Face it—moving sucks. I could try and sugarcoat it, but the truth is moving is one of the most annoying and exhaustive experiences in normal life. Luckily, you’re reading an article by someone who’s done this more times than I care to admit. Hence, I’ve developed a checklist to survive the move to your new apartment with as little pain and swearing as possible. So, print this off and save yourself a monumental headache.

Here we go!

1. Explore your new surroundings. It’s smart to take some time to explore your new area before you move. Find the best routes to work or school, ride the public transportation systems if you’ll be using them, know where to shop for food. Where’s the gas station, convenience store, hospital, police station? Hopefully you’ve already done a little research, before you actually rented the apartment. It’s still a good idea to do some exploring.
2. Organize, sift and punt. It’s helpful to collect all your vital information in one place. Personal records, school records, kids records, warranties, bills, receipts and anything you’ll need—or might freak out about, when you can’t find it readily on the other end of this move. Get a binder and place the information inside. The binder is also a good pace to keep track of this process during the move; receipts, estimates, bids, etc.Next, you need to figure out what stuff is going and what’s not. Go through the whole apartment, room by room, and make a pile for the trash and one for charity. When the pile is complete, get rid of it.
3. Inform and switch. You need to notify anyone and everyone that will be affected by your move. The human resources department at work, banking institutions, newspaper or magazine subscriptions, insurance and credit card companies, medical records, and even your Paypal account are all things you need to take care of when moving. When you move, so does your address, which unfortunately means a hell of a lot of paperwork to switch stuff over. Don’t for get to do a change of address with the postal service, which is online at usps.gov.
4. Disconnect or reroute. When it comes time to disconnect your utilities, you have some options. Do some research on the area you’re moving to and look to see if your account can be transferred, rather than disconnected. The change can be made quickly, and it may save you some cash on activation fees. Check out billshrink.com for possibilities and options.
5. Medical issues. Don’t wait until the last minute to get refills on your prescriptions or to have that last physical. It’s smart to stock up on the vital medications you may need. I missed refilling my asthma inhaler once during a move and regretted it. If you’re moving out of the area, you’ll want to arrange for your medical records to be transferred.
6. Choose movers carefully. Take the time to interview moving companies. Create a list of questions and get them answered. If a single concern is brushed aside with a “no problem,” there will likely be a problem. Get references and check them. The best way to find a good service, however, is by personal referral. If a friend gives you a tip on someone they’ve personally used, it’s a good bet.
7. De-shelve and defrost. Make sure to use what food you can before you move. It’s best to start over and go shopping once you move in, but that doesn’t mean you need to waste anything you have in the fridge. If you’re going to take the appliance with you, you need to defrost the freezer. Do this at least 24 hours before it gets loaded into the truck.
8. Once, twice, three times a lady. Make sure you double check all the details as you go, especially when professional movers are involved. People forget, not everyone is organized and things may have been miscommunicated. Be SURE that all forms have your correct contact information, especially your current cell phone number, just in case.
9. Divide and hide. Because of a bad experience on more than one occasion, I strongly recommend that you separate your valuables, such as jewelry, and keep them in one location. I prefer to take personal charge over that cargo myself. Why take a chance?
10. Pack it in, pack it up. Here’s the fun part—the actual packing. Bleh! Pack your goods in each room. Want to save some cash on boxes? I find showing up at a local Wal-Mart at 2-3 a.m. provides an unlimited supply for free. Just make sure to check with the shift manager.
11. Mark it up. Be sure to clearly and boldly label the boxes you pack. Mark what it is and where it’s going. Make sure to place a fragile sticker on at least two sides if it is, indeed, fragile. Once you have everything marked, CREATE AN INVENTORY LIST! This is critical. Keep the list with you, in your binder.
12. Play hooky. Do NOT try and multi-task on your moving day by mixing this event with work or school. Make sure you have the day off and your mind on the task at hand. Carelessness is when things get broken, lost or stolen. Planning like this also allows you the ability to inform friends and family in advance, so you have extra muscle if needed.
13. Save the best for last. When you’re close to moving day, pack a bag for yourself and family. Carry only what you need–as if you’re going on a weekend vacation. This provides you with freedom and peace of mind when you get to the new location. You won’t have to scramble, ripping into boxes to find the essentials.
14. Count your chickens. As the boxes arrive in your new place, get out the inventory checklist you created at packing time and check it all off. Make sure it’s all there, in order and in good condition. If anything is missing or damaged, call the drivers attention to it immediately.
15. Don’t hold back. If you’re using professionals, be ready to pay them on completion of the job. If the service was good, make sure to give a 10-15% tip on top of the fee. I recommend you go the extra mile and offer each worker a cash tip as a thank you if the move was a struggle, but they did a professional job.

Author Bio: Dwayne Thomas currently works for cabletv.com.  He welcomes your feedback on Twitter @DwayneThomas15.