Printable moving checklist pdf for the best move

Check items off in this easy-to-use printable moving checklist pdf for the best move. This should help make moving into your new home as easy-breeze as possible.

Combined my husband and I have moved a whopping total of 24 times. What! Yes. At this point, I consider myself a professional at decluttering, packing, organizing, cleaning, and unpacking the house. While other folks are professional gardeners or amazing shuffleboard players, I am a professional at getting our family and life ready for a move.

In fact, I want to wear a cool badge that marks me as a pro. Silly, maybe. But we all have our own personal strengths and getting ready for a move is one of mine.

While moving can be exhausted and overwhelming. It’s a wonderful opportunity to go on an adventure. Even if the adventure is in your current town. It is so much fun meeting new neighbors, getting into a new routine, and enjoying a change of scenery.

As a mom and homemaker, I have learned a lot from my past moves; Moving Tips and Tricks for a Successful Move with Children. Continue on with this moving journey with me and, fingers-crossed, enjoy a great, stress-free move with minimal stress together.

Why have a printable moving checklist pdf?

The most stressful part of a move is staying organized. But having a checklist allows you to stay organized even if your home is a mess. This moving checklist does three things:

1. helps guide you with what you could to be doing
2. keeps you motivated because you can see progress (even when your home might be a mess).
3. serves as a place to help you remember what tasks you already completed

What is included in this printable moving checklist pdf?

I will walk you through the main components of a move:

1. Plan
2. Gather
3. Declutter
4. Find new city/town
5. Find new home
6. Pack
7. Move
8. Other To Do Items

Printable moving checklist pdf

Plan your move

The most challenging part of a move is keeping everything organized and planned out. Create a folder where you will store all of your upcoming move items all in place helps. I recommend you also create a digital folder in your email as well. This helps keep all of your plans in one place. Sounds simple, but it took me up until this last move to create a moving folder. I wish I had done this earlier. Would have helped me out soo much!

• create a moving folder
• contact moving companies
• plan arragements for travel

What’s the best moving tip and trick?

Write it down! At the beginning of the planning stage, I do a BRAIN DUMP. Even though I have a checklist, I quickly write down everything I am thinking about for the move. It helps me feel like I thought of everything; Moving Tips & Tricks.

After the BRAIN DUMP, I look at the Moving Checklist and make sure everything I need for the move is on that list. I also add to that list as I think of things too.

I might look like an organized person. But on the inside of my brain, it is a busy spaghetti mess. I am always thinking of 3.5 million things at once. Quickly dumping out my messy thoughts helps keep me organized.

Gather Moving Supplies

Gather the moving supplies you think you will need for the move. You can either purchase new or check online in your community for people that might be giving moving supplies away for free.

How do I know how many boxes I will need?

I like to go to each room and estimate how many boxes I think I will need. For the kitchen I estimated five boxes, we ended up needing seven but hey, I was so close!

Declutter Your Stuff

Before you begin packing, declutter. When in doubt throw (donate) it out! Go through each room in your house. Look through every nook and cranny and sell, donate, or trash anything you haven’t used that has been stored at your current place.

There are a few exceptions though:

1. Sentimental items should be done at another time. Save that for when you are moved.
2. Don’t declutter other people’s stuff, like your husband’s or teenage children’s stuff. You can offer help, but let them declutter what they would like too.

What other exceptions do you make when decluttering for a move? Let me know!

How do I make this decluttering step fun?

Let’s face it, at times decluttering can be boring, challenging, and un-fun. Yes, I just made up a new word. But I like it, don’t you? Decluttering our homes and lives doesn’t need to be a boring task. Let’s mix decluttering up a little bit, one idea at a time. Check out 15 fun ways for how to make decluttering fun.

Explore Your New City

Check out your new city/town/area that you will be moving to. Look to see what there is to discover in your new town. Even if you are moving to the same town. Look at your town as a new chance to explore. Talk with family and friends. Research online. See what new discoveries you can make.

Find a New Home

Next, brainstorm your top five must-haves in your new home. This allows you to stay focused during your home search. Even if you can only get a home that meets three of the most-haves that’s okay too. After that you can do the following:

• discuss budget
• consider type of home (apartment, condo, single-family home, townhome, ect.)
• Square footage needs of the home
• location of home (to social life, schools, daycare, shopping, hositals, medical servives, ect.)
• Safety of the neighborhood

Pack Up Your Home

Once your moving date starts to approach, you need to start packing (unless you are hiring a moving company that will pack for you). I recommend you pack up the items you use less often and end with the items you use every day. I always start packing with the artwork. It can be a bit emotional and make the house feel empty. But it helps make the move easier. I also pack up items that I know I won’t need for a while, like flower vases and craft supplies.

How much time does it take to pack?

It depends. It depends upon how much stuff you have, how much time you can dedicate to packing at one time, and how much energy you will have at one time.

I started packing for this last move two months before we moved. We have young children and I knew I would get interrupted. My best tip for this would be to start early, the earlier the better.

Cancel and Transfer Old and New Utilities

Once you know where you are moving and have a moving date, it’s time to do the most dreaded task, cancel the old utilities and set up the new ones. This checklist is a general one I follow, but you can add and adapt what you personally need to do.

The benefit of this day and age, a lot of this can be done online. So I recommend taking one day where you sit down and do all of them at the same time.

• cable
• electric
• garbage
• gas
• gym
• insurance
• internet
• phone
• water/sewer

Update Addresses

Go through and update as many addresses as you can. Some of these can be done before the move, while others can be completed after the move. There are several blank spots to add your own updates to.

• mail (USPS)
• DMV
• subscriptions
• bank
• credit card
• utility companies
• insurance companies
• schools/daycare

Prepare Old Home

The last step in a move is to prepare your old home for whoever is living in it next. Follow the guidelines for the landlord. Usually, that involved patching holes and deep cleaning. If you would like a checklist for this step, go to Awesome Free Printable House Cleaning Checklist.

If you sold your home, do whatever is required by the buyer. Again, I would recommend patching holes and giving the house a nice deep clean. If it’s in the budget you could hire this out too or use my easy-to-follow whole house cleaning checklist. Super easy and pair it with; how to motivate yourself to clean.

Other To Do Items

Lastly, there is space to write down other items you need to do for your upcoming move. Write it down, check it off, and off you go!

Printable moving checklist pdf Conclusion:

My best advice for when it comes to moving is to take deep breaths and know that it will all work out. I believe in you, you can do this! I hope this moving checklist helps you have an organized, stress-free move.

Let me know, what is your most favorite part of a move?

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