How to Prep for Moving: 7 Stress-Free Steps

Everyone wants a smooth, stress-free moving day. The secret isn’t luck—it’s preparation. A little planning goes a long way in making your move faster, more efficient, and easier on your wallet. Knowing exactly how to prep for moving is your best defense against last-minute headaches. Whether you’re moving across the country or just across town, these are the steps we at Bright Side Movers always recommend. We’ll show you exactly how to prep for movers so your big day goes off without a hitch.

Schedule Your Move Today

Here are a few tips to get you started, courtesy of Starving Students, a company that’s been helping people move since 1973:

1. First Step: Schedule Your Professional Movers

Do the research. Call and ask questions. Tell them what you have, how many rooms, etc. Get some quotes and go with the company your trust most to move your precious belongings. You can also check with family and friends for recommendations of companies they might have used in the past. Evaluate the experience they have with moves and the number of customers they have served in the past. Particularly, check for the experience they have with a household move.

Start Planning 6-8 Weeks in Advance

The best gift you can give yourself during a move is time. Seriously, the earlier you start, the less chaotic the whole process will feel. Aim to begin your preparations at least six to eight weeks before your moving day. This buffer gives you plenty of room to sort through your belongings, decide what to keep, donate, or toss, and gather packing supplies without that frantic, last-minute rush. It also ensures you have ample time to research and book a reliable moving company. Having a solid plan in place early on transforms the move from a stressful ordeal into a manageable project. Our moving checklist can be a huge help in breaking down tasks week by week.

Know the Busiest Moving Season

Did you know that moving has a peak season? Most people move between May and August, which means moving companies get booked up weeks, or even months, in advance. If you’re planning a summer move, it’s critical to schedule your movers as early as possible to secure your preferred date. If your timeline is flexible, consider moving during the off-season (fall, winter, or early spring). You might find more availability and potentially better rates. Regardless of when you move, getting a quote and booking early is always a smart strategy to ensure you partner with a trusted company that fits your needs and budget.

Create a Moving Binder to Stay Organized

Think of a moving binder as your command center for the entire relocation process. It’s a simple, low-tech way to keep all your important documents in one place. Grab a three-ring binder and fill it with everything related to your move: your contract with the moving company, receipts for moving-related expenses, inventory lists, and contact information for utility companies. This binder will be your go-to resource, saving you from digging through piles of paper when you need to find something important. Keeping everything organized from the start is one of our top moving tips for a smooth experience.

Handle Mail, Utilities, and Address Changes

Amidst the hustle of packing boxes, don’t forget about the administrative tasks. A few weeks before your move, make a list of all the places you’ll need to update your address. Start by scheduling your mail forwarding with the post office. Then, contact your utility providers (gas, electric, water, internet) to arrange for service to be disconnected at your old home and connected at your new one. You’ll also need to update your address with banks, credit card companies, insurance providers, subscription services, and your employer. Getting this done ahead of time ensures a seamless transition and prevents important mail from getting lost.

Check Parking Rules for the Moving Truck

This is a small detail that can become a big problem if overlooked. Before moving day, investigate the parking situation at both your current and new locations. Some cities or neighborhoods require a permit to park a large moving truck on the street. If you’re moving into an apartment or condo building, you may need to reserve a loading dock or a service elevator. A quick call to your new building management or a check of the local city government’s website can clarify the rules. Taking care of this in advance ensures your moving crew has a place to park and can save you from unexpected fines or delays.

2. What Packing Supplies Do You Actually Need?

Getting all your stuff from point A to point B during the household move needs careful packing. That’s how you’ll make sure they arrive at their destination intact. For starters, you’ll need a bunch of materials like boxes, bubble wrap, lots of scotch tape, and stretch plastic wrap. You’ll purchase multiple rolls in different widths to cover the furniture and protect it from dust. Or unexpected weather like a sudden downpour.

Also, plan for a bunch of dollies to move heavy pieces, bubble cushions, moving blankets, and foam sheets. Depending on the type of items you’ll pack, getting honeycomb packing paper might come in handy. And don’t forget heavy-duty scissors and strong rope for typing up things. Borrow all the supplies you can and visit your neighborhood grocery store to ask for any spare boxes you can use.

3. Plan Your Moving Budget to Avoid Surprises

Few homeowners are aware that a household move can cost you more than just the moving crew’s fee. While these incidentals are not a part of the actual household move, planning for them is always advisable. For instance, once your kitchen is packed away, you’ll need to have a budget for takeout meals. That is until you can get the kitchen organized and ready for cooking.

