People move all the time! I had several family members, clients, and friends move across town, across the state, and even across the country over the years. They always ask me, "How can I make the process of moving less stressful?" Today, I am sharing my favorite go-to moving checklists (Affiliate Link) to help you complete your move quickly and with minimal stress.
Jump to:
- 1st Checklist: Create a To-Do Timeline Checklist
- How to Make a To-Do Timeline Checklist?
- 2nd Checklist: Make a Change of Address List
- Companies and Agencies List to Change Address
- 3rd Checklist: What to give away or donate list
- Ways to Get Rid of Stuff Before Your Move.
- List of things to get rid of before a move
- 4th Checklist: Packing Boxes list
- Additional Tips for Packing Boxes for a Move.
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- Additional moving tips for getting ready to move:
Sorry to say, YOU MUST make moving checklists (Affiliate Link) to help you keep focused and remember every task that needs to be done. Even if you are not a list builder, you must make lists to help you. It will keep your stress at bay before, during, and after a move.
1st Checklist: Create a To-Do Timeline Checklist
The first checklist (Affiliate Link) should be a timed one. You can divide it into sections for each month, week, or daily whichever works best for you. The more detailed you are, the better the checklist (Affiliate Link) will work, so subdividing the lists into smaller ones works nicely. Ask yourself these questions below to help you make your To-Do Timeline checklists (Affiliate Link).
- What tasks need to be done six weeks before we move?
- Are there tasks I need to do in 3 weeks?
- What do I need to do within two weeks of the move date?
- Are there tasks I need to be completed within one week of moving?
- What do I need to do the day before we move?
- Looking at the home, what do I need to do on the day of the move?
- What do I need to do the day after we move into the new home?
- Are there tasks I need to complete within a week after the move?
- What do I need to do within 2 weeks after the move?
How to Make a To-Do Timeline Checklist?
When you create this To-Do Timeline checklist (Affiliate Link), start with the date you will be moving. Then work your way backward, labeling each sheet that week's date. You can use any app you feel proficient in to create these timed checklists (Affiliate Link). Applications like Evernote, Microsoft OneNote, or a spreadsheet with tabs (Affiliate Link) that are labeled the dates. Remember, it is important to view each week as you ensure the prior week was completed.
- The day before task list
- 1 week before task list
- 2 weeks before task list
- 3 weeks before task list
- 4 weeks before task list
- 5 weeks before task list
- 6 weeks before task list
2nd Checklist: Make a Change of Address List
In this change of address list, include columns that read the following:
- The company, government, and friends/family Name
- Phone number, email address, or website to change address
- A completed checkbox
This list can be created in a spreadsheet like Google Sheets or Microsoft Excel.
Companies and Agencies List to Change Address
There are many agencies and companies you need to inform of your new address. Below I subdivided the list into Federal, state, and local agencies; Household companies; Financial Institutions; Company and Business institutions; Company & Small Business Institutions; Insurance; Doctors; and everything else.
Federal, State and Local agencies:
- Passport agencies
- U.S. Post Office
- The IRS Agency - Use form 8822
- Social Security Administration - Medicare & Social Security
- Voter's registration
- State agency
- Local Tax agency
- Driver's license/car registration
- Vehicle registration
Depending on your state, they may have ways to do this online or in person. Research these topics on your state's website.
Household companies:
- Utility companies (water, electric, gas, sewer, and garbage)
- Home security
- Cleaning service
- Cable and/or Internet service provider
Financial institutions:
- Bank accounts companies
- Investment/retirement account companies
- Credit cards companies
- Accountants/bookkeepers or tax prep service companies
Company and Small Business Institutions:
- Your employer
- Coworkers & Clients
- Accountants/bookkeepers
- Tax agencies and other financial companies that are associated with your at-home small business
If you have a small business out of your home, you will need to change the address for your small business as well.
