To make your move go smoothly, there are some things that you can do prior to the big moving day.

A month before you move you should make arrangements to either reserve a rental truck or make an appointment with a moving company (once you have researched them all), make any travel arrangements necessary with airlines, buses, car rental agencies, hotels. Make sure you take the time to go to the postal station to fill out the necessary change of address forms and to contact the IRS with your change of address information. Transfer memberships to any clubs, organizations to your new address and make a trip to your family doctor’s office and obtain any medical records pertaining to your family’s medical files. Make sure you set up new bank accounts and make sure any automatic payments set up for your new accounts.

It is also a good idea at this point to also make an inventory of all your belongings both in writing and if possible through either video or photo inventory and do this before you pack them. Above all, make sure you make arrangements at this time to move your pets so that this isn’t a last minute thing or they get left behind inadvertently.

Record all serial numbers of your electronic equipment for insurance purposes especially if you are using a moving company to pack, unpack or generally move any of your stuff.

About two weeks before you move, a few last minute details to look after prior to the big move which includes switching utility services, change your newspaper subscription, confirm all your travel arrangements, clean any rugs in your current house, close your current bank account, have all your funds wired to your new account and collect valuables from safety deposit boxes. Make sure you check with your insurance agent if you’re articles are covered during the move through either your homeowner’s or renter’s policy; and, if not, it would be a wise move to obtain additional coverage during the move.

Now that the day before your big moving day is upon you, it is important to make sure that you have a few things ready as part of your last minute preparations. Put such things as cleaning supplies, your toiletries, coffee pot and coffee accessories (or tea, if you are tea drinker) into a box that will go on the truck last and come off it first. There is nothing worse than not having that sudden jolt of caffeine to make your moving day a much more pleasant experience.

Pack all your garments in a box, such as clean clothes and undergarments that will go onto the truck last and come off first so that you don’t have to worry about rifling through a box to find something to change out of in a rather dignified manner.

What many people don’t remember to do when they leave their old house is to defrost, clean, dry and deodorize their old fridge.