What to Do 3 Weeks Before You Move

With only three weeks left before your moving day, you’ve hopefully sorted out who is doing your packing and moving, you’ve had a money making yard sale, and you’ve gathered your packing supplies and filled out your change of address forms. While you still have time to do these things if you haven’t already, you need to get busy if you are lagging behind.

When you are down to the three week mark, there are a couple of things you will need to do to ensure the rest of your move goes smoothly. This is the time to start thinking about what to do with your pets and some of your household items, such as your cleaners, garage items, and houseplants.

Getting Your Pet Ready for the Move

When you have a pet, and you are moving more than across town, there are several things that may not immediately come to mind that you need to do. The first is to schedule a visit to your vet. Making sure your pet is up to date on all vaccines is key to having a stress free experience. If you are traveling by air, ask your vet for a tranquilizer for your pet, and remember to keep out a towel or other item with your scent on it to help keep it calm while traveling.

When traveling by car, you’ll need to keep out a leash, carrier, and newspaper in case your pet gets carsick to carry with you on your trip. Lastly, you’ll want copies of your pet’s records and a referral for a reputable vet in the area you are moving to. You may also need to arrange to have your pet stay in a kennel for several days while finalizing your move at your new location.

Cleaning Out Your Garage

There are some items that are not allowed to be shipped across state lines, or carried by moving companies. Most of these items fall under the categories of flammable, corrosive, or poisonous. You’ll want to start looking through your garage for items in this category. If they are containers of things you can’t use in full before leaving, consider giving them to neighbors. If they are not wanted, be sure to dispose of them properly.

Making Decisions About Plants

Lastly, you will need to decide what to do about your plants. Most people do not know that there are laws regulating plants being transported over state lines. Do your research! If you have a beloved specimen, you’ll want to check with local laws about whether you are allowed to bring it with you. And, if it’s a large piece that would be impractical to dig up out of your yard, consider taking some clippings and planting it anew. For plants that can’t travel, consider giving them to family and friends, or including them in your yard sale.

Your final weeks should be spent finalizing and confirming arrangements. Having and following a plan makes this a much more simple process.