A Honey-Do-Not-Forget List: 6 Moving To-Dos Often Forgotten

After weeks or months of searching for your perfect home, you’ve finally closed on negotiations and have the keys to the front door. Now, all that’s left is moving the towers of cardboard boxes and bubble-wrapped furniture pieces into your new house. Moving can be a stressful process, and it’s easy to get caught up in the hustle and bustle and forget even the most common tasks. Instead of unintentionally making your transition more complex, here are six to-dos you shouldn’t forget to place on your moving checklist.

Booking an auto shipping service

Driving your car from home to home can add thousands of unnecessary miles to your car’s odometer when you’re moving long-distance. Not only will you have to worry about your vehicle, but you’ll also need to plan for a long road trip, taking more time off work, booking hotel stays, and stopping for gas every few hundred miles. Rather than risking your car breaking down on the road in the middle of nowhere, hire an auto shipping service to ship a car to another state. Your car will arrive at your new home undamaged, reducing your moving stress and ensuring you’ll have reliable transportation as you’re setting up your new home.

Pack “open me first” boxes

It’s the first night in your new home, and instead of spending it relaxing after a long day of unpacking, you’re frantically searching for your toothbrush and contact lens solution. Designate one box for essentials rather than wasting your time looking for necessities amidst an abundance of cardboard boxes. When you reach your new home, it’ll be easy to find your must-have toiletries, medications, and household items like toilet paper and soap.

Update your address and set up mail forwarding

Once you’ve moved house, you might miss a few pieces of junk mail that are sent to your old address. However, the real headache begins when credit card and insurance companies still send bills and papers to your old address. Setting up mail forwarding and updating your address can prevent your vital documents and magazine subscriptions from being sent to your old address. While updating your information may seem like a minor task, it should be high on your list of moving priorities to save you from any paperwork headaches down the road.

Clean your new home

While the old owners of your home may have already cleaned up before handing over the keys, it’s always wise to conduct a once-over before you begin moving in. Even professional cleaners can miss a few spots, and it’s much more difficult to clean around stacks of cardboard boxes and heavy furniture than in an empty house. While you’re searching for areas that need sprucing up, don’t forget to check the insides of appliances like the refrigerator and oven. 

Plan your first meals

It’s easy to work up an appetite while you’re moving, but with an empty refrigerator and your pots and pans hidden away in a box, your kitchen may not be open for business right away. Food isn’t always a significant consideration while moving, but you have to fuel your body so you can lift furniture and work on settling into your new home. Figure out ahead of time what your plans for meals are. It’s also a perfect opportunity to get to know your local neighborhood better. Order takeout from the restaurant down the street, and you may just find your new go-to restaurant in your new home.

Remember your pets

Moving is stressful for humans, but it’s incredibly overwhelming for pets to be taken out of a familiar environment and thrust into a completely new place. While you’re moving boxes, it can be all too easy for them to wander into your path and be stepped on or tripped over. Rather than stressing them out with movers and chaos, designate a room they can stay in with their water bowls and toys, away from the stressful moving environment. If it’s not possible to reserve a space for them, ask a family member to babysit or find a kennel nearby, they can spend the day at.

The bottom line

Moving isn’t an easy process, but once all the boxes are put away, and all the furniture is unwrapped, you can enjoy your new home for years to come. While you may find that your moving checklist is long and overwhelming, taking care of even the tiniest details will allow you to settle in quickly and seamlessly.