Moving into a new home is an exciting moment in your life. Whether you’ve just completed your home-buying journey , are relocating to a new rental or heading to college, it’s your turn to experience the moving process yourself.
53% of Americans encounter unexpected costs and 54% spend more on their move than expected, according to Home Bay . It’s more important than ever to research and utilize moving tips to make the process align with your expectations and be less stressful.
AAA has expert moving tips for every stage of the move to help you feel prepared for this exciting new chapter.
1. Declutter and Categorize Your Belongings
Moving Stage: Pre-move preparation
Perhaps the best moving advice starts before you’ve even packed a single box — declutter ruthlessly. Dust off your inner Marie Kondo and ask yourself if your belongings bring you joy like it's 2019. The more you can get rid of, the less you’ll have to transport during the move.
Categorize your belongings into piles of what you’d like to keep, donate and discard. That ice cream maker you’ve only used once? Donate it to a thrift store or a friend. Are those board games missing half of their playing pieces? It’s time to discard them.
This step will help you remove the unnecessary clutter in your current home and get you organized as you move into your new home.
2. Purchase Moving Supplies
Moving Stage: Pre-move preparation
Buying all of your moving supplies after sorting through your belongings will help you determine how much you’ll need for a seamless move. The UPS Store has helpful moving supplies, which detail how much you can fit in each size box. You can also use your AAA Membership to get a discount on all your necessary moving supplies.
Some of the items you should purchase include:
- Boxes in a variety of sizes
- Bubble wrap
- Packing sheets
- Packing tape
- Painters tape
- Labels
- Sharpies
- Cargo straps/bungee cords
- Vacuum bags
- Furniture covers
- Furniture pads
- Stretch wrap
- Moving blankets
- Dollies/hand trucks
- Toolset
- Gloves
3. Create a Moving Documents Folder
Moving Stage: Pre-move preparation
When moving into a new house, apartment or dorm room, there are many steps, moving terms and documents to keep track of. As part of your pre-move preparation, create a folder to keep all move-related and personal documents in one place.
This folder should include:
- The deed and sale information for your new home or lease agreement from your landlord
- Details and correspondence from your realtor/landlord
- Utility information for your old and new home
- Contracts and correspondence with professional movers, if applicable
- Social security cards
- Passports
- Bank information
- Tax filings
- Birth and marriage certificates
Having these details handy can help with any questions or issues that arise on your moving day. Plus, it’s always a good idea to keep sensitive information with you during the move for security purposes and not pack your important documents with your other belongings.
4. Begin Packing Months in Advance
Moving Stage: Pre-move preparation
It’s rare to scramble on a moment's notice to pack and make arrangements when moving. For example, on average, the home-buying process takes two to three months. You’ll know when your lease will expire and if you want to renew, and you’ll have your college move-in information months in advance — giving you plenty of time to begin packing and implementing moving hacks into your process.
As soon as you begin searching for a new home, you should start decluttering and categorizing your belongings based on their destination in your new place. Then, as the home-buying process accelerates, you’ll have at least two months' advance notice to pack. The sooner you begin, the less overwhelmed you’ll feel while organizing your belongings.
Some items you can begin packing a month or more in advance include:
- Seasonal items
- Decor
- Extra towels and linens
- Pillows and blankets
- Clothes and shoes
- Kitchen equipment
- Entertainment (board games, music, movies, etc.)
5. Book Moving Services
Moving Stage: Pre-move preparation
Now that you know how much you’ll need to move and when, it’s time to book your moving services. Hiring professional movers will take some of the worries out of moving day by taking heavy lifting off your to-do list. Not all professional movers come with a moving vehicle, meaning you might be responsible for choosing a van line or truck.
If professional movers aren’t within your budget, now’s the time to contact family and friends to see if they’re willing and available to help. If they are, letting them know as far in advance as possible will help prevent any conflicts.
