able to have a non-resident status after you move to Tulsa and Oklahoma City.
Activities--Youth Sports, Clubs
If you have kids, you shall have the joy of searching out new play groups, vocal teachers, soccer teams, and gymnastics studios. The great news is that club level teams are everywhere, if you've got athletes. And, searching social media is a great way to seek other kid's groups. Keep in mind that everyone has an opinion, but you'll at the very least have a good number of contacts for karate and cooking lessons.
Two Weeks and Counting
Call all your utilities and set up the stop-service request. Do not forget your internet and cable--you may be able to transfer some services if your provider is in your new locale as well (gas, power, TV, internet) but unless you are local you will most likely need new accounts. Set up your new accounts as you end the old ones, and do not forget the mail. You can set up your new mailing address and delivery stop dates online, and if you require a Post Office box you can set up that online also.
If you are moving across the country, confirm travel reservations and airline tickets. If you are moving with your furry friends, ensure the hotels allow animals.
One Week to Go!
Pretend you are leaving on vacation and pack a bag or two, so you can get everything else prepared to move. Conduct a “Clean Out the Fridge” week, and use paper products whenever feasible so that you can box up the rest of the kitchen.
If you are moving any plants from your yard, hold off until the last possible moment to dig the plants up, and place them in large tubs for the move.
Verify with the movers what time they'll be at your residence to commence loading.
Moving Day
You're ready to go. You have got all your possessions prepared to be loaded on the moving van, so get your folder, unplug the coffee pot and have a great move.
