I received the most thoughtful gift in the mail yesterday. My friend Ed knows that we are planning to move (soon, I hope!), so he sent me this Moving.kit to help me with the planning. It's the brain child of the folks at buttoned up -- a company that sells beautifully designed, and totally usable organizational tools.
I spent a good hour pouring through the pages and tips, and excitedly told my kids all about the brilliant little bits in there that were going to "Really help Mommy!" -- they were unimpressed.
The binder is organized into six main sections and each is full of forms and check-lists to help with planning.
at your fingertips is for all the info you need to keep handy; phone numbers, a four month calendar, and a contact sheet for utilities and services that need to be canceled & set up.
movers is an awesome resource for helping chose a moving company in the U.S. This has been a cause for major anxiety on my part -- I don't want to break the bank to get us to NY, but I do want the peace of mind that comes with knowing that my final choice is the right one. I love that they give factual, and easy to follow advice. There's even a spreadsheet to compare your bids side-by-side.
2 months to go gives you all the things that really should be done ahead of time, like getting your address book up to date so you can send out change of address notes when the time comes. Realistically, I don't know if I'll have that time or not (and I don't have the energy to do too much until I know when we're moving.
1 month to go has check-lists, and even a page on how to de-stress which is kind of cute (but not especially necessary or useful). I LOVE the big red stickers that read "open me first" -- so you know to load those onto the moving truck last.
moving days is pretty straightforward, with must-do and don't forget lists.
settling in has (mercifully!) just two lists. One to document damaged items, and the other is to start a fresh to-do lists once you are settled in. I'm kind of hoping my last list won't be too long :-)
If you know someone who's planning a move soon, I highly recommend gifting this kit. I know it's definitely going to help make my move a little bit saner, and I could really use a bit of sanity here or there.
Ed also sent me the Valuables.doc kit, but honestly, I don't have much stuff of value to be recorded, so this is one that's going to need to grow with me :-)
What a great gift idea! I already have someone in mind that I'd like to give it to. Thanks!
Posted by: Alison | June 14, 2007 at 11:11 AM