Weekly Moving Checklist for a Stress-Free Transition

If all of your items and belongings somehow magically appear inside your new home, you wouldn’t second guess moving. Unfortunately, that is impossible. According to multiple U.S. Census Bureau surveys, around twelve percent of the entire population has moved every year for the last decade or so. But don’t let these numbers surprise you. After all, most homeowners shy away from the idea of moving frequently simply because the relocation process is immensely daunting on its own. In fact, it can be highly stressful as well, especially for families with children. Not to mention, the moving process is full of obstacles and headaches that you will encounter sooner or later.

That said, to avoid issues and confusion before, during, and after completing your move, consider planning, and you’ll be good to go. Furthermore, it would be best if you followed a few packing tips available online. In the end, you must never forget that you alone are the heart and soul of your move. With that in mind, let us look at a weekly checklist and a few tips that allow for a stress-free transition. So, without further ado, let’s get started.

Four Weeks Before Your Move

• Sort or purge unwanted items 

During your move, you will slowly realize that you have more stuff than you imagined. However, when you sit down to declutter your current home, that will be the perfect time to create a list of unwanted items you would be better off letting go of. In fact, you can always sell, donate, or discard these items, considering their condition.

• Don’t forget about storage units

Well, renting a self storage unit will allow you to safely and securely store your items and belongings while you go through the transition process. Unfortunately, chances are you have more stuff than you can account for, so, it is highly likely that you will need more than one self-storage unit. In the end, consider the type and number of items you wish to store inside a storage unit, and don’t forget to rent one that fits your moving budget. After all, you wouldn’t want to blow away your entire moving budget on storage units alone.

Three Weeks Before Moving

• Research movers

Three weeks before your move, you should start researching various moving companies. Do not put pen to paper with the first professional mover you find. That said, go online and shortlist a couple of options. Plus, don’t forget to ensure that the moving company has a USDOT number as well.

• Ask for quotes.

After shortlisting a couple of options, pick up your phone or leave an email on the professional mover’s website while asking for a quote. Then, once you have a few quotes in your hand, compare them and identify which one offers the best bang for your buck. Finally, hire the moving company that provides the best value for money.

Two Weeks Before Moving

• Acquire packing materials

if you’re looking to transport electrical items such as flat-screen TVs, printers, or desktop computers, it would be wise to place them inside their original boxes and packing materials. Moreover, you should wrap bubble wrap on top of the factory packing material to add an extra layer of protection to your electronics. Plus, don’t skimp out on packaging material. Ensure that you have more than the amount you calculated, so you never run out of packing material during the most inopportune of times.

• Start Packing

Packing every item inside your home will probably take up more time than you think. That said, it is of the utmost importance to start filling up your moving boxes as soon as possible to reduce moving anxiety and stress. After selling or donating unwanted belongings, the next step is to start packing one room at a time. What’s more, consider starting with the room that you don’t use daily.

• Label everything

After deciding the room you want to start packing from, grab a sharpie and label every moving box instead of randomly stuffing moving boxes with items from that particular room. However, to take your packing game to the next level, consider adding bullet points on top of every moving box to specify which one contains what item.

One Week Before Your Move

• Don’t forget to deal with paperwork

Ensure that all your paperwork is accounted for, including passports, insurance papers, house deeds, moving agreements, and other essential documents. Furthermore, it would be wise to store such documentation in a separate box that you can keep on you at all times.

• Keep scanned copies of your documents

If you want to up your moving game one step further, it will be wise to scan important documents and keep electronic copies on a flash drive or save them on cloud storage like Microsoft Onedrive or Google Drive. That way, you will only have to take out your mobile phone whenever you want to view these documents.

• Clean out your safety deposit box

When moving to a new location, chances are you’ll probably change banks. So, it would be wise to empty your safety deposit box of its contents and store them in a portable safe that you can take with you.

On Moving Day

• Always be ready when your moving team arrives

As mentioned many times in numerous moving articles, the most stressful aspect of relocating homes is the actual day of your move. In fact, on this big day, you will have to do everything in your power to ensure all your stuff is packed and ready. Doing so will ensure that all your moving team has to do is place your moving boxes inside the moving trucks and transport them to their new destination.

• Verify everything

While you wouldn’t want to do any significant moving activities on moving day, it would be wise to double-check on everything to ensure that you’re set for your move. After all, you wouldn’t want to leave behind essential items and not have them when you need them. A few things you should double-check are listed below.

• Ensure you have a survival kit with you

• Constantly communicate with your movers

• Take care of your movers by offering them cold beverages and snacks

• Confirm the date and time your items will be delivered to your new home

• Ensure that you inventory every moving box

• Ensure that all your important paperwork is in order, including the agreement you signed with the moving company

Conclusion

Whether you’re moving to a new city or just around the corner, moving will be a big deal for you. While you would want your move to be over as quickly as possible, don’t forget that you’re the driving force behind the moving process. After all, the things you do and the steps you take will ultimately decide the success of your move. Therefore, follow the checklist and tips mentioned in this article to ensure that you complete all moving-related tasks on time, from packing moving boxes so they are ready for your movers to keeping all vital documentation on hand and everything in between. If you are well-prepared, chances are, your move will go as smoothly as possible, and you and your family might actually enjoy the relocation process.