Insurance Agencies:
- Homeowners Insurance company or renter insurance company
- Car insurance companies
- Life insurance companies
- Medical insurance companies
- Disability insurance companies
Doctors:
- Primary doctor
- Dentist
- Eye doctor
- Foot Doctor
- Urologist
- Local medical networks like Penn Medicine, Main Line Health
- Dermatologist
- OBGYN
- Local Hospital if you are staying in the same area
- ENT Doctor
- Bloodwork clinic
- Pharmacy
Additional companies and people to inform:
- Family and friends
- Paper (i.e. local newspaper) and Digital Subscriptions (i.e. Amazon (Affiliate Link) Prime)
- Food delivery services like HelloFresh
- Streaming services: Netflix, Hulu, Paramount+, Max, AppleTV, Peacock, Disney+, VUDU, PBS Video
- Membership Clubs - i.e., Fitness Center
- Places of worship
- Magazines Subscriptions
- Map Apps: Google Maps, Apple Maps
- Transportation Apps: Uber, Lyft
- Smart home apps: Google Home, Sonos speakers, Assistant, Apple Home, Amazon (Affiliate Link)
By making a complete list, you can do this over a few weeks before, during, and after you move.
3rd Checklist: What to give away or donate list
The third moving checklist (Affiliate Link) is an item-to-donate list. This list will help you remember what you are planning on doing with the items you want to donate.
What to do, give away and donate, and what to keep? Add these items to your list:
- Include a column for the name of the item you want to get rid of.
- Add a column for who to give it to.
- Include a column for where to donate it.
Having one of these pages per room will give you the peace of mind that you selected all the items you wanted to get rid of so you don't take unwanted items to your next home.
Check out our Charitable Donation Locations page to find places to donate your things. It is updated every 3-4 months and features both national and local charities.
If you need to recycle items but want to do so in an environmentally friendly way, visit our Recycling and Shredder Event Page. This page is updated whenever I become aware of new events happening in the current year.
If you do decide to donate, keep a running list of items that you donate for tax return purposes if you want to deduct them from your taxes.
Ways to Get Rid of Stuff Before Your Move.
There are many ways to dispose of things, not just by donating or recycling them. Below is a list of ways to declutter your home.
- Post items on Facebook Marketplace to sell. For a quick sale, don't overprice the item.
- Post items on Craig's List or eBay. If you use eBay, you will most likely need to ship the items, so keep that in mind when pricing.
- Give to someone. If you want to give the item away, take photos of the item you wish to donate. Then, share the image of the item with friends on Facebook or other social media platforms.
- Have a yard sale. Share with a yard sale community online (if you feel comfortable with this). Indicate it is a Moving Sale. While you may be able to obtain lower offers for certain items, you can easily dispose of them quickly.
- Rent a dumpster: If you have many things that need to be trashed, renting a dumpster is the best bet to get rid of it as soon as possible.
List of things to get rid of before a move
There are lots of things to review before you move. Below, I have listed several items by room to help you determine if you can reduce the number so that you are not taking more than you intend to use.
Old Items to Review:
Anything old or unused is on this list. Below are just some of the ones that we all have in our homes.
- These items could be stored in your attic, basement, or storage unit.
- Memorabilia you keep in a variety of places.
- Old books, newspapers, and magazines
- Expired food
- Expired beauty items
- Old sheets and towels
- Bills and receipts paper - be sure to shred these items.
- Manufacturer Manuals that you do not use.
- Unused bedding.
- Posters and other artwork that are not hanging.
- Broken electronics
Visit our other decluttering advice posts below for more ideas.
Go through the excess stuff in your home:
These items would be anything you have in abundance.
- Craft items
- Electronics or Devices that were updated.
- Old Cellphones
- Old tablets (Affiliate Link)
- Collectibles
- Used Planners
- Dishware (Affiliate Link)
- Glasses and mugs
- Cookware
- Cooking utensils (Affiliate Link)
- Spices (Affiliate Link)
- Pens and office supplies
- Extra sheets
- Extra luggage (Affiliate Link)
- Chargers, cables, etc...
