Plan Your Move: How to Set Your Moving Timeline

Let’s face it: as exciting as moving can be, it also tends to bring on a lot of stress. Overcoming the stress of moving does have a lot to do with mental preparation, but it also helps to get things in order in a timely manner. After all, scrambling at the last minute is never good for anyone’s nerves.

Whether you’re eight months or eight weeks out from your move, you’ve come to the right place. We’re here to walk you through a moving timeline that will keep the pressure in check.

At the end of the day, we know that everyone can use a little help planning a move. Our goal is to think it through so that you don’t have to.

Read on as we dive into the moving checklist you’re going to want to have on hand.

Early Preparation: What to Do Two Months Ahead of Time

When you’re two months out, you’re in a good position to get ahead of the curve. Now is the time that you can start thinking about moving day and the weeks after and do some research.

Start by looking into moving companies that will accommodate your specific needs. Keep in mind that if you’re moving out of the state, you’re going to need to hire long-distance movers.

Other specific needs to take into consideration are any specialty items that you’ll be taking with you. This can include things like large antiques, pianos, and large aquariums. Moving companies that don’t have experience with specialty items may not handle these items with the necessary amount of care.

Now is also the time that you can learn more about utility companies in your new neighborhood. Do you have options? Are certain utility companies cheaper than others and what information will you need to provide to get your utilities set up ASAP?

Getting Closer: Six Weeks Out

At around six weeks out, you might start looking around your current home and thinking, “Wow. I have a lot of stuff!”

In fact, this is the time to start assessing your belongings to decide what to take, what to throw out, what to donate, and what to try to sell. Use this guide to determine what needs to go in the garbage, rather than the donation pile, and then start preparing your sale pile.

You might want to try selling certain big-ticket items, like functional televisions, computers, and gaming consoles online. You can often get a better price when you find a buyer who is actively looking for what you have to offer. Everything else can go out for a yard sale–and what doesn’t sell can land in the donation pile.

Before you start going through everything you own, contact the moving company you’ve decided to use. Book your services if you haven’t already and find out what information they’ll need from you. If they ask for an inventory of each room, go ahead and put that together at this stage.

Locking Down the Details: One Month Out

It might seem early, but unless you’re paying for full-service moving, now is the time to start packing. The goal, at this stage, is to pack up anything you won’t be using for the next month.

A good place to start is with out-of-season clothing and holiday items. From there, move to any tchotchkes that you can live without seeing for a few weeks, books you aren’t going to reread any time soon, and dishes or cooking gear you seldom use. Chances are, you’re picking up the pattern here: if you aren’t going to need it in the next four weeks, start packing it up.

As soon as you launch your packing timeline for moving, make sure that you’re packing the smart way. Use enough packing materials to keep items safe, pack like items with like items, and label every box you complete.

This is also a good time to start notifying any relevant agencies or service providers of your upcoming change of address. Complete a change of address form at the Post Office, notify your bank and credit providers, and update any subscriptions that you have.

The Final Countdown

Now it’s time to get into the final days of your moving checklist timeline. At three weeks out, you should:

• contact your moving company to verify all scheduling details and services
• contact your current utility companies to verify a transfer of services from your name to the next renter or homeowner’s name
• keep packing in order of what you won’t need

At two weeks out, you should:

• assemble all important paperwork to keep with you during the moving process, including identifying documents as well as any documents related to the sale or purchase of a home or a new lease
• pack everything but the bare essentials
• if relevant, get the carpets cleaned 
• if relevant, go through any move-out cleaning checklists provided by your landlord

During the final week, you should:

• arrange for proper disposal of any large pieces of furniture, electronics, or hazardous materials like paint
• pick up any prescriptions that you’ll need before you’re settled in at the next home
• start emptying out the fridge and freezer, eating what you can and tossing what you can’t
• pack a suitcase of essentials that will get you through your actual move
• pack everything that hasn’t made its way into a box yet

This final week can seem hectic, but as long as you kept up with the rest of the moving timeline, you’ll be in better shape than you think.

Stay Ahead of the Curve With Our Moving Timeline

Moving is a stressful endeavor, especially when you put everything off until the last minute. Our moving timeline is meant to jog your brain and help you to accomplish tasks early so that you don’t have to scramble at the end.

Ready to start looking into suitable moving companies? We’re throwing our hats into the ring. Contact us to get a free quote today.