Moving is an exciting life event, whether you’re moving out on your own for the first time, to an apartment in a new city, or to your forever home. Preparing to move can also be overwhelming, but there are things you can do to reduce stress so you can focus on the excitement and joy of settling into your new place. Luckily, we’ve got everything you need to know about how to prepare for a move, so your moving experience will be the best it can be!

1. Come Up With a Moving Plan

As soon as you find out you’re going to be moving, you’ll want to sit down and come up with a plan to help things go smoothly. Here are some things to include in your moving plan:

• Moving Timeline: Design a moving timeline to break up tasks that must be completed before and during your move. This will help you avoid procrastination and feeling overwhelmed during the process. Plan to get more important things done first, such as hiring a moving company, completing any paperwork, and scheduling pet or childcare for moving day. If you will be living in your current place up until your move, leave things like packing to be done closer to the move date.
• Calculate a Budget: Decide how much money you want to put towards moving expenses. Once you know how much you can spend on moving, you can decide if you have room in your budget for professional movers or will move your belongings yourself. If you’re moving yourself, make sure to factor in moving supplies, a truck rental, and a way to thank any friends and family who will be helping you move. Consider any essential furniture and appliances you will need to purchase for when you are in your new home if you don’t already have them or will be leaving things behind.
• Get Things Scheduled: Once you know when moving day is, request time off from work and schedule childcare or pet care in advance. If friends and family will be helping you move, make sure they know the date as well. If you plan to hire professional movers, schedule that as soon as possible. Movers should be scheduled at least 3–4 weeks in advance, if possible. During the summer months or for a long-distance move, they should be scheduled 2–3 months in advance to make sure you are getting the best rates and to ensure that things go smoothly.

Tip!

Do your research when choosing a moving company. Make sure they are insured and check reviews or get recommendations from family and friends. Start looking for movers as soon as you know you will be moving to get the best rates and quality.

2. Make a Moving Preparation Checklist

Once you have a timeline, use that to come up with a moving checklist or split tasks into several checklists to keep you on track. Consider having separate checklists for different phases of the moving process, such as a moving preparation checklist, a moving day checklist, and another checklist for after you are moved in to ensure everything is squared away and you haven’t missed anything. Here are some essential checklist items to consider adding to your lists:

• Pre-Moving Scheduling: Make sure your movers are booked, PTO is requested, and any other services like cleaners or childcare are booked for moving day or during prep.
• Packing: This may seem like a given for your checklist, but packing as efficiently as possible will make the process easier. Split packing up so non-essential items are packed well ahead of moving day, and essential items are packed closer to your moving date. This will save you from feeling overwhelmed with packing.
• Changing Your Address: Make sure to fill out any paperwork or online forms to change your address for things like credit card companies, work, and school. Fill out mail-forwarding forms with the post office to make sure your mail goes to the correct address. Also, make sure to cancel any delivery subscriptions or change your address so they don’t end up at your old place. Don’t forget to give your new address to family and friends as well!
• Utilities: Contact your utility companies to schedule utilities to be turned off at your old home a day after moving out. Set up and schedule for utilities to be on at your new place when you move in.

3. Declutter

Go through your belongings and separate anything you don’t need or want to take before you start packing. Not only will this potentially save you money spent on movers, but it will also save you time and hassle of moving things you won’t use once in your new home. Make sure to go through the following items:

• Clothes & Linens: Have each family member sort through their closets and put aside any clothes that no longer fit or that they no longer wear. Donate or recycle the clothes put aside, and don’t forget to sort through the linen closets as well! It may be time for an update on linens or bathroom towels anyway – donate the old ones and have fresh ones delivered to your new address to save yourself the packing space.
  • Furniture & Appliances: Decide what furniture you want to take with you and what you want to leave behind. Negotiate with the new homeowner and see if they would be interested in keeping any furniture you want to let go of. Try to decide ahead of time so you can plan to sell any furniture or make arrangements to have it removed. If you plan to leave behind any essential furniture or appliances, such as a sofa, refrigerator, or washer and dryer, leave enough time to do your research and pick out the perfect replacements. Check out our buying guides to help you choose the perfect sofa, washing machine, or dryer for your new place! Order ahead of time and schedule for delivery to line up with your move-in date so you don’t have to go without essentials.
• Dinnerware & Serveware: Packing dishes and silverware can be cumbersome and delicate. Decide if you’re happy with your current set and want to bring it with you, or if you’re ready to invest in the perfect set you’ve always wanted. If you have a bunch of mismatched dishes you’re ready to replace, put them aside to donate.
• Decor: Go through your everyday and seasonal decor and decide if there is anything you want to let go of before packing. Hold on to any heirlooms and favorite decor but don’t hold on to anything you don’t plan to use in your new home. Make sure your current decor fits the style you want to go for in your new space. Make new memories with decor that fits your ideal vision.

