T minus 486 days: Making the plan

Everything I have read has told me that in order to have a successful move to Florida, you need a plan. I'm a certified project planner... so... that sounds like a great idea!

My wife and I went to a coffee shop and spent several hours brainstorming all the things we needed to get done before moving to Florida (see below). There are some trips in the North East we want to make, some sales we want to have, and more.

After brainstorming, I aligned each item to a season: Spring 2020, Summer 2020, Fall 2020, Winter 2021, Spring 2021, and finally Summer 2021. I then went through each season and aligned every item up to a month. And finally, I entered everything into a free project tracking web site named Trello.com.

There are several downsides to Trello:
1. The free version only tracks due dates, not start dates. That can get confusing.
2. You can add check lists to the tasks (called cards). However, the free version doesn't let you assign due dates to each check list item, nor assign each check list item to a person

There are several good things about Trello:
1. It is free
2. Everyone in my family can access it
3. It integrates with my family's Google Calendar, so, everything on the plan shows up on the calendar
4. Can access it on a computer or on a phone
5. Did I mention that it is free?

Our  tentative plan is to have 1 or 2 PODS that we pack several weeks before the move, and then a moving truck for everything we'll need right away. Here is our plan:

15 months
Youngest gets his permit
Prepare goals for summer trip to Florida
Sell an old vehicle
Reserve tables for the May rummage sale
More training for our dog so he'll be good for the move

14 months
Meet with financial advisor
Clean out the garage for the rummage sale
Arrange for a truck to get the tables for the rummage sale
Request days off from work for the rummage sale
Practice driving with my sons so they can get their licenses before we move
Find a house painter
Start selling on Facebook Market Place
Explore using EBAY to sell stuff

13 months
Wash and clean items for the rummage sale
Register the rummage sake with the town
Price everything for the rummage sale
Hold the first rummage sake
Find a Florida Real Estate agent for our summer Florida trip

12 months
Oldest son graduates from college and gets a job
Youngest son gets a summer job
Wife and I get our enhanced licenses so we can fly to Florida
Request days off for the Florida trip to look at real estate

11 months
Trips in the North East to see things before we move

10 months
Go to Florida to look at real estate
Have six rooms inside the house painted

9 months
Boys get their licenses

8 months
Create a moving budget

7 months
Decide how we are moving (PODS, Trucks, etc)

6 Months
Final quotes for moving
Consultant tells us what to fix on the house so it will sell

5 Months
Continue to purge

4 months
Reserve tables for the second rummage sale
Finish fixing up the house for sale
Research if our home insurance will cover the move
Find someone to drive our moving truck to Florida (if we go that option)

3 months
Book the PODS and/or moving truck
Buy moving supplies
Reserve hall for our graduation/anniversary/moving party
Arrange a truck to move the tables for the second rummage sale
Request days off from work for the second rummage sale

2 months
Dispose of any paints and chemicals
Final planning for the graduation/anniversary/moving party
Notify the town about our second rummage sales
Have the second rummage sale
Find movers to load and unload the moving trucks and pods
Create a receipt and bills folder
Arrange dog sitting for the moving days
Get the pets a pre-move check up
Get real estate agent to list the house

1 month
Plan the drive to Florida
Wife submits two week notice
Talk to doctors (dentist, eye, hair dresser, specialists, etc) toget records, referrals, and recommendations
Transfer all prescriptions to Florida
Plan how the PODS will be dropped off in Flordia
Purchase decorations and arrange food for the graduation/anniversary/moving party
Have the graduation/anniversary/moving party
Schedule utility disconnects
Dissasemble book shelves
Final moving sale
Gather important papers
Have the PODS arrive 2 weeks before the move
Final computer backups

0 Month
Change of address
leave the house clean


Planning is the easy part. Now we have to execute on these plans. Hopefully, in 486 days we'll be on our way to Florida!