These lists are by no means a complete list. They are areas to remind you of things that may have been hidden for a while. Feel free to leave a comment with other items you may encounter so I can add them to this list. Thank you.
Tips to help you get rid of stuff:
You may feel overwhelmed during this process. However, rest assured that if you start early enough, you will be able to complete it all. Below are some additional tips before your move:
- Take digital photos of your achieved photos and discard the originals. Then, store it on your cloud service. And shred the item.
- Add all your birthday gifts in one area. Then, make a video of the gifts, who gave them to you, and thank them. Then, discard the gifts. Keep the video in a safe (Affiliate Link) place or with your will for them to see.
- Take a handful of your precious photos and make a heritage album. Include things like stubs from activities you went to see. Feel free to check out my Heritage scrapbook and how to make one yourself.
- Decide what you are going to do with each item. Use a sticky note and write your decision on it, and set it aside into a pile that has all those similar decisions.
- Only hold the item once, make a decision, and take action.
4th Checklist: Packing Boxes list
To keep your boxes (Affiliate Link) organized, try a box content list. This is especially helpful if you're starting to pack early and may forget what's in the boxes (Affiliate Link). This also helps moving companies when they are asking you where a box may go, resulting in a faster move-out and move-in process.
To make this list, be sure to have a jumbo marker so you can see the numbers on the boxes (Affiliate Link). Include these columns on the checklist (Affiliate Link):
- The number on the box and the checklist column
- What is in the box? column
- And where the box needs to go in the new house
Get box sets to help you. Amazon(affiliate) is a great place to get boxes at a good price.
Moving Boxes Large Pack of 12 with Handles– 20" x20" x15"
Buy Now →(Affiliate Link)
Here is another example of a moving boxes (Affiliate Link) checklist to use for box content tracking.
To use this checklist, you will need to do the following:
- Write the number on the box large enough so you can see it from a distance.
- Use a red or black marker and write the number or letter in the same place on ALL the boxes (Affiliate Link).
This will remind you what is in each box. It works great when you have to store items in a storage unit between moves.
Additional Tips for Packing Boxes for a Move.
Color code circles (dots) or use room-labeled tapes
Option 1: Some people like to use colored dots to determine the room; however, if the dots fall off in transit, you may be dealing with a lot of headaches down the road. Get dots that are at least one inch or larger so you will be able to see them on the boxes.
Buy different colors, one color for each room.
Buy Now → (Affiliate Link)
Option 2: Instead, you can use packing tape that has a room name on it. See the ones I found on Amazon (Affiliate Link)(affiliate) below.
Here is one option I found on Amazon (affiliate).
250 Home Moving Labels for 1 Bedroom House. 50 Labels Per Room, 5 Color Coded Label Rolls.
Buy Now →(Affiliate Link)
Option 3: Get QR Code labels (Affiliate Link). If you don't want to write what the item is on the box for privacy, you can create a QR Code system. Check out the Amazon (Affiliate Link) links below for more details.
Here's an example of one set on Amazon(affiliate).
QR Code Smart Labels for Moving| Color Coded Scannable Stickers
Buy Now →(Affiliate Link)
Amazon (affiliate) offers box sets you can purchase, and they will deliver it directly to your home. No need to go out! Below are just some I found on Amazon (Affiliate Link)(affiliate). They have them by how large your house is. So if you have a five-bedroom, they have a box kit for that amount.
Below are just large boxes if you just need them.
Moving Boxes Large Pack of 12 with Handles– 20" x20" x15"
Buy Now →(Affiliate Link)
Disclosure: If you click through and purchase something from Amazon, I will receive a small referral fee at no additional cost to you. Happy shopping!
If you don't want to make your own moving checklists (Affiliate Link), subscribe to our newsletter and receive the "All the Moving Checklists You Need for Your Move" ebook already made for you! Plus, ALL our other ebooks!
Additional moving tips for getting ready to move:
There are a lot more things to do than just these checklist items. So, start small and really look at your home. Below are some additional tips to help you make your move less stressful.
