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The Last Minute Moving Checklist You Need

No matter how many boxes you have, how far you’re moving or how many friends you have helping you… Moving is EXHAUSTING. It is mentally, physically and emotionally draining. It is all consuming and a daunting process. Just thinking about doing it all over again makes me want to turn off the lights, curl up under my blanket and hit the snooze button..

But (whether we want to or not) we all have to put on our big kid pants and adult eventually. Remember, there is a reason we are moving – maybe it’s to a new city for a new job, across town to move in with your long term boyfriend, or just upstairs to the bigger apartment with the better view (um, yes please). Whatever your reason for moving, it’s probably a pretty exciting reason and it’s most definitely going to be some type of adventure! So, if we could just get through the actual moving process…

Staying organized and on top of things is the most important thing to do when going through the moving process. Between packing all of the boxes, cleaning the apartment, and searching for a new one – there are a few very important items that can easily slip through the cracks. So we’ve created The Last Minute Moving Checklist to help you remember every last thing that will end up making your move as smooth as possible. Cross these to-do items off of your checklist BEFORE you move and feel like the true organized, moving-superhero boss that you are!

  1. Change your mailing address. As soon as you know your move date, hop onto USPS.com/move and begin having your mail forwarded to your new address. This will ensure you don’t miss any important mail coming your way during your transition. From there you will also be prompted with information on how to update your voter registration.
  2. After this, call and give an updated address to (or cancel) the following:
    • Financial Institutions: banks, credit cards, car insurance, renters insurance, etc.
    • Medical/Doctor’s Offices: doctors, dentists, eye care, health insurance, etc.
    • Subscriptions or Memberships: Gym, magazines, school, religious institutions
  3. Get your internet scheduled for setup ASAP. Nothing’s worse than doing this one last minute. If you don’t get it scheduled for set up in advance, you could be without internet for a good week or two in your new place. Who likes twiddling their thumbs??
  4. Make sure you have your utilities set up with the correct start up date. The logistics of this step may vary depending on which state you are in and whether or not you are in an apartment or a house… But electricity and hot water are a must.
  5. Create a list of things you will need and want for your first few days in the apartment and then go buy them. This list will include things like laundry detergent, a shower curtain, hand soap, trash bags, food for the first few days and if you’re like me – then a few pretty candles and a bottle of wine. This will ensure that you can spend your time unpacking and slowly settling into your new home instead of having to run out at 9pm because you forgot to grab some TP.

Though this list is short and the items may seem trivial, tackling this to-do list before you make the move gives you time to focus on unpacking, rearranging furniture and making the place feel like home. And after a long first day of hauling boxes into the new place, you’d probably rather take a nice relaxing bath instead of jumping on the phone with your utility company because you forgot to have the lights turned on.