The countdown
The dates below assume a move on Saturday, November 28; replace it with yours and keep the spacing. Everything in the first four weeks is about decisions and bookings, everything in the last four about boxes.
| Weeks before | Start by | Focus |
|---|---|---|
| 8 | Saturday, October 3 | Decide how you move and set the budget |
| 6 | Saturday, October 17 | Book and declutter |
| 4 | Saturday, October 31 | Change addresses and book utilities |
| 2 | Saturday, November 14 | Confirm and pack most of it |
| 1 | Saturday, November 21 | Essentials box and last details |
| 0 | Saturday, November 28 | Moving day |
8 weeks before: Decide how you move and set the budget
- Choose between movers, a rental truck or a container; get three written quotes for the same inventory and date.
- Set a moving budget that covers the mover or truck, boxes and tape, deposits at the new place, cleaning, and the first week of double expenses.
- Measure the new home room by room and compare with your furniture; sell, donate or bin what will not fit before you pack it.
- Give notice to your landlord if you rent, and confirm the move-out and move-in dates in writing.
6 weeks before: Book and declutter
- Book the mover or the truck, and the elevator or loading zone at both addresses if they need reserving.
- Order boxes, tape, paper and markers; the moving boxes calculator gives a room-by-room count.
- Start with the rooms you use least: storage, guest room, garage, seasonal clothes, books.
- Collect records you will need to transfer: school, medical, dental and veterinary files; prescriptions you must refill before the move.
4 weeks before: Change addresses and book utilities
- Submit the USPS change of address online (identity verification fee $1.25; allow 7 to 10 business days to take effect) and list every sender it will not reach: bank, employer, insurer, subscriptions.
- Schedule the stop and start dates for electricity, gas, water, internet and waste collection at both addresses.
- Pack everything that is not used daily and label every box with the room it goes to and a one-line summary of the contents.
- Arrange childcare or pet care for moving day, and time off work if you need it.
2 weeks before: Confirm and pack most of it
- Confirm the date, time, addresses and price with the mover; confirm the truck pickup and the parking at both ends.
- Pack the kitchen down to one pan, a few plates and the kettle; use up frozen and open food.
- Back up computers and photograph the backs of electronics before unplugging them.
- Return library books, borrowed items and rentals; collect dry cleaning and anything left for repair.
The final week: Essentials box and last details
- Pack an essentials box per person: medication, chargers, toiletries, a change of clothes, towels, documents, basic tools, toilet paper, snacks.
- Defrost and dry the freezer and fridge at least a day before they are moved.
- Disassemble furniture that needs it and bag the screws, taped to the piece.
- Withdraw cash for tips and small purchases, and set aside the keys, leases and contracts that must not go in a box.
Two of the early tasks have tools here. The moving boxes calculator turns a list of rooms into a count of small, medium, large and wardrobe boxes, with tape and paper, so the order at six weeks is close to right. The square footage calculator measures the new rooms for the furniture check at eight weeks, and the budget planner holds the moving budget next to the month's other spending. To work through the weeks on paper, the printable moving checklist turns this timeline into a PDF with tick boxes, your own tasks, a box inventory and an address change list.
Mail forwarding, as USPS describes it
The one step in the checklist with official rules is the change of address. The US Postal Service's change-of-address service, submitted online, carries a $1.25 identity verification fee, and USPS says that once the request is approved you should allow 7 to 10 business days for it to go into effect, which is why it sits four weeks out rather than the day before. Standard forwarding lasts 12 months. Periodicals, newsletters and magazines, are forwarded free for 60 days if fully prepaid by the sender. You can pay to extend forwarding for 6, 12 or 18 more months, with 18 months the maximum. Forwarding buys time; it does not tell anyone your new address, so the list of senders to notify is the other half of the task.
Moving day
- Walk the movers through the labelled boxes and point out what is fragile and what must not go on the truck: documents, valuables, the essentials boxes, plants and pets.
- Keep the inventory the mover gives you and check it at the other end before signing.
- Read the meters at both addresses and photograph them with the date visible.
- Do a last sweep of every cupboard, the attic, the garage, behind doors and under the stairs, then hand over the keys.
- At the new place, make the beds and set up the bathroom and the kettle before opening anything else.
The week after
- Work through the address list: bank and cards, employer, insurers, the tax authority, vehicle registration and driver licence, doctors, schools, subscriptions.
- Register with a new doctor and dentist, and transfer the records you collected at six weeks.
- Confirm the utilities are in your name at the new address and closed at the old one, with the meter readings you photographed.
- Unpack by room, kitchen and bedrooms first, and flatten the boxes as you go; the stack is the measure of progress.
- Review the budget against what the move actually cost, while the receipts are still in one pile.
Frequently asked questions
When should I start planning a move?
Eight weeks before the date gives time to get three quotes, book a mover or truck before the good dates go, declutter before packing, and work through the address changes without a last-minute scramble. A move can be done in two weeks, but every task that is compressed costs money: last-minute trucks, more boxes than needed, and things thrown away that could have been sold.
How do I forward my mail when I move?
Submit a change of address with the US Postal Service. Done online, it carries a $1.25 identity verification fee, and USPS says to allow 7 to 10 business days for it to take effect once approved. Standard forwarding lasts 12 months; periodicals such as magazines are forwarded for 60 days if the sender prepaid them. You can pay to extend forwarding by 6, 12 or 18 more months, 18 being the maximum.
What should I pack last and unpack first?
An essentials box per person that travels with you, not in the truck: medication, phone chargers, toiletries, a change of clothes, towels, important documents, a basic tool kit, toilet paper and snacks. Add the kettle or coffee maker, a few plates and cutlery, bedding for the first night, and the box cutter you will need to open everything else.
How many boxes do I need?
It depends on the rooms and what is in them more than on square footage. The moving boxes calculator estimates small, medium, large and wardrobe boxes room by room and lets you mark rooms as sparse or full. Count a bookcase as several small boxes, since books are heavy, and keep large boxes for light items such as bedding.
Who do I need to tell my new address?
USPS forwarding covers the mail that would otherwise go astray for a year, but it does not update the senders. Make a list as the mail arrives in the weeks before the move: bank and cards, employer and payroll, insurers, the tax authority, vehicle registration and driver licence, doctors, schools, subscriptions and online shops, and anyone who sends you a bill. Work through the list in the first week after the move.