Walk around your home and put a sticky note on the items you want to give away and donate. If you have specific places where you want to give the item, write it on a sticky note. This will take some time but will help you when you are ready to take action.
Get your free copy of our How to Awaken from Clutter Blindness ebook to help you start decluttering today!
Visit our other posts about moving:
These posts include other moving checklists that you may or may not need for your move. Feel free to check them out.
Make A Moving Process Seamless
That is it! I hope the moving checklists post and the moving checklists help you get started on your new life! Remember to pace yourself, and you will be able to get everything done and well on your way to your new life in your new home. Please share and leave a comment below on how your move went. Good luck!
Please note these are affiliate links through Amazon, and at no additional cost to you, I will earn affiliate fees if you decide to make a purchase.
Below are more move management posts!
Janet Schiesl says
All great lists. Moving is such a big project, making lists of the to-dos and keeping track should make it easier. I'll suggest your post to clients who are moving. When we pack clients, we don't inventory the boxes, but they could use your list to do it themselves.
Jill Katz says
Wow- I love myself a good checklist and these are amazing for prepping for a move. Moving is so stressful so I love how you start with a timeframe checklist. Otherwise you waste so much nervous energy wondering what to do.
Julie Bestry says
Checklists are essential, and you've hit the quadfecta! (I had to check; yes, that's the "four" equivalent of a trifecta!) I dread moving, as do my clients, and these four lists take so much of the sting out of preparing for a move! I'm so glad you included retirement account and investment companies on your change-of-address list, because clients always find that they've forgotten one or more of these. And I love the tip about buying boxes from Amazon, as you know they'll be clean (unlike liquor store or mystery boxes) and delivered (unlike boxes purchased from U-Haul or moving companies).
Melanie Summers says
Oh my gosh, the "Where's my stuff?" checklist is a lifesaver! I did something similar by writing the contents on the boxes, but should've had a master list too! Great ideas here.
Lucy Kelly says
Thank you so much for collecting these lists in one place for easy reference, Sabrina! Anytime I'm faced with a daunting project, creating a checklist helps me bring the project down to size. There's something so calming about just seeing how many steps there are - almost always fewer than I'd imagined.
Ronni Eisenberg says
Moving is so stressful and suggestions to help streamline are always needed. I love the checklists, especially the timing list. A timeline really helps to think through the move and break down all the steps to getting everything done. Otherwise, it’s overwhelming.
Just as you suggested, I always number boxes so that I know immediately if the box is missing.
Keeping a running list of items to donate for tax return purposes is smart and already done for tax season.
I didn’t know about purchasing boxes through Amazon. That’s one less headache!
Linda Samuels says
What an awesome collection of moving checklists! Moving is one of the most stressful things to do, and being organized helps immensely mitigate some of that stress. Your lists illustrate the concept that projects often need more than one type of list. Sometimes we have this idea that a single list will handle everything we need to do or remember. But I've never found that to be true. And the suggested lists you created for moving really bring that concept home.
Jonda Beattie says
So much valuable information here. I had never thought about needing to update my change of address for my passport!
Diane N Quintana says
I'm moving twice this year. Recently, I moved into a temporary apartment because the home I'm buying isn't ready. I'll be moving again in the early fall to my new home. I plan to use your change of address check list once I have a new permanent address. For now, my mail is going to a PO Box. I LOVE your checklists, though. they are well thought out and easy to use.
Sabrina Quairoli says
Thanks, Diane! Good luck with your two moves. You are very brave. =)
Seana Turner says
Moving is such a complex process. I normally write things down, but having checklists and being organized during a move is CRITICAL! One of my recent tips for moving is to keep voice memos, by box number, as you pack or watch the box get packed up. It is quick and easy, and then can easily be transferred to a spreadsheet or list. Once those packers arrive, it can be hard to keep up!
Janet Barclay says
This is such valuable information! It's great that your offering it as a download so people can print it off and use it.