This free general moving checklist helps you organize documents, packing supplies, address changes, utilities, moving day gear, cleaning items, and first-night essentials before the big move.
Moving feels like a strength problem and is really a decision problem. The heaviest part of any move is everything you are carrying that you do not want in the new place. Every item you sort or donate first is one you never pack, load, or unpack, which is why the most useful work happens weeks before the truck arrives.
Getting ahead of the paperwork pays more than getting ahead of the boxes. File a change of address, and schedule utilities to switch on at the new place before you arrive and off at the old one after you leave, so you are never sitting in the dark on either end. Measure doorways and stairwells too, because the couch that does not fit is a problem you want to find on paper rather than on the landing.
Pack a clearly labeled first-night box last and unload it first, with bedding, toiletries, and medications, so the end of a long day is not a search through thirty identical boxes.
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01
Documents & Planning
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Lease / Closing Documents
Bring
Moving Date and Timeline
Bring
Moving Company or Truck Reservation
Bring
Home Inventory List
Photograph valuables and note serial numbers before they are boxed; it is your record if anything is damaged or lost in transit.
This is where a move actually gets easier. Everything you donate, sell, or discard now is something you do not pack, move, and unpack later, so do it before you buy a single box.
Handle these a week or two ahead. Mail forwarding, utility transfers, and an internet appointment all take lead time, and getting them wrong means arriving to no power or a pile of missed mail.
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Change of Address Confirmation
File it so mail follows you to the new place; do it a week or two ahead so nothing important slips through the gap.
Bring
Utility Transfer or Shutoff Dates
Schedule new-place service to start before you arrive and old-place service to end after you leave, so there is no dark night on either end.
Keep these with you, not on the truck, so a delayed or misplaced load never separates you from something you need daily.
Bring
Pet or Kid Essentials
Bring
Tips
1Book the truck or movers for mid-month and mid-week if you can; the end of the month and weekends are the most expensive and hardest to get.
2Photograph the back of your TV and computer before you unplug anything, so reconnecting at the new place is a two-minute job.
3Set aside a moving-day survival kit — box cutter, tape, basic tools, phone charger, snacks — and keep it out of the boxes so it's never packed away when you need it.
4Defrost and dry the fridge the day before if it's coming with you; a wet freezer leaks and smells by the time it arrives.
Common questions
How far ahead should I start planning a move?
Begin decluttering and gathering supplies several weeks out, and handle logistics like mail forwarding, utility transfers, and truck or mover booking a week or two before the date. The earlier you sort what you are not bringing, the less there is to pack and move.
What should I set up before moving day?
Change of address so mail follows you, utilities and internet scheduled to switch at the right times, insurance updated for the new place, and your truck or movers confirmed. Getting these in place ahead of time is what prevents arriving to no power or a lapse in service.
What goes in a first-night box?
The things you will want before you are ready to unpack: bedding and pillows, a toiletry bag and towels, a change of clothes, phone chargers, any current medications, and essentials for kids or pets. Pack it last, keep it with you rather than on the truck, and open it first.