1. Adjustable Boxes
Collect sturdy boxes with lids and handles from places like grocery stores and food chain restaurants. Copier paper boxes are also a great, manageable size. For oversize and fragile items, like mirrors and paintings, consider purchasing adjustable ´flat´ boxes from your mover.

2. Back Packs
If you don´t own one, borrow or rent one: A dolly with adjustable straps. Save your back and have one person move heavy or oversized loads. The lucky ´driver´ will still need assistance on stairs and other obstacles.

3. Trans-Plants
Plants do not generally travel well, especially if there will be great temperature swings in transit. If a short haul move is planned, try placing the pots in boxes and covering with a plastic bag pre-poked with breathing holes. The same goes for shovel-fuls of your precious bulbs, roots and shoots from the garden. If the season is just too adverse for transplanting, ask the new owners if they would mind your returning in the spring to help ´open´ the garden and to thin out the growth.

4. On leaving your place of employment
Give your employer as much notice as possible. Ask your immediate Supervisor for a letter of reference if you are leaving the position and don´t leave without one! Learn about pension plan transfers and roll overs and when your health coverage expires by visiting the Human Resources Department.

5. Medical Follow Up
Book your children for dental and medical check ups before you leave the area and your health coverage expires if you are leaving a job behind. Ask with each physician (G.P., pediatrician, allergist, opthalmologist, dentist, ...) if they could recommend a colleague in the area that you will be moving to. Also find out how your medical records will be transfered to the chosen office.

6. You have the knack.
When planning your furniture arrangements for the new house, be truly objective about what you have been living with. Do you have a room that no one uses or even sits in? One that no one ever leaves? Why? It may be as simple as an uninviting and/or uncomfortable sofa or chair. Consider assigning it to the future guest room, the basement or passing it on to a deserving relative. And while your´re thinking about it, arrange for its removal, if necessary, before your actual moving date.

7. Decor Decisions
Don´t be in a rush to finish the entire decorating of your new home in one night. Display all of your artwork on the floor or along the walls of an unused room. Mix and match style and color combinations just for fun. Hanging a picture that has been in the bedroom for years in the kitchen or bathroom may change your whole outlook and themes. Play with it.

8. Brains over Brawn
Just because you are pregnant does not exempt you from doing a lot of the work. You are healthy and well, not invalided. Take this opportunity to prove that brains are more important than muscles in moving house. Plan to do all the phone work, paper work, furniture arrangement planning, colour co-ordination, and kitchen function set-up ahead of time. This way, you will have to unpack once, directly into place, without having to re-do the work.

9. Dinner Dilemma
Splurge on moving day with a menu of fast food. There is no shame in not having a refridgerator, stove or oven available for use. Take a cooler for necessary items like baby food, formula, snacks and other beverages. Beer is the ´traditional´ celebratory drink, so make arrangements for its delivery in a timely manner.

10. Roll up your sleeves
On the first trip on moving day, take a bucket of cleaning supplies, broom, mop and rags with you on the first trip. You may be secure in the knowledge that you have left your own home in good shape, but you cannot guarantee that the new home will be as well cared for. Now is the time to wash cupboards if necessary and lay the shelf paper.

11. Who has the Key?
Mom - As soon as you get the key to the new home, jump in the car with the kids and beat everyone else there. You are in much demand as the unloading and unpacking co-ordinator than a box slugger. Take a non- electrical dependant toy or activity for each child and let the brawn bring the microwave and TV in the first load.

12. Ready for Anything
November 1st and May 1st are good dates to keep in mind for packing away seasonal clothes. Wash, fold and box them, labeling each with the person´s name in magic marker. Stack and store in a closet. Now you can say you´ve either started your spring cleaning or you´re getting ready to move!

13. Cherished Clothes
If you own a complete wardrobe full of dry cleaning only items, consider purchasing a re-inforced cardboard wardrobe for those items. This free standing item is complete with a bar for hangars and can be used year round for seasonal storage in a basement. Moving companies and van lines will carry these wonder boxes.

14. When do I start packing?
The house is going on the market. Start packing before the listing agent even arrives by wrapping all personal and collectable items currently resting on flat surfaces (mantel, bookshelves, clothes dresser, counters) Not only will it free the table tops of clutter, but makes them all easy to wipe clean in a hurry before future showings.

15. Where do I start?
An easy place to start the packing dilemma is with your silverware, china, crystal and other party extras. If you invest in specialty packing paper (treated and lint free) take the time to polish and wash each before wrapping. You can re-inforce each with newspaper if necessary, but clean in means clean out using this method.