Tip!

Before heading to your local donation center or thrift shop, consider hosting a moving sale or yard sale before your moving date. Not only can this help you declutter, but it can also raise money for your moving expenses.

4. Get Packing

It’s finally time to get packing! Although packing can feel like the most overwhelming part of moving, don’t worry – splitting things up and staying organized will make packing a breeze.

• Get Packing Supplies: Make sure you have plenty of boxes, packing tape, and packing material to protect your belongings. Packing supplies can add up, so use what you already have. Save boxes if you know you will be moving again soon, use towels and blankets instead of bubble wrap, and take advantage of storage tubs or baskets you already have. Stock up on reusable storage containers, baskets, and organizers that you can also use in your new place.
• Start With Nonessential Items: Start packing items like seasonal decor, everyday decor, formal serveware, and seasonal items months or weeks ahead of moving day. You won’t miss these nonessential items for a few weeks while they’re packed away, and you won’t have to worry about them – out of sight, out of mind!
• Label & Color-Code: Label all your packed belongings so you’re not struggling to find things once you’re in your new home. Choose different-colored storage containers and designate a color for each room or item category to make unpacking that much easier.
• Separate Essentials: Keep essential items that you will need up until moving day separate, so they are not accidentally packed away or misplaced. Make a designated space and have boxes, bags, or storage containers ready for essentials, such as important documents, medications, devices, chargers, toiletries, clothes, pet food, and pet medications. As moving day approaches, have each person in your household pack a suitcase with 1–2 weeks worth of clothes, toiletries, and other essentials so you can jump back into work or school.
• Keep Important Items Close: Pack jewelry, family heirlooms, and important documents – passports, social security cards, birth certificates – separate and plan to transport them by hand or ship them with tracking and insurance to ensure they are safe and don’t get misplaced. Keep precious jewelry in a jewelry organization box to keep it from getting damaged or tangled in transport.

Tip!

Make moving with pets easy by investing in pet supplies that you can continue to use once you’re in your new home. If you have a long drive, use a pet food storage container to keep their food fresh and available before and during the move. If your pet will be around for moving day, make sure they have a safe contained space such as a comfy crate or pet carrier to hang out when things get busy.

5. Prep Major Appliances

After deciding what major appliances will be coming with you, it’s time to prepare them for the movers. Here are some tips to follow to make moving major appliances simple:

• Use Up Your Food: A couple weeks before moving, start using up refrigerated and frozen foods. See what’s in your freezer and try to come up with a meal plan to use up frozen foods you’ve forgotten about. When shopping close to your move-out date, only buy what you know you and your family will eat prior to moving.
• Empty & Clean Appliances: Do this at least a day or two before moving. This will prevent any messes while moving the items and will give you a fresh start once you’re in your new home. Get a professional to disconnect any gas lines if needed.
• Defrost Your Freezer: Freezers must be defrosted and cleaned out before moving. This can take anywhere from 2–24 hours to complete, so plan to do this 1–2 days in advance and leave time for cleanup.

6. Moving Day!

Moving day is finally here and now is the time to break out your moving day checklist. Make sure the movers have the correct address, every last thing is packed, and order that pizza for your helpers. Once you and your belongings are in your new home, take some time to relax before you start unpacking. Since everything is color-coded and labeled, unpacking will be easy. Once you’ve had time to unpack and settle in, you can start to make a shopping list of all the furniture, decor, and DIY projects necessary to turn this new space into your dream home!

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