What do I need to do to plan for a move that's a year away?

July 11, 2017 9:23 AM

I'm planning on a cross country move in a year. What are the best things I can do in the next twelve months to make the move a success?

Long version: I'm currently living in a big midwestern city and going through a divorce. I want to live in a smaller city in the PNW. For family reasons and for the purpose of finishing what I need for a professional license I've decided to stay in this city for a year.

I'm moving into an apartment so I'm doing the massive decluttering/minimizing work right now. I'm sure I'll need to do it again as I prepare to leave.

I also know I will be saving like crazy. With my current salary + statutory spousal support I will be in a good place financially to put money away. My professional field is one where I can find work anywhere so I am not worried about finding a position but I don't know when to start looking.

My last cross country move was me and a suitcase. I know this one will be much more complicated. If you knew you were moving in a year, what would you do to prepare?

posted by We'll all float on okay to Home & Garden (10 answers total)

Number one is making a list! Put down every single stupid task you can think of, no matter how small. Later you can organize it by priority or occasion or due date, but it's amazing, the number of piddling little tasks required for such a move, and how easy it is to forget some while house- and job-hunting, and then how inconvenient it is when they're not done. Just write everything down.

Deaccessioning is indeed huge. Every time you look at something, picture hauling it across cross-country. Can it be worth it?

I would definitely make sure that my professional license covered practice in the target state. If there is some kind of waiver or transfer required, that could literally take the whole year, so I'd look into that right away.
posted by praemunire at 9:34 AM on July 11, 2017 [3 favorites]

Honestly, I would make a list of all the things you want to do in your current city/surrounding area before you leave -- either old favorites you want to go back to again, or things you always said you would do "some day". Then do as much as possible. Also make an effort to spend time with all your local people while it's still easy to do so.

I don't think there's THAT much you can do a year out that's really helpful for the move itself (other than saving $$, obviously that always helps!). You can research and pick out a mover now if that helps your peace of mind, but it's not like these things book up a year in advance. And stuff like applying for jobs/putting in apartment applications/etc. you really can't do this far in advance (unless your profession is one with an odd hiring schedule -- I'm in academia and people really do apply for jobs a year-plus in advance...but you'd know it if you were in that situation). You don't want to start putting your stuff in boxes a year in advance. Etc. So I would try to relax on all the moving-related chores and focus on soaking in all of what's great about your current location while you can. If it helps you feel better, pick a date a couple of months before the actual move and put a calendar reminder in of "Time to start the Move!" or whatever.
posted by rainbowbrite at 9:46 AM on July 11, 2017 [2 favorites]

Plan some short trips to the cities you are thinking about and experience living in a few neighborhoods firsthand, so that you know the place a bit before you commit. Stay with friends, or if you don't know anyone local put out a call on Facebook for connections (or at minimum, book a few AirBnBs in different neighborhoods). Also schedule some informational interviews in your field if you can.

Other than that, start weeding nonessentials now, especially books. Make a basket of giveaways in your living room and ask friends that stop by to take them home.
posted by veery at 11:42 AM on July 11, 2017 [1 favorite]

Many years ago, I subscribed to the local paper of the city I was moving to. If the area you're moving to still has a local or semi-local online paper, that can help you with getting a feel for your new home.
posted by FencingGal at 11:44 AM on July 11, 2017 [1 favorite]

Get rid of as much stuff as you can. The more time you have, the more you can sell or donate to a cause you prefer, instead of putting it on the curb or giving it to whoever will come pick it up.

Think about all your local memberships and find out what you have to do to cancel them. Some gyms or what have you will want you to show up in person to cancel, which you obviously must do before you leave. Find out how your doctor's office handles records transfers-- this is another thing you may have to show in person to do. It's better to know than not know.
posted by blnkfrnk at 12:13 PM on July 11, 2017 [3 favorites]

Whenever the military moved us when I was a kid, we'd always pack what they called a "household shipment" to send ahead before the actual full pack out process so that by the time we got to our destination, even if the rest of our stuff wasn't there yet, we'd still have household basics (pots and pans, cutlery, sheets/blankets, basic cleaning supplies, etc.)

Obviously, it's too early to pack one of these bad boys up, and I'm not sure how much downsizing you're planning to do, but it might be a good idea to start thinking of the types of things you'd want to have easily accessible during your first month or so in a new place. That will make it easier to know what to put in your household shipment box, or at least what you might want/need to buy upon arrival in your new place.

Identifying likely places to go scoop up free moving boxes could be a good thing to start now, even if you don't start collecting them just yet. Making an approximate timeline of tasks (maybe based off of praemunire's excellent "no, seriously, make a list of EVERYTHING" suggestion) is something that can be done this far out for sure. I'm not sure about the specifics for your licensing, but if you are affiliated with a college or university or something, maybe checking in with their alumni office to see if there's any PNW-based alums or fellow [licensed professional]s they could put you in contact with could be something to look into.

I totally agree with the "Midwest bucket list" suggestions, and am also in favor of an "extended farewell tour" addendum. Been meaning to get coffee with that one friend, but the schedule has just never worked? Make it work! Haven't been to a concert with your concert-going friend in awhile? Keep an eye out for a likely show you can both go to. Try to put in face time with the folks you don't see all the time so that if they can't make it to your going away party 11 months from now, you'll still have been able to see them in person one more time.
posted by helloimjennsco at 12:13 PM on July 11, 2017 [1 favorite]

If you can get a job offer in new city before you move, you can deduct moving expenses on your taxes - maybe start looking earlier than you think you need to if this is of interest.

Get a rough idea of how much your move will cost now to encourage the minimizing. Keep an ear out for friends looking for stuff you have in excess. Check out a few facebook buy/sell groups to get a feel for pricing / which groups seem to be extra-full of jerks. I did full-on KonMari over a period of several months before my last cross country move and it's been great, but I move a lot, YMMV.

Take care of any health-related stuff in advance of moving - I am currently waiting three months for an initial consult on my new insurance, after which I can schedule actual healthcare. It seems like this is getting more common.
posted by momus_window at 8:09 PM on July 11, 2017

If you can get a job offer in new city before you move, you can deduct moving expenses on your taxes -

It's a little bit more complicated than that. Obviously, one should double-check this before filing any taxes, but you need to work 39 weeks at the new job within a year of moving. So, technically, you could get a job offer and start within (roughly) the first three months after moving to a new place and still qualify.
posted by praemunire at 10:25 PM on July 11, 2017

Oh! If you have half-full bottles of liquor, either focus on drinking them or get them to people you know will like them. I don't go through liquor fast enough so I had to gift my friends several half-full bottles. Same goes for other supplies you may not go through fast enough-- Costco-sized packages of toilet paper or rice or whatever. Make a plan to finish it so you don't have to throw it away.
posted by blnkfrnk at 6:02 AM on July 12, 2017

One thing that was not obvious to me the last time I moved was how differently paced different rental markets can be. When I moved to Atlanta, looking for places about a month out was the norm. When I moved to DC, there was no sense looking for anything until two weeks before because properties move so fast. But then when I moved to the Boston area, it turned out you really need to be looking 6 months in advance, at least if you're moving in the fall, because of all the universities. So one thing would be to find some contacts who can tell you what that pace is for the areas you are considering so you don't end up putting that action on the wrong part of your timeline.
posted by solotoro at 6:35 AM on July 12, 2017