Econo Moving & Storage:  (210) 637-6100	½ Price Movers:  (210) 650-4911
ACME:  (210) 737-6683	All My Sons:  (210) 695-5533
All Star:  (210) 680-9500

	Notify family and friends of your impending move.
	Contact a family member, friend, or real estate company to help in your search for a new home.
	Talk with and prepare your children for the upcoming changes in life.
	Start planning a garage sale and/or donation of those items you don’t need to move with you. Usual rule is if you haven’t used it in the last year you probably don’t need to take it with you.
	Sell that extra car.
	Give written notice to your current landlord if required.
	Save some extra money - Moving is never cheap and there are always unexpected expenses.
	Plan on taking all important documents, such as wills, stock certificates, and other one of a kind items (jewelry, coin collection, photos etc.).

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	Cancel or transfer cable or satellite service, magazine subscriptions, home deliveries (newspapers, water, etc.)
	Fill out the change of address notification for your local post office.
	Organize your move by deciding and making lists of what items you will not transport, what items the moving company will move and what items you will move yourself.
	Get your kids involved with the moving process. Let your kids do some packing and let them participate in the garage sale and discuss ideal about the layout and decoration of their new room. Make it fun and exciting for them to move.
	Start collecting boxes if packing your own belongings - Packing yourself will save a lot of money.
	Contact your insurance agent to transfer medical, property, fire and auto insurance.
	Finalize all real estate and rental needs.
	Clean out that attic and prepare, sell, or give away anything in storage.
	Select which plants to move with you or give away (Most plants won’t survive a long-distance move).
	Collect all medical, dental, school, pet and legal records that you may need to take with you.
	Shop for a moving company if you’re using one - Schedule this service now. The better companies may need ample notice.
	Call in all chits if your friends or family owe you a move.
	Contact all gas, water, electric, phone and other utilities to notify of your move (Some require a minimum period of notification).
	Make a video or photo album of your belongings (This will serve as a good record of the condition and accountability of your belongings).
	Start researching new schools and notify your present schools.

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	Use up that extra food in the freezer and pantry.
	Transfer all prescriptions to a drugstore in your new city or area. Call your bank to find out how to transfer your accounts. Clear all your safety deposits boxes - Plan a few fun events to make the process less stressful. There's nothing wrong with planning on eating out, staying in a fun hotel, etc.
	Repairing and cleaning your present furniture before the move will make your set-up a lot easier.
	Secure your fragile items (entertainment center doors, computer monitors, microwave doors) that might get broken by the movers.
	Separate and mark fragile items as such.
	Mark sealed boxes by what room they will be moved to in your new home.
	Service your auto if you're making a long road trip.
	Designate one room (or an auto) as your secure location for storing expensive, pilferable items such as money, jewelry, cameras, CDs, etc., that could disappear with strangers in your house. Lock this location and declare it "Off Limits" to everyone.
	Be ready for your movers! Most charge by the hour so preparedness will save you a lot of money.
	Treat your movers to snacks and drinks. This small act of consideration could go far in how careful they are with your belongings.
	Pack a box of things you'll need as soon as you arrive at your new home and keep separate from other boxes. (This should include cleaning supplies, disposable plates and cups, essential medicine and prescription drugs, light tools, snacks, bathroom items and trash bags.).
	Arrange for pets or small children to stay with a friend or family member during moving day if they might be a hindrance or in danger of getting hurt, etc. (This will be less stressful for them as well).
	Pace yourself and don't overdue it. Remember, you need to sleep and eat too and you'll need that back in the days ahead.
	Make sure you confirm pick-up and delivery times with your movers. Give them a strip-map to both the departing and gaining residences if needed.

	Keep the following supplies handy for packing: Boxes, marking pen, bubble wrap, newspaper and tissue.
	Tape and scissors.
	Tape measure.
	Use strong boxes and containers that can be secured tightly. Purchase special boxes for dishes, wardrobe and other special items.
	Pack audio-video equipment in their original boxes. Label cables and tighten transit screws. If removing screws, tape them to the objects they are removed from.
	Avoid loading more than 50 pounds into one box.
	Label each box and indicate the following:
	a.) Which room it should go in.
	b.) Whether it is fragile.
	c.) If it should be loaded last so it will be unloaded first.
	Cushion contents with packing material such as bubble wrap, newspaper or tissue. Save room by using towels and blankets to wrap fragile items.
	Pack books tightly on end in small boxes. If musty smelling, sprinkle talcum powder between the pages and wrap the book before packing. Leave stored for a couple of months to eliminate the smell.
	Have rugs and draperies cleaned before moving and leave them in wrappings for the move.
	Pack medicines in a leak proof container.
	Carry all valuables with you.
	Check with your local U.S. Department of Agriculture for regulations regarding moving plants from one state to another. Many states have restrictions on certain plants to prevent importing bugs or pests that can destroy valuable cash crops.

We can sell you any cartons you might need in addition to other packing material such as paper and tape. You might save a substantial amount of money, however, by obtaining cartons from other sources such as friends who have recently moved and/or stores. Starting to collect cartons a month or two prior to your move will probably make it possible to obtain enough cartons.


Heavy items such as books, record albums, canned food, etc. should be put in smaller cartons. Some items such as large pictures, mirrors, glass tops and shelves, clocks and mattresses may require special cartons which we can provide.


When you are moving locally some items do not necessarily need to be packed. Items such as mirrors, large pictures and mattresses can usually be transported safely for short distances without packing. Generally, these items should be packed for long distance move and for shipments moving into storage. Lamps and lampshades should always be packed.


Packing can appear to be an insurmountable task when viewed from the perspective of the entire house. Packing one room at a time (And staying with that room until it is fully packed) has the effect of dividing the overall task into several smaller and more manageable tasks. This approach also makes it possible to set realistic goals, (i.e. Pack the dining room today, the kitchen tomorrow, etc.)


Taping the bottom of cartons before filling them prevents the contents from spilling out the bottom during the move.


In each carton the heavier items should be placed at the bottom and the lighter items on top to prevent damage.


All breakable items should be wrapped individually in paper. Paper should be used to cushion the bottom, sides and top of cartons.


Plates should be stacked vertically as if in a dish drain; glasses and stemware should be placed in an upright position; again, use plenty of paper on all fragile and breakable items.


Fill all cartons to the top without overfilling. Cartons with items sticking over the top cannot be properly closed or stacked; cartons that are underfilled tend to crush when stacked. Always make sure each carton is filled totally to the top before closing. A small space at the top can be filled with paper, a towel, a blanket or other similar items.


Cartons should be closed-top and sealed with tape to prevent damage and make stacking easier.


Use a felt pen to clearly label each carton as to its general contents and the room it is to be placed in at destination. Label on the side of each carton rather than on the top so that cartons in stacks can be identified. If a carton is packed in a manner that requires it to be always kept in an upright position, draw arrows on each side indicating which end must always be kept up. Any cartons containing particularly fragile items should be labeled as such.


Time will be saved on your move if you arrange cartons in stacks of similar sized cartons four to five feet high. This enables the cartons to be easily dollied from the house to the truck.

	Post Office
	Doctors
	Dentist
	Veterinarian
	Pharmacy
	Schools
	Insurance Companies
	Banks and Financial Institutions
	Checking
	Savings
	Loans
	Other
	Magazines
	Book Club
	Record Club
	Travel/Auto Club
	Church
	Creditors
	Utility Companies
	Telephone Company
	Newspapers
	Trash Company
	Cable Company