Put together a moving day survival kit with items you'll need for the trip and immediately after you arrive at your new home:

• ID
• Your wallet, checkbook and/or ATM card
• Bottled water
• Toothbrush, toothpaste and soap
• Any prescription medications
• Aspirin
• Snacks that don't require refrigeration or cooking (granola bars, nuts, bread, PB, etc)
• Paper cups, paper plates and plastic utensils
• Towels
• Sheets
• Scissors and tape
• Closing documents if you're buying a new home
• Important files
• Medical records
• Pet food and pet littler, if applicable

If you hired movers, you may be tempted to let them run the show. But you'll save chaos in the long run if you supervise the process.

• Check the inventory list and sign it. Put your copy in your moving folder.
• Read the Bill of Lading carefully and sign it, if it is correct.
• Write out a list for your movers of things they'll need: phone numbers; exact moving address and maps.
• Make sure you have the moving companies contact information with you in your moving folder.
• Whether you're working with pros or pals, provide snacks and water for everyone who's helping out.

Once your stuff is on its way to your new home, you'll want to make one last pass through your old haunt to make sure everything's shipshape. Don't forget to:

• Check the house for anything you may have forgotten. Check every closet, the attic, the crawl space, the garage, the medicine cabinet, and the drawer under your oven. If you're leaving any furniture behind for the next owners, make sure all the drawers are empty.
• Check for any damages caused by the movers. You don't want to lose part of your security deposit or haggle with homebuyers because your cupboard left a hole in the wall.
• Write down your meter readings. When you receive your final bill from your utility companies, verify that the figures match up.
• Have cash tips of $20 to $25 dollars per mover ready, along with money for any tolls along the way.

Try to arrive at your new home before the moving truck does, otherwise you may be billed for the thumb-twiddling period. Once you arrive:

• Do a walk through with your real estate agent. Make sure everything is where it's supposed to be.
• Tape names to doors to assist movers; map out floor layouts so movers know what's going where.
• Try to avoid putting boxes in the basement; you'll be less likely to unpack boxes you can't see.