Consider booking the following services as you begin making reservations:
- Professional movers
- Help from family and friends
- Moving vehicle (AAA members receive discounts at Penske Truck Rental and Atlas Van Lines )
- Rental equipment (such as large dollies, furniture pads, moving straps and trailer hitches)
Separate from moving services, make sure you’re also scheduling utilities at your new house to be turned on and ending service at your old house.
6. Label Everything
Moving Stage: Packing and organization
With your pre-move preparation complete, it’s time to begin packing your belongings to keep everything organized before the big day. As you fill boxes, group your belongings based on their destination and track what you put in each box to label them properly.
You should label each box on multiple sides with its destination in your new home, contents and if anything’s fragile. This will ensure movers bring the right boxes to the correct rooms and will make your unpacking process easier.
7. Keep Supplies Handy and Replenish as Needed
Moving Stage: Packing and organization
While packing, you will begin using the moving supplies you bought during the prep phase. Keep the most used supplies nearby as often as possible. The supplies you’ll be reaching for most frequently are:
- Boxes
- Bubble wrap
- Packing tape
- Labels
- Sharpies
During this phase, be prepared to replenish your packing and moving supplies — especially boxes and tape.
8. Create an Essentials Box/Bag
Moving Stage: Packing and organization
One of the most important packing tips for moving is to set aside necessities by creating an essentials box or bag. You’ll use these items regularly through the morning of moving day and don’t want to be ripping through your taped-up hard work.
Here are the items you should include in your essentials box/bag:
- An extra pair or two of clothes
- Extra undergarments
- Pajamas
- An extra pair of shoes
- Medications
- A first-aid kit
- Toiletries (shampoo, conditioner, lotion, hair products, etc.)
- A hair brush
- Toothbrush and toothpaste
- A razor
- A couple of towels and washcloths
- Your bed pillow
- Phone charger
- Your moving documents folder
9. Fill Your Moving Boxes as Much as Possible
Moving Stage: Packing and organization
When packing your boxes, it’s important to fill them as much as you possibly can. This will prevent you from spending more money on additional boxes and will take up less space in the moving van or truck — meaning you won’t have to make extra trips.
Follow moving hacks to help you save the most space when packing. Some tips on how to pack for moving and fill your boxes include:
- Nesting: Prepare smaller boxes and pack them into large moving boxes. You can also utilize nesting when packing kitchen equipment like pots and pans.
- DIY Bubble Wrap: When packing breakables for rooms that also contain linens, use those as a form of bubble wrap to save additional space. Place dishtowels between dinner plates. Then, wrap picture frames in blankets and your bathroom mirror in towels.
- Vacuum Bags: This moving supply is handy when packing your clothes and other linens you aren’t using to wrap around items. Putting clothing and linens in vacuum bags removes the extra air and compresses everything together — giving you extra space to put more in your boxes.
10. Organize Your Boxes
Moving Stage: Packing and organization
Organization is key to all moving tips when figuring out the best way to move. As your boxes are filled, taped and labeled, you’ll want to keep them organized as you stack and group them.
Two key ways to organize your boxes are by destination and weight. This means keeping all of your kitchen boxes separate from those for your bedroom. Then, keep the heavier boxes closer to the door to be loaded onto the truck first to avoid crushing your lighter boxes.
11. Wear Comfortable Clothes
Moving Stage: Moving day
The big day is finally here! Since it’ll be a long day with a lot of walking, standing and lifting, it’s important to wear comfortable clothes and shoes. Make sure your outfit allows for a lot of movement without being too hot or cold. Wear layers so you can adjust as needed!
In addition to comfortable clothes, avoid wearing jewelry that can catch or snag throughout the move.
12. Start Early
Moving Stage: Moving day
Now that moving day has arrived, it’s best to start as early as possible. Starting early on moving day ensures you have as much time as you need to load the truck, transport your belongings, unload and possibly begin unpacking.
This is especially true if your move requires significant travel, allowing you to arrive at your new home at a reasonable time. Plus, getting an early start means you can get some heavy lifting out of the way before the hottest part of the day.
