Note: the idea of this list is for things that will be useful on or
around moving day. Actually setting up in your new house will require things
like a drill, picture hooks etc. etc. but they can wait until after moving
day when you've unpacked your full tool kit)
Pen and Paper! Useful for leaving
notes, marking boxes and one hundred and one other things including doodling
while waiting for the van/plumber/gas fitter etc. to show up! Include a
large black marker to mark boxes and make signs to tell the movers
where to put stuff and to put signs in the car/van window to explain to
the nice traffic wardens why they don't want to give you a ticket...
Screwdrivers (flat and Phillips) + allen keys if you have furniture that requires them
for assembly (you don't want to have to dig through your boxes to find
your tools if you can possibly avoid it!) If you have a screwdriver that
has the little glowing bulb to let you know a socket is live, that could
be very useful!
Utility knife for opening cartons and cutting string, and scissors for
the same purpose
Hammer and some panel pins
or similar to tack things down/up, but you can use tape in an
emergency...
Flashlight
(with fresh batteries!)
String
Tape
(one or more of: packing tape, electrical tape, gaffer/duct tape, double-sided
carpet tape and paper masking tape; since they all have their uses)
Light bulbs
Drop cloths
(to protect carpets etc.), old blankets work well
Tarps
to cover open back of van (in case of rain) or items being transferred
from the van to the house (e.g. mattresses if not in cartons) Use tape
and/or hammer & nails to hold tarpaulin up.
Candles & matches (in case
of lack of electricity, and because it looks nicer for your first evening
in your new home!)
Mobile phone, so people can
get hold of you and you can get hold of other people. Don't forget to check
that it will work in the area of your new house! A spare battery may be
a very good idea if you've packed your charger... If the phone company
will have the standard phone line ready for you, and you don't know whether
the last people are leaving a phone handset, it may be worth taking a phone
handset with you.
Some wedges for door stops to
hold open doors
Wood to act as a ramp over the door step may be useful also
A pair of gloves
(e.g. gardening or work gloves) to protect the hands while moving heavy
objects, avoids splinters and sharp corners etc. and protects the fingernails
Food and snacks (crackers, cup-a-soup, granola
bars, chocolate), especially if the kids are 'helping'
Soft drinks,water (at
least a gallon of normal water just in case the plumbing isn't working
when you first move in)
Something to celebrate with!
(Champagne and glasses? Beer?)
Paper plates, plastic cutlery, paper
towels, paper napkins/serviettes, plastic/paper cups (unless you're
going to eat the burgers/pizza straight from their boxes, in which case
a handful of paper napkins (or a kitchen roll)
is still a good idea!)
Bottle openercorkscrew
Can opener! (A good Swiss Army knife is worth its weight
in money during the moving process)
Radio/Cassette (with fresh batteries)
for music/travel/weather news, don't forget to take a favourite cassette/CD/mini-disc
to help make the new place more welcoming
Change of clothes for emergencies
(ripped pants, spilled liquids etc.) or to wear to work the next day (if
you're not unpacking right away, and perhaps even then... what happens
if the van is delayed and you have to be in work the next morning?)
First-aid and wash kit (toothbrush/toothpaste, aspirin, Band-Aids,
toilet
paper(!), prescriptions, female
sanitary products, diapers/Pampers, allergy medicines (especially your
inhaler if you're asthmatic or allergic to dust), disinfectant, soap, deodorant,
towels etc.) Don't forget a packet of tissues/Kleenex!
Sleeping bag (if bed doesn't arrive/isn't set up on first
day!)
Cash/cleared funds to pay movers
Weather dependant stuff: If it is cold and icy, sand/salt/kitty
litter to put on path/driveway. If it is very hot, desk fan or similar
to keep air moving inside house. If you are moving in the summer and in
an area that gets mosquitoes, insect repellent
Spare pair of eyeglasses/contact
lenses (in case you break/lose your main pair and need to be able to see
afterwards!)
Local map (to direct people
to/from the new property)
Local yellow pages/business
directory so you can find an emergency locksmith/glazier/plumber/roofer
if necessary. Directory enquiries may be good enough!
Sheets or something (black plastic bags can work quite well
in an emergency) to hang in windows until curtains are put up, plus appropriate
hardware to keep them up there (string and nails, tape or whatever)
A clock is surprisingly useful and stops you worrying about
damaging your watch (or losing it because you took it off while moving
boxes through a narrow doorway and now can't find it!)
Anything of a symbolic/ritual nature to initiate the new
house (perhaps a special piece of music, or a lucky horseshoe, or a cutting
from a tree that you want to plant in the new garden to symbolise continuity/growth,
or some incense, or a windchime, or a religious symbol, or a family photo.
I took my guitar and sang "Our House" by Graham Nash, of Crosby, Stills
& Nash, you know, the one that goes "Our house is a very very very
fine house, with two cats in the yard, life used to be so hard, now everything
is easy 'cause of you")
In the process of moving in you can bury things quite easily,
so make sure that you can find things like your credit
cards, any vital work papers (e.g. briefcase), drivers
licence, car keys, wallet etc. One
suggestion is to lock them in the glove compartment of your car so you'll
know where they are. (Note: Don't lock your car keys inside.)
Also a list
of the phone numbers for each of the professionals you expect to be arriving
(e.g. locksmith, gas fitter, phone company, plumber, moving company etc.)
so you can contact them either in an emergency or if they don't show up
(ok, so that's an emergency too!)
A spare set of car keys, and the phone
number of the van hire company (in case you drop the keys down a drain
and can't unlock the van) are also useful things to have.
Finally, having
someone who can jump in a car and run down to the local DIY shop/supermarket/Chinese
Takeaway while you're in the middle of some emergency will also help make
moving day easier!
If there is a payphone near you that takes phone cards
(and you're not carrying a mobile) then a spare phone card might be worth
considering.
If you've got all your important phone
numbers on your Cell phone/PDA/Laptop, then for goodness sake
print out a paper copy just in case!
Don't forget to have the money
for the moving company (many need to be paid before they will unload the
van)
The address, keys and directions
for the new house (you won't believe how stupid you'll look if you have
to drive round in circles for hours to find the place then have to break
in through a side window because you've left all this stuff behind)
