Your Ultimate Moving Checklist

There are a hundred little things to remember to do when you’re moving to a new home, especially if you’re leaving the city or state. It’s easy to forget something and end up overwhelmed on moving day.

This is the ultimate moving checklist to make sure you budget your time wisely and arrive at moving day, maybe not stress-free, but in much better shape than you would have otherwise!

A Week or More Before

Get moving in advance to check items off your to-do list.

  • Start eating the food out of your freezer. If you have a stocked freezer start methodically thawing and preparing your stash well before moving day. You don’t want to be packing a cooler full of food to move to your new place. Clear it out by creating meals out of the meat you have frozen and pair them with canned food in your pantry.
  • Give yourself plenty of time to pack. Secure some medium-sized boxes and begin packing items you don’t use all the time. Clothes that are out of season, pictures, candles, and anything else you can live without for a few weeks can be packed. Doing this in advance saves you loads of time on moving day.
  • Arrange a shutoff plan for utilities, services, and insurance. Take a morning to call them all and give them a date to shut off your account. Make notes of who you spoke with in case something goes awry.
  • Book your moving van and arrange for parking. Get a referral for movers or call your local moving company if you’re handling it yourself. Ask for rates and the terms in writing. Schedule the date and time that they should show up.
  • Hire a babysitter for moving day. If you have children, don’t plan on taking care of them yourself. You will be too busy managing your possessions and handling anything else that unexpectedly happens.
  • Pack fragile items carefully. Purchase bubble wrap to secure your valuables and pack them carefully. Label them boldly so you and the movers know the box contains delicate cargo.
  • Cancel gym and club memberships. Call the clubs and gyms you are currently enrolled with and request to have your membership canceled immediately. Email them over proof of your move if they require it.

Three Days Before

You’re getting closer to go-time. Get some more items proactively knocked off your list.

  • Update your bank and credit card information with your new address. Visit your bank and either schedule a date for your account to close or change your address. Call and do the same with your credit card companies. Now may also be a good time to sign up for emailed statements, if you haven’t already.
  • Inform USPS of your change of address. Leave your new address to have a better chance of receiving all your mail.
  • Update your identification. Go to the DMV and get your driver’s license changed to your new address.
  • Set up utilities in your new home. Schedule a time for services like electric, gas, water, internet, and cable to be turned on in your new residence.
  • Notify local organizations of your move. Either call or email your church, doctor, vet, and dentist informing them of your move. Let your children’s clubs like scouts and the soccer team know, too.
  • Collect your personal records. They can usually be transferred but it won’t hurt to secure every family member’s medical and dental records. Take them with you when you find ones in your new area.
  • Transfer your prescriptions. An internet search can help you find a pharmacy close to your next home. Go ahead and transfer all prescriptions there.

The Day Before

Hopefully, you only have a few items left on your list.

  • Dissemble furniture if necessary. Cribs, entertainment centers, and any other piece of furniture or item that can be moved easier in pieces should be taken apart. Pack all the pieces in well-marked boxes.
  • Pick up items from the cleaners. Don’t arrive at your new place missing your favorite jacket or expensive evening dress.
  • Remind movers. Check in with movers to reconfirm they will be there at the expected time. This phone call may save you big headaches tomorrow.

Related Read: The First Night in Your New Home

Moving Day

It’s here!

  • Pack up necessities early. Save several boxes for the items your family needed until the last minute. As you use them for the last time in your soon-to-be previous house, add them to a box. If possible, keep these boxes with you so you can find your essentials easily once you get to your new place.
  • Grab the spare keys and garage door opener. Unless you’ve worked it out with the new homeowners, take these with you.
  • Clean up after the movers leave. Run a vacuum and wipe down the baseboards and doors before you leave. It will give you a sense of closure.

This timeline is the ultimate moving checklist. Follow it and you’ll arrive at your new place ready to unpack quickly and resume normal life immediately, without the stress of forgetting to do important things or leaving items behind.

Related Read: Easy Ways to Meet New People After Moving

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