If you’re moving cross country, you might choose to drive the family in the car. After all, the car has to go with you to your new home. Budget for the gas you’ll buy and perhaps, food and an overnight hotel stay if the distance is long. Also, add in the cost of tolls and other overheads you might incur on the road. If you own pets, you might have to get them registered in your new home state. Ask around for the licensing fee payable to the municipal authorities.

4. Lighten Your Load: What to Keep, Toss, and Donate

The longer you’ve lived in a place, chances are you’ve accumulated way more stuff. The question is, do you really need some of it, and more importantly, do you want to take it with you to your new, uncluttered place? Yeah, it might be hard to part with sweatpants you wore in college or those magazines that are gathering dust. Maybe you can sell some of it on eBay? In any case, moving gives you a great chance to lighten the load. Look at the bright side? A garage sale might even earn some spare cash to spend on the essentials you actually need. It’s a win-win all the way. Then again, why would you want to spend the time and effort organizing, packing, and loading up stuff that you don’t really need anyway?

Make a Home Inventory

Creating a home inventory might sound tedious, but it’s one of the smartest things you can do before a move. Think of it as your master list for everything you own—invaluable for insurance purposes and for simply keeping track of your belongings. You can go room by room with a simple spreadsheet, or even take a video of each room, narrating what’s there. This is a crucial step whether you’re doing it all yourself or getting help with professional packing services. As you pack, jot down the contents of each box on your list. You’ll thank yourself later when you’re not tearing through ten boxes labeled “kitchen stuff” just to find the coffee maker. While you’re at it, if you disassemble any furniture, put all the screws and small hardware into labeled bags and keep them in one designated “parts” box. This simple system makes reassembly a breeze.

5. Your Game Plan for Smart Packing

Once you’ve figured out what you want to take, now it’s time to get a bunch of boxes and start to pack. It will make the moving job go so much faster if everything is packed. Also, this is a good time to take special precautions when packing fragile and/or items very valuable to you. If you can’t pack things, let your movers know well in advance so they can bring boxes and packing materials, as well as carve out the extra time to help you.

Pack Non-Essentials First

The key to a less stressful move is starting early. Begin by packing the items you won’t need in the weeks leading up to moving day. Think about things like out-of-season clothing, books you’ve already read, special occasion dishes, and decorative items. Getting these packed and out of the way clears space and gives you a sense of accomplishment. By tackling rooms you use less frequently, like a guest bedroom or formal dining room, you can make significant progress without disrupting your daily routine. This proactive approach prevents the last-minute scramble and makes the final days before your move much more manageable.

Use a Detailed Labeling System

A little extra effort with a marker now will save you hours of frustration later. Label every box with its destination room in your new home (e.g., “Kitchen,” “Master Bathroom”) and a brief, clear description of its contents (“Pots and Pans,” “Towels and Toiletries”). Write on at least two sides of the box so you can easily identify it, no matter how it’s stacked. For an even more organized approach, consider a color-coding system. Assign a different colored tape or sticker to each room and place the corresponding color on the door of that room in your new home. This makes it easy for you or your movers to know exactly where each box goes at a glance.

Pack a “First-Night” Essentials Box

Imagine arriving at your new home, exhausted after a long day, only to realize your toothbrush, phone charger, and clean sheets are buried in a mountain of identical brown boxes. Avoid this scenario by packing a “first-night” essentials box. This is your survival kit for the first 24 hours. Include items like toiletries, medications, a change of clothes for everyone in the family, toilet paper, basic tools (like a box cutter and screwdriver), snacks, and bottled water. Don’t forget chargers for your electronics! Keep this box separate from everything else and transport it in your own car so it’s the first thing you can access upon arrival.

Prepare Furniture and Appliances

Getting your large items ready is a critical step in preparing for your movers. A few weeks before the move, start using up food from your refrigerator, freezer, and pantry to minimize what you have to move or throw away. Major appliances need to be disconnected, cleaned, and dried thoroughly to prevent mildew. Defrost your freezer at least 24 hours before moving day. If you plan to disassemble any furniture, like bed frames or large tables, do it ahead of time and keep all the hardware in a labeled bag taped securely to the main piece. If you’d rather leave it to the pros, our packing services can include furniture disassembly and reassembly.

