METCALF MOVING BLOG

August 5, 2019

You Can Do It: How to Prepare to Move Out in 30 Days

More than 40 million Americans pack up and move every year. If you’re about to join that group, your head may be swimming with all the things you need to do before moving day.

It may not feel like it right now, but you can absolutely be ready to move in 30 days. In fact, we’ve put together a roadmap for you that will explain how to prepare to move out in a month.

Here’s a week-by-week breakdown.

Week One

You’ll spend a lot of time this week on the phone and online. The majority of your tasks will involve paperwork and coordinating because you’ll be scheduling services, people, and logistics.

  1. Schedule your movers.
  2. Stock up on moving supplies like boxes, packing materials, tape, and markers.
  3. Create a master list of the rooms in your new house, so that you can label all your boxes. Labeling boxes with the rooms will save time on moving day. Your list will include places like the kitchen, garage, master bedroom, kid room #1, kid room #2, and the living room.
  4. File a change of address form with the U.S. Post Office. Schedule the date you want your address changed weeks in advance. Do this with all your regular mail, including personal correspondence and bills. Remember to change your address with your bank and order new checks. 
  5. Contact all your utility providers to either cancel or move your service. 

Week Two

This is the decluttering phase of your moving journey. Reduce the amount of stuff you need to move.

  1. Purge your house of anything you don’t want to move. Now is an excellent time to go through your closets, the kids’ toys, and the garage. 
  2. Pack seasonal items that you aren’t using now. Winter coats if it’s summer, etc.
  3. Pack household items that you don’t need now like books, wall art, knick-knacks, and holiday decorations.
  4. If you have school-aged children, have their records transferred to their new school(s).
  5. Go through your files and shred paperwork you don’t need to keep.
  6. Donate any furniture that won’t work in your new home. Most charities, like The Salvation Army, will pick up larger items.

Week Three

You’ll spend most of this week packing, so make sure you have all the supplies you need.

  1. Start with the rooms you spend the least amount of time in: the guest room, the dining room, and the office.
  2. Pack fragile items and set aside anything you want to move yourself. Some people have family heirlooms that they prefer to carry to the new home. 
  3. Confirm your movers.
  4. Start packing your kitchen. Don’t pack up the things you use every day, instead box up the stockpot and stuff you use once or twice a year.
  5. Pack any clothing you won’t need for a week or two. Formal wear, seasonal clothes, and the kids’ school clothes if they’re off for the summer.

Final Week

You’re in the home stretch! You’ll be packing up essentials and preparing for the big day.

  1. Make arrangements for someone to care for young children who aren’t able to help with the move. Perhaps a relative or close friend can take them for the day. Help your kids say goodbye to the old house with an activity for your family
  2. Determine how you will move your pets, so they’re not underfoot during the move. You might secure cats in a room at your old house that no one will need to get into on moving day. 
  3. Pack an essentials bag for each person in your family. Include medications, toiletries, sleepwear and a change of clothes for the first night and day in the new home.
  4. Pack up any remaining items in your home.
  5. Put together a household essentials box for the first 24 hours in the new place. You can include paper plates, plastic cutlery, the coffee pot, and coffee.
  6. Confirm friends or family arrival time. Assign them specific tasks at the new house. Maybe they can set up the beds or the entertainment system or unload the kitchen. Give them directions on what you would like them to focus on.

Pro Packing Tip: Place a set of bedding in a dresser drawer in each bedroom. This way you won’t have to search for the box containing bed linens, you can go directly to the dresser for the stuff you need to make up your beds. Then make the beds soon after you arrive at the new place. You will want a comfy place to stretch out and sleep after a hectic moving day. 

Get Moving

Metcalf Moving & Storage is your full service moving company in Minneapolis, St. Paul, and Rochester, Minnesota. Reach out to us any time if you’re not sure how to prepare to move out or if you’re ready to schedule your move.

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