It’s Moving Time! How To Stay Organized During Your Move

You’re moving! And what an overwhelming time it is. But don’t fret quite yet — moving doesn’t have to be as stressful as you think. Organization and check lists are the key to keeping everything in order and making the move as stress free as possible. If you know what’s coming next and what you have already accomplished, you will feel more confident and in control of the move. To help you out, we’ve put together a checklist and a timeline of a few steps you may have either overlooked or forgotten about completely. Feel free to checkout the condensed version of our checklist at the end of this article!

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ONE TO TWO MONTHS BEFORE

• Make sure your transport situation is scheduled at least one month ahead of your move date. This will give you peace of mind knowing that the truck will arrive on time, and that you have locked down a mode of transport for all of your things. Make sure you confirm exactly what days and who is picking up your stuff, and print out or have a copy of the confirmation on file.
• Some agents or owners will not let you move in until a certain date, and others may need you to move out at an exact time of day (12 p.m., for instance). If the new home is far away from your old location, consider renting a hotel room or Airbnb near your house. This will ensure that you have a clean and comfortable place to sleep during the days that feel like limbo between your old and new location.

THREE WEEKS BEFORE

• Buy boxes. If you live in a large home and have a lot of stuff, it is best to have extra ones on hand and prior of your move date. Depending on your own personal timeline and moving style, you might start packing random items into boxes in advance. Buying boxes weeks before your move gives you a good idea of how many more you might need to buy.
• Have a good organizational plan and inventory method. Whether this is with color-coded stickers or labeling every box with a sharpie, you’ll need to come up with an organizational packing plan that best fits your stuff and your style. For starters, write on each box what room things are coming from and what room they will go in; this will ensure that you have everything accounted for, and nothing will go missing in the move.
• Once you’re done organizing, you’ll most likely have a pile of things that you didn’t know you had, or really don’t have any use for in your new home. Donate these items! For items that are not in donation-worthy condition, organize a trash pickup, like 1–800-GOTJUNK?, to come haul it away.

TWO WEEKS BEFORE

• Schedule the exact date of cut-off with all utilities companies (gas, electric, water), internet services, TV and cable, and phone land lines. This will ensure that they do not charge you after the day you are officially moved out. After you have done this, make sure to contact the relevant companies for the same services to be set up in your new home.
• Notify any subscriptions, magazines, insurance companies, bank accounts, friends, family, and any other organizations of your change of address.
• Cancel any subscriptions to newspapers, security, cleaning help, lawn maintenance, and any other services you have done on a weekly or monthly basis.
• Continue packing and organizing/purging your belongings.
• Make sure you have a safe means of transportation for your most important valuables (jewelry, expensive items, etc.). This could be either in your own car, or on your carry on if you are flying to your new home.

ONE WEEK BEFORE

• Make sure to do a Change of Address. In the U.S., you can do this either at the post office or online. Notify any banks, billers, organizations and magazines, business partners, family members, or friends who may send you physical mail. If you have not notified the Post Office, mail sent to your old address will either be sent back to the sender or never delivered at all. However, with a change of address filing, mail sent to your old mailing address will be forwarded directly to your new address.
• Double check you have all the owner’s manuals for any appliances that you may be taking with you. You don’t want to find yourself in the frustrating position of not knowing where which wire goes, and what button does what. Be prepared; if you have lost the owner’s manuals, you can always contact the manufacturer to send you a copy via email. Or have it sent it to your new address.

A FEW DAYS BEFORE

• Pack a suitcase with a set of clothes and essentials that you may need one to two days before you move. Consider having a small box of essentials that won’t fit into a suit case to have for the next few days.
• If you scheduled a hotel or Airbnb, make sure your arrangements are confirmed.
• Get furniture covers and pads to protect your items in the moving van to avoid wear and tear.
• Start packing whatever is in the kitchen. Buy Styrofoam dividers and packaging materials so you can keep glass and other fragile items safe from breaking. Buy specific boxes for glasses, such as this one from U-Haul. And remember to not try and over pack too many kitchen supplies in one box as this raises the risk of breaking fragile items.

MOVING DAY

• Make sure you are on site the day that the movers arrive. This will allow you to walk the movers through your space and give them any special directions you may have for particular items or rooms.
• If you are loading the truck yourself, pack the truck from biggest items in the back (couch, bed), to smallest items that you may need readily available at the entrance of the truck, such as the kid’s toys, kitchen supplies, blankets, or any other items you feel you will want or need right when you arrive to your new home.
• Once all of your stuff is loaded into the truck, make sure to do one last walk around of the interior and exterior of the property to make sure you haven’t left anything behind. Check all drawers, closets, cabinets, fridge, stove, the attic, basement, garage, shed in the backyard… anywhere that you can think of, double check. And then check again.
• Make sure everything is clean before you lock up and leave, and lock all windows and doors, and make sure the thermostat is off.

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For your convenience, we’ve condensed this list into a handy checklist. Best of luck with your move. Remember, the more prepared you are leading up to moving day, the less stressed you will be. Happy moving!