Keep Valuables and Important Documents With You

Some things should never go on the moving truck. Your most important and irreplaceable items should travel with you in your personal vehicle. This includes vital documents like passports, birth certificates, social security cards, and financial records. You should also personally transport valuables such as jewelry, laptops, and sentimental items like family photo albums. Pack these items in a specific, secure box or bag that you can keep with you at all times during the move. This simple step provides peace of mind and ensures your most critical belongings are safe and accounted for when you arrive at your new home.

Use Smart Packing Techniques

How you pack is just as important as what you pack. Using the right techniques can protect your belongings, make boxes easier to carry, and simplify the unpacking process. It’s about more than just putting things in a box; it’s about distributing weight correctly, using everyday items for padding, and creating a system that works for you. These simple strategies will help ensure everything arrives in one piece. For a complete guide, you can always check out our expert packing tips, but here are a few quick pointers to get you started.

Use Small Boxes for Heavy Items

It might seem counterintuitive, but your heaviest items should go in your smallest boxes. Packing things like books, canned goods, or tools into a large box creates a package that’s incredibly heavy and difficult to lift safely. It also puts the box at risk of breaking. By using small boxes for heavy items, you keep the weight of each box manageable, making them easier and safer for you and your movers to carry.

Use Towels and Clothing for Padding

Save money and reduce waste by using items you already own as packing material. Instead of buying endless rolls of bubble wrap, use your towels, linens, socks, and t-shirts to cushion fragile items. Wrap individual glasses in socks, and use bath towels to line boxes filled with dishes or picture frames. This method not only protects your breakables but also gets your soft goods packed in the process. It’s an efficient and eco-friendly way to secure your belongings.

Keep Clothes on Hangers

Save yourself the hassle of folding all your hanging clothes just to immediately re-hang them in your new closet. A simple trick is to group 15-20 hangers together and secure the tops with a zip tie or rubber band. Then, pull a large trash bag up from the bottom to cover the clothes, poking the hanger hooks through a small hole at the top. This keeps your clothes clean and ready to be transferred directly to your new closet rod, making unpacking a breeze.

6. Get a Head Start by Moving Small Items Early

This tip can come in handy if you’re moving across town saving you some time on your household move. Every weekend, holiday, or free time you get, start taking over some of the things you don’t use regularly. Items to consider taking over are things that are extra fragile and valuable, like computers, monitors, etc. Maybe take over a few boxes of off-season clothes and shoes. Boxes of tools like gardening, home repairs, lawnmowers, and other non-essentials can go to the new place and get put away. Books, artwork, lighter pieces of furniture, and special-occasion china are other things you can load into the car and bring over.

Plan Your New Home’s Layout

Before the moving truck even pulls up, having a clear plan for your new space can be a game-changer. Take some time to sketch out a floor plan of your new home, deciding where each major piece of furniture will go. You can use simple graph paper or a layout app to visualize the arrangement. Don’t forget to measure your largest items—like your sofa, bed frame, and dining table—and compare those dimensions to the doorways and hallways in your new place. This simple step prevents the moving day headache of discovering your favorite armchair won’t fit through the door. When your movers arrive, you can simply point them in the right direction, making the unloading process faster and more organized.

Prepare the New Home Before You Arrive

Walking into a clean, ready-to-go space makes all the difference. If you can get access to your new home before moving day, use that time to your advantage. Give the entire place a thorough cleaning, even if it appears spotless. Wiping down cabinets, cleaning carpets, and scrubbing bathrooms before they’re filled with boxes is much easier. This is also the perfect time to confirm that your utilities—water, electricity, gas, and internet—are connected and working properly. There’s nothing worse than ending a long day of moving only to find out you don’t have lights or running water. A little prep work ensures your new house feels like a home from the moment you step inside.

Make Arrangements for Pets and Plants

Moving day can be chaotic and stressful, especially for our furry friends and green companions. To keep your pets safe and calm, consider arranging for them to stay with a friend, family member, or at a trusted boarding facility for the day. This prevents them from getting underfoot or slipping out an open door. For your plants, give them a good watering a day or two before the move. If possible, transport them in your own car to protect them from extreme temperatures in the moving truck and ensure they get sunlight. Taking care of these living things ahead of time is one less thing to worry about during the main event, and our specialty moving services can help with other delicate items.

