How can I make moving easier

BY JEAN GUARINO
Courtesy Sun Times

• Mark your cartons for rooms in which they belong.
• Take your child's school records. These usually are required when registering for a new school.
• Pack phone books from your old town. You might think you'll remember the numbers you called frequently, but most likely you'll spend a small fortune on directory assistance charges to contact old friends or tie up loose ends.
• Don't forget to finish your business with local services, such as picking up your dry cleaning.
• Fill out a change-of-address form at the post office.
• Clean the house you're leaving, or make arrangements for a service to do the job for you.
• Leave the electric garage-door openers for the new owners.
• Make arrangements for moving plants and animals, since most moving companies don't transport them.
• Retrieve documents from your safe deposit box. It's a good idea to open a checking account in your new hometown a month before moving so you can have immediate access to your account.
• Collect the spare house keys you have given to neighbors and friends.
Jean Guarino is a Chicago area free-lance writer.