ving planner available on the American Moving and Storage Association's (AMSA) website (www.moving.org). This planner lists activities that should be performed each week as your move approaches. This site also contains information on movers that are AMSA-certified. These movers have agreed to a Code of Conduct that requires "complete disclosure of moving information to consumers, written estimates of charges, timely service and prompt response to claims and complaints."

It is easy to become overwhelmed and stressed at the thought of uprooting your life from one house to another, but moving is simply a ser

Kate and John had one week to pack up the contents of their home of ten years and relocate it to a new house across town. They woke up every morning anxious and exhausted, made little packing progress and went to bed each night feeling the same way. The following Saturday, the moving truck came but Kate and John weren’t ready for them. They spent several hundred dollars that day getting the movers to assemble and pack the boxes that they should have had ready to go a week before. Kate got in the car and began to cry. Not only was she leaving the place she called home for ten years, but the stress of the previous week was taking its toll on her nerves. What could Kate and John have done differently? Is there anything that can make moving day less traumatic? With every move, there is a laundry list of projects that be completed by a certain date. But, you know your home, possessions and you have a deadline. Sounds like a situation just waiting for a plan of action. And that plan will help to get you, your family, and your belongings into your new home, intact, without stress. Here are 4 of AHA’s Top Tips for Stress Free Moving

1) Schedule your move well in advance

The average American life includes 11 moves. Many of these moves occur during the summer months. You’ll find that rental services and other move amenities are more widely available September through May. But if you must move in the summer, try to schedule your move for mid-month, when moving companies and rental agencies are generally less busy.

2) Work out a schedule and collect the necessary materials

If you are doing the packing yourself, work out a general schedule for when certain rooms should be packed. Begin hoarding boxes! The photocopy center in your (or a friend's) office building is a good place to begin looking. You can also call grocery and department stores. Find out from a supervisor when they do inventory, which will yield a variety of different size boxes.

3) Research now to save time later

A good source for information and packing tips is, of course, the Internet. Most moving companies provide packing tips on their Web sites. Some sites provide specific details about how to pack specific objects-from artwork to lawn mowers.

4) Research your moving company well in advance

Information on organizing the move is also available. Refer to the moving planner available on the American Moving and Storage Association's (AMSA) website (www.moving.org). This planner lists activities that should be performed each week as your move approaches. This site also contains information on movers that are AMSA-certified. These movers have agreed to a Code of Conduct that requires "complete disclosure of moving information to consumers, written estimates of charges, timely service and prompt response to claims and complaints."

It is easy to become overwhelmed and stressed at the thought of uprooting your life from one house to another, but moving is simply a ser

s week was taking its toll on her nerves. What could Kate and John have done differently? Is there anything that can make moving day less traumatic? With every move, there is a laundry list of projects that be completed by a certain date. But, you know your home, possessions and you have a deadline. Sounds like a situation just waiting for a plan of action. And that plan will help to get you, your family, and your belongings into your new home, intact, without stress. Here are 4 of AHA’s Top Tips for Stress Free Moving

1) Schedule your move well in advance

The average American life includes 11 moves. Many of these moves occur during the summer months. You’ll find that rental services and other move amenities are more widely available September through May. But if you must move in the summer, try to schedule your move for mid-month, when moving companies and rental agencies are generally less busy.

2) Work out a schedule and collect the necessary materials

If you are doing the packing yourself, work out a general schedule for when certain rooms should be packed. Begin hoarding boxes! The photocopy center in your (or a friend's) office building is a good place to begin looking. You can also call grocery and department stores. Find out from a supervisor when they do inventory, which will yield a variety of different size boxes.

3) Research now to save time later

A good source for information and packing tips is, of course, the Internet. Most moving companies provide packing tips on their Web sites. Some sites provide specific details about how to pack specific objects-from artwork to lawn mowers.

4) Research your moving company well in advance

Information on organizing the move is also available. Refer to the moving planner available on the American Moving and Storage Association's (AMSA) website (www.moving.org). This planner lists activities that should be performed each week as your move approaches. This site also contains information on movers that are AMSA-certified. These movers have agreed to a Code of Conduct that requires "complete disclosure of moving information to consumers, written estimates of charges, timely service and prompt response to claims and complaints."

It is easy to become overwhelmed and stressed at the thought of uprooting your life from one house to another, but moving is simply a ser

includes 11 moves. Many of these moves occur during the summer months. You’ll find that rental services and other move amenities are more widely available September through May. But if you must move in the summer, try to schedule your move for mid-month, when moving companies and rental agencies are generally less busy.

2) Work out a schedule and collect the necessary materials

If you are doing the packing yourself, work out a general schedule for when certain rooms should be packed. Begin hoarding boxes! The photocopy center in your (or a friend's) office building is a good place to begin looking. You can also call grocery and department stores. Find out from a supervisor when they do inventory, which will yield a variety of different size boxes.

3) Research now to save time later

A good source for information and packing tips is, of course, the Internet. Most moving companies provide packing tips on their Web sites. Some sites provide specific details about how to pack specific objects-from artwork to lawn mowers.

4) Research your moving company well in advance

Information on organizing the move is also available. Refer to the moving planner available on the American Moving and Storage Association's (AMSA) website (www.moving.org). This planner lists activities that should be performed each week as your move approaches. This site also contains information on movers that are AMSA-certified. These movers have agreed to a Code of Conduct that requires "complete disclosure of moving information to consumers, written estimates of charges, timely service and prompt response to claims and complaints."

It is easy to become overwhelmed and stressed at the thought of uprooting your life from one house to another, but moving is simply a ser

o begin looking. You can also call grocery and department stores. Find out from a supervisor when they do inventory, which will yield a variety of different size boxes.

3) Research now to save time later

A good source for information and packing tips is, of course, the Internet. Most moving companies provide packing tips on their Web sites. Some sites provide specific details about how to pack specific objects-from artwork to lawn mowers.

4) Research your moving company well in advance

Information on organizing the move is also available. Refer to the moving planner available on the American Moving and Storage Association's (AMSA) website (www.moving.org). This planner lists activities that should be performed each week as your move approaches. This site also contains information on movers that are AMSA-certified. These movers have agreed to a Code of Conduct that requires "complete disclosure of moving information to consumers, written estimates of charges, timely service and prompt response to claims and complaints."

It is easy to become overwhelmed and stressed at the thought of uprooting your life from one house to another, but moving is simply a ser

ving planner available on the American Moving and Storage Association's (AMSA) website (www.moving.org). This planner lists activities that should be performed each week as your move approaches. This site also contains information on movers that are AMSA-certified. These movers have agreed to a Code of Conduct that requires "complete disclosure of moving information to consumers, written estimates of charges, timely service and prompt response to claims and complaints."

It is easy to become overwhelmed and stressed at the thought of uprooting your life from one house to another, but moving is simply a series of tasks that need to be accomplished by a certain date. The easiest way to eliminate moving stress is to establish a plan that allows for all the tasks to be complete by the specific date, and stick to it.

Click here for a special offer from American Homeowners Association (AHA)®