Moving Tip: Emergency Box

A must-have while moving, even just local moves, is an emergency box. You can customize it to your own needs, but here are some items that I've found useful:

• Copies of important papers, such as insurance policies, birth certificates, social security cards, etc.
• Paperwork specific to moving, such as the title or lease to your new house, your landlord's phone number (if applicable,) contracts with any moving companies, codes to any alarms in your new house, etc.
• First aid kit, and not just a little one with bandaids. During the moving process there could easily be more serious injuries, so keep larger bandages, pain relievers, and anything else that could help in a pinch.
• Cash - even if you just keep a $20 bill in an envelope, cash could come in handy. Granted you probably won't lose your wallet during the move, but keeping some cash in the emergency box is a good idea just in case.
• Flashlight, just in case you can't get the power turned on!

There are many other things that might be appropriate to your own emergency box. The important thing is that you plan ahead and gather any materials that would help your family during a worst-case-scenario move. Stay tuned for "Surviving the First Few Days!"