Eight Weeks Before Your Move? Here's Your Must-Do Checklist

Professional movers advise leaving at least eight weeks to plan your move. Make sure you have plenty of time to do all the planning and clean-up for your move by creating a task list for each week. Start now, on Week 8, with these to-do items:

Create folders or files for all records and receipts of moving-related expenses; important family records (such as children's medical or school records);
Research and locate a moving company, or, if you have decided to move yourself, a truck rental company.
Make a floor plan of your new place, with each room's dimensions. This will help you estimate whether all of your furniture and things will fit into your new home.
Will you need a storage unit? Check out the available storage options near your new home.
If you are moving to another country, research any requirements for foreign shipping, travel documents, and residence in your new location.
Create an inventory of all your possessions. You may be surprised at how much you've accumulated, especially when there are children in the family.
Begin identifying those items you will not be moving, such as worn-out or outgrown clothing, furniture, or equipment. Plan to sell, donate, or throw them away.
Begin a list of necessary clean-up and repair tasks for each room in your current home: whether you rent or own your home, you will need to clean it up before you leave it.

Check off or cross out each task as you complete it-but not until you do it! You may not complete each task at the end of the week, but if you've made a good start on each one, then you'll be on your way to a successful move.