Moving Checklist: The Complete Pre-Move Checklist – From Planning to Move Day
Let’s not sugarcoat it: Moving is a pain. No matter how far you’re going, it’s never easy to get your life boxed up and loaded onto a truck. The good news is that a little bit of planning now will go a long way towards making Moving Day as painless as possible.
Jump to:
Two months out
- Set your moving budget.
- Tell your landlord you’re moving out.
- Book your movers (or reserve a truck if you’re DIY).
- Request time off work.
- Decide what stays and goes.
Pro tip
Book your movers as early as you can, and avoid the most popular moving days: weekends and the beginning and end of each month.
One month out
- Get your supplies: boxes, tape, bubble wrap, packing paper, etc.
- Sell or donate items you’re not taking.
- Change your address with USPS.
- Transfer internet, gas, and electric utilities — or set up new service.
- Pack whatever you can.
- Schedule furniture deliveries.
- Plan your goodbye (or housewarming) parties.
Pro tip
If you have bigger items you don’t want to take with you, many nonprofits offer free donation pickup, and you can usually schedule a time online.
Moving week
- Update your address on subscriptions, car insurance, bank account, etc.
- Eat whatever’s left in the kitchen.
- Finalize the game plan with your mover.
- Label all your boxes by room.
- Plan for your pets.
Pro tip
Pack your dishes vertically — dishes on the bottom are more likely to break when packed flat — and use shirts, socks, and towels as free packing supplies.
The night before
- Throw out, donate, or pack your remaining food.
- Put down cardboard along the main routes in your house to protect the floors.
- Get cash to tip the movers.
- Pack an essentials bag with things like toiletries, chargers, and fresh clothes.
Pro tip
Use different colors of tape on boxes for different rooms so you know where to put them on moving day.
Moving day
- Take a deep breath.
- Do one last sweep of the house.
- Get the bed set up first.
- Pace yourself and drink water.
Pro tip
Set up a designated home base area on the first day so you have somewhere to recharge as you unpack. (Ours has the coffee pot in it.)
Welcome home
You survived moving day! Take a moment to appreciate what an awesome and difficult thing you just did. Now it’s time to treat yourself. Kick back on whatever furniture happens to be around, crack open your favorite beverage, and order some takeout from one of your new neighborhood spots. The hard part’s over — now it’s time for the (way more fun) work of making your new house a home.
FAQs
-
We recommend changing your address at least two weeks before Moving Day, but the USPS lets you do it as early as three months before your move. You can also have your mail forwarded any time after your move, but it will take 7-10 days for your mail to arrive at your new address.
-
Moves can cost anywhere from $400 to well over $7,000. How much you need to set aside for your moving budget will depend on whether you’re hiring movers or doing it yourself, how far you’re moving, and how much you’re bringing with you.
-
Home improvement stores like Home Depot and Lowe’s are great places to buy moving boxes, but you can also order them online from sites like Amazon and Uboxes.com. You can also find free moving boxes on Craigslist and Nextdoor.
-
In addition to having your mail forwarded with the USPS, you’ll probably have to change your address at a number of other places. Here are some of the main bases you should cover: Driver’s license and vehicle registration IRS Voter registration Banks, credit cards, and investment services Health, dental, and life insurance Car insurance Employer Retail websites Streaming services Magazines and subscription boxes That’s a lot of places, but some inevitably slip through the cracks. We recommend combing through your bank and credit card statements to find any other charges that might have your old address saved.
-
On average, professional movers cost around $400 for a local move, $3,000 for a 1,000 mile move, and over $5,000 for a coast-to-coast move. That said, there are a lot of factors that go into a moving quote: the amount of stuff your moving, whether the movers are doing the packing, and whether you’re having your car shipped.
Related Articles
Packing is the name of the game when you move, but there is such a thing as doing too much. In the rush to get everything done before Moving Day, it can be easy to overlook what you’ll need access to immediately when you actually get to your new place. To make sure that you’re […]
Read More
Moving Day is behind you and the dust is starting to settle (but hopefully not too much dust). Now you get to take on the considerably more fun work of making your house feel like home. Here’s what you need to know while you get settled. Jump to: First week to-do list Moving week shopping […]
Read More
After a month in your new place, it’s actually starting to feel like home. The boxes are (mostly) gone, the frames are hung, and you can finally remember where you put your keys. Now it’s time to start making your home feel like “you.” Jump to: Small decor upgrades Organizing 101 Boost your curb appeal […]
Read More
