Moving homes is a big deal, no matter if you’re moving across the country or just to a different home around the corner. It’s one of those few life changes that will serve as a clear chapter break in the arc of your life.
While moving can be exciting, it can also be quite overwhelming as well. There are so many different things to keep on top of if you want your move to go smoothly.
That’s why we developed our 2020 moving checklist: to ensure that you don’t forget any important element when planning and executing your big move. Have your moving boxes at the ready? Great. Read on and we’ll walk you through everything that you need to know.
Table of Contents
Two Months Out From Your Move
You’re about six weeks out from the big day and it’s time to start thinking of your plan a bit more actively. It’s been circling around the back of your head since the day you purchased your new place, but now it’s finally close enough to start working towards.
What are some of the first steps you need to take?
The first thing you’ll want to do is get ready to shut down services at the home you’re getting ready to vacate. That means reaching out to the post office, your bank, insurance providers, credit cards, your accountants, and so forth.
It can be a fairly lengthy list, and each new service provider is likely to have a different method that they will require you to notify them through. It can drive you crazy! But that’s why you’re doing it here, two months out from our move entirely.
This is also the right time to start going through your belongings and clearing things out. There’s nothing like a move to give you that extra push to get rid of a mountain of junk you’ve been holding onto for no good reason.
The more you can give away, donate, and trash, the less you’ll have to organize and move later on. Let that be the motivating idea in your mind. If it feels like an overwhelming task at first, consider going at it room by room.
Make three piles in the garage: to sell, to donate, and to trash. Put the items you’re hoping to sell up on an online marketplace or have a garage sale on a sunny weekend afternoon.
Your unwanted clothing, furniture, and household goods will also be happily accepted by local charity organizations. You’ll even be able to get receipts from these outlets for the approximate value of what you’ve donated.
You can use these receipts during tax time to get deductions on your return.
One Month Away From Your Move
Now you’re really starting to feel the reality of your move. Time to start saying goodbye to your favorite things about your current home and start looking ahead to the future.
It’s also time to reach out to your moving company and check-in. If, during the process of cleaning out your home, you’ve altered what you’ll be moving this is a good opportunity to provide them an updated list.
Walk through your general moving plan with them again and make sure that you’re both on the same page when it comes to all elements of your move.
If you have extensive travel plans for your move, this is the time to make sure those are all set and good to go. If you’re driving far, this is the right time to bring the car into an auto shop and get it checked out. You don’t want any surprises later.
If you’re flying to your new destination? Triple check your bookings and make sure you’ve got permission to bring all you need with you on board.
The big item: if you’re planning on packing much of your home up yourself, get started now. It can be tempting to wait until the last second to start to uproot your home life, but you’ll be so much happier if you can break down this never-ending process into smaller pieces.
Start easy with a box of books or movies. Put away things you don’t use on a daily basis that you can easily make the month without. There is likely to be more than you initially expect.
Directly Before Your Move
Your only a few days away from the day that will change it all. What should be on your mind? It’s time to make last-minute preparations to make sure nothing goes wrong during your travel from Point A to Point B.
One of the best moves you can make is to label all the boxes that you’ll need first when you get to your new home. The ones that have the essentials in them. This way the movers can leave these boxes together and easily accessible for you when you arrive.
You should make sure to unplug all devices a good 24 hours before you plan to move them so that they’ll be at room temperature when the move itself comes.
Make it a point to be on hand on moving day so you can watch as everything is moved safely into the truck. Don’t be afraid to step in and ask for things to be done differently if you’re not happy with the service that is being provided.
The Definitive 2020 Moving Checklist
Moving can be an exciting and excruciatingly stressful time. The above 2020 moving checklist can help you stay on top of the less than enjoyable aspects of the process.
Need more advice for the home? Keep scrolling our blog for more information.