Set Up Essentials First Upon Arrival

After a long day of moving, the last thing you want to do is dig through a dozen boxes searching for your toothbrush. That’s why packing an “essentials” box is one of the best moving hacks. This is a clearly labeled box or suitcase that travels with you, not on the truck. Fill it with everything you’ll need for the first 24 hours in your new home: toiletries, a change of clothes for everyone in the family, medications, phone chargers, and important documents. You might also include a basic toolkit, toilet paper, paper towels, and some snacks. Having these items readily available will help you feel settled and comfortable as you begin the unpacking process. For more ideas, check out our packing tips.

Tackle Post-Move Tasks

Once the boxes are inside, a new to-do list begins. One of the first priorities is to officially change your address. You can file a change of address form with the USPS online to have your mail forwarded. Next, make a list of all the accounts and services that need your new information. This includes your bank, credit card companies, car and health insurance providers, your doctor’s office, and any subscription boxes or online shopping sites you use frequently. Updating this information promptly ensures you won’t miss any important bills or deliveries. Getting these administrative tasks out of the way quickly will help you fully settle into your new community without any loose ends.

7. Decide What Needs to Go Into Storage

Depending on your life situation, it’s possible that your new place cannot accommodate all your stuff. If you don’t want to get rid of it for now or intend to use the items sometime in the future, you might want to look for storage units. Scout around places where the rent is affordable and storage is secure. You’ll also want to figure out if you want to store your belongings close to where you now live or your new home.

These tips will help with your household move, but be sure to discuss them with your movers. Since they have extensive experience with navigating moves, they might be able to offer more practical advice you can use. A good first step is to contact the people at Starving Students. Call this number (888) 931-6683 and request a free quote today.

Frequently Asked Questions

What’s the single most important thing I can do to ensure a smooth move? Honestly, the best thing you can do is give yourself the gift of time. Starting the process six to eight weeks before your move date changes everything. It gives you the breathing room to sort through your belongings without pressure, properly research and book a moving company you trust, and handle all the small details before they become big emergencies. Rushing is what creates stress, so starting early is your best strategy for a calm and organized move.

I’m feeling overwhelmed by all the packing. Where’s the best place to start? It’s completely normal to feel that way! The trick is to start with the rooms and items you use the least. Think about the guest bedroom, out-of-season clothes, books, or formal dinnerware. Packing these things first gets them out of the way, clears up space, and gives you a great sense of progress without disrupting your daily life. You can build momentum from there as you get closer to moving day.

Besides the movers’ fee, what other moving expenses should I plan for? It’s smart to set aside a little extra for costs that pop up around the move itself. For example, once your kitchen is packed, you’ll likely be ordering more takeout. If you’re driving a long distance, you’ll need to budget for gas, snacks, and maybe even a hotel stay. Also, think about any deposits for your new place or fees for setting up new utility accounts. Planning for these incidentals helps you avoid any last-minute financial surprises.

What items should I plan to move myself instead of putting them on the truck? You should always keep your most critical and irreplaceable items with you in your own vehicle. This includes important documents like passports and birth certificates, valuables like jewelry, and essential electronics like your laptop. It’s also a great idea to keep your “first-night” essentials box with you, so you have immediate access to toiletries, medications, chargers, and a change of clothes when you arrive.

How do I decide what’s worth moving versus what I should get rid of? Moving is the perfect opportunity to declutter. As you go through your things, ask yourself a few simple questions: Have I used this in the last year? Does it fit the space and style of my new home? Is it something I truly love? If the answer is no, it might be time to let it go. You can donate items in good condition or even hold a garage sale to make a little extra cash for things you’ll actually need in your new place.

Key Takeaways

Plan Ahead for a Smoother Move: Give yourself a head start by beginning the process six to eight weeks before your move date. This provides ample time to book a reputable moving company, handle address changes, and organize all your important documents in a moving binder.
Pack Smarter, Not Harder: Before you even tape a box, sort through your belongings to decide what to keep, donate, or sell. When you do start packing, use a clear labeling system, pack heavy items in small boxes, and set aside an “essentials” box with everything you’ll need for the first 24 hours.
Prepare Your New Home for Arrival: A little prep work at your destination makes a huge difference. Finalize your furniture layout, give the space a deep clean before it’s full of boxes, and confirm that all your utilities are connected and ready to go for move-in day.

Ethan

Starving Movers

How to Prep for Moving: A Simple 7-Step Guide