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Senior Moving Tips

Take Inventory
Begin as soon as you decide to move. Start in a corner of the basement or storage area and move through each room of the house; ending up in the attic.

Rid Your Life of Possessions
You Don’t Need
Decide whether to discard, sell or give to charity items which you do not need to take with you. Sentimental items can always be given to family or friends and enjoyed with them later. This not only streamlines the list of items to be moved, but clears your existing house of clutter so that it will show better.

Keep an Even Keel
Going through and creating an inventory can generate many memories of the past, and can mix with the emotions of a changing lifestyle. Decide how much packing and moving can be done without professional help.

Time to Re-visit
Once you’ve made your inventory and decided which items will be moved, forget about the list for a week and then go back over your list. Once you’ve been through the emotional experience of deciding to give up some items, it is often easier to go back and find additional items which you don’t absolutely need.

Obtain Room Measurements
for Your New Place
Use these dimensions to decide if all pieces of furniture will fit into each room. Once you “visualize” where each piece will be placed, plan to get rid of those which just aren’t going to fit.

Don’t Overdo
Packing and moving doesn’t become any easier with age, so be realistic. Furniture items and boxes can be much heavier than anticipated, so look for help anywhere you can find it. If you can afford a professional, use one, as they will assume liability for the items packed and moved by their service.

Predict Your Future
Once you move into the new place, will you be staying home more or less than at present? Will you have a lot of visitors? Will you travel and/or visit more? You may need fewer belongings if you know that you’ll spend considerably less time in your home.

Follow a PlanNed Schedule
To make certain you don’t overlook any items or cut yourself short on time. Pre-plan your timetable and follow it faithfully. It will create time for visiting and taking care of unanticipated tasks.

Packing Tips

Rule #1
Remember, packing paper is cheap, replacing items can be very costly! Use generous amounts inside the boxes or cartons, and a layer of crumpled paper in the bottom of the carton (to cushion) and on top (to protect and cushion)

Rule #2
Start packing as soon as you know you are moving

Rule #3
The tighter you pack each box, the safer your items. Packing tightly with paper and filling all air-space with additional packing paper prevents items from moving within the carton during transfer and shipment

Do
• Pack least-used items first
• Mark each carton/box with room
    and contents
• Clearly mark “fragile” on outside of cartons
• Use professional packing tape to seal boxes
• Write “open first” on boxes with kitchen
    items and toiletries, etc.
• Put sufficient layers of packing paper
    into the bottom of boxes which will carry
    fragile items
• Get a layout of the new house and mark
    each box with the room it will go into

Don’t
• Don’t use newspaper–it stains
• Don’t pack any flammable items
• Don’t use masking tape
• Don’t lay glass or plates flat

Most Forgotten Items

Records
Medical, Dentist, Pharmacist, School Records, Veterinary, Vaccine/Immunization

Phone Numbers
Take your phone books with you tocontact old friends or tie up loose ends at the old house

Dry Cleaning
Remember to retrieve all items you have previously taken

HidDen Treasure
Find all your hiding places for cash and valuables and pack them yourself

Your New Address
Keep several listings handy–at home, in your purse, in your wallet, in your car, etc., so you’ll always have it with you

Clean as a Whistle
Keep cleaning supplies out until the last minute and don’t transport them if you don’t need to move them. They’ll be there for you to use to make your old place spic-and-span, or for a professional service if you can afford one

Open “Sesame”
Take your garage door opener out of the car and put it in a kitchen drawer for the next user

New Bank
Select a new bank and open an account up to a month ahead of your move. It will help with immediate access to your funds, as occasionally banks will decline to cash out-of-town checks

Pet Smart
Movers cannot generally transport plants or animals, so make arrangements for safe travel of your loving pet. And make certain you know if there are any pet restrictions in your new community

Keys, Keys, Keys
Make certain you round up all the keys to your old place from neighbors, relatives, under the door mat, the rock in the garden, etc. and leave them in a kitchen drawer for the next user

Information subject to change without notice.

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HAVASU HILLS APARTMENT HOMES
865 Cashmere Drive
Lake Havasu City, AZ 85404

A program of THE FOUNDATION FOR SENIOR LIVING
www.fsl.org