13. Review All Move-Related Details
Moving Stage: Moving day
With all of the preparation and planning that you’ve put into your move, do everything in your power to ensure it goes smoothly. To help in this pursuit, review your moving documents folder for a few minutes after waking up. Go over the specifics for moving day to double-check timing and access.
Some of the points you should review include:
- When your movers arrive
- How long you have movers for
- When utilities will be on at the new house and off at the old house
- How long you have your moving truck or van for
- Going through your old home once more to make sure everything is packed and ready to go
14. Keep a Stocked Cooler Nearby
Moving Stage: Moving day
By now, you know that moving days are long and busy. To help you and whoever is helping you through the day, it’s important to keep a stocked cooler nearby. This will allow everyone to stay hydrated and snack between the moving and lifting.
Some items to stock your cooler with include:
- Water
- Electrolyte-filled drinks (Gatorade, Powerade, Vitamin Water)
- Energy drinks
- Soda
- Fruit
- Granola bars
- Chips
It’s also usually a good idea to have other foods, like pizza, bagels and cookies, available for people to eat throughout the day. Use your AAA membership to get discounts at Wolfermans and Harry & David for fruit and pastries to feed your moving crew.
15. Take Pictures
Moving Stage: Moving day
Despite your careful planning, accidents happen when moving. This is why it’s important to have your phone handy and take pictures of everything throughout different stages of the move.
A list of photos to make sure you take include:
- Boxes and furniture inside your old home to know how many there are
- Close-ups of furniture to show the condition before being moved
- The moving truck or van loaded with your belongings to show how movers packed it
- Anything that might be wrong with the truck or van when you picked it up
- Any dents or scratches that occur as a result of the move
In addition to taking photos to document your belongings, take fun pictures to commemorate this exciting moment in your life.
16. Leave Space for Large Furniture
Moving Stage: Unpacking at your new home
With the truck being unloaded, everything is coming into your new home in reverse — meaning your lighter boxes first and probably furniture last. As boxes make their way inside, leave open spaces for where you want your furniture to go so movers can place it exactly where you want to prevent you from rearranging heavy pieces later.
A popular moving hack is to outline where you want different pieces of furniture to go with painter's tape. Write on the tape with a Sharpie which piece of furniture you want the movers to place in the outline and what direction you want it to face. Then, simply peel the tape up after the move without any mess or damage.
17. Tip Your Movers
Moving Stage: Unpacking at your new home
Moving day is wrapping up, and all of your belongings are inside your new home. Show appreciation to those who helped you move into your new home — whether you hired professional movers or had the help of family and friends. Make sure in addition to providing breakfast and/or lunch, you tip them appropriately.
When tipping professional movers, the options for how much to tip are as follows:
- 20% of your final bill
- $5–$10 per hour for each mover
- For local moves, $20–$30 per mover
- For long-distance moves, a minimum of $50 per mover
If family and friends helped you out with the move, offer them a rate comparable to how much you’d tip a professional mover. In some cases, they won’t accept money but will accept dinner and drinks; still, you should offer payment.
18. Make Any Needed Touch-Ups
Moving Stage: Unpacking at your new home
As we said earlier, accidents happen while moving. These accidents can include dings to your walls and doorframes, but you shouldn’t let these cosmetic scuffs take the excitement out of your move.
The unpacking period is a great time to do the necessary touch-ups. If you notice them when you’re unpacking the room, just take a few minutes to perform a quick fix and make things as good as new.
19. Unpack One Room at a Time
Moving Stage: Unpacking at your new home
Looking at all the boxes piled up throughout your new home can feel just as overwhelming as packing did. Take a deep breath and tackle unpacking similarly to how you handled the moving process — organized.
Unpack one room at a time, starting with your most used space and then moving on to the next room on your priority list. Typically, you’ll want to start with the bathroom and proceed to your bedroom(s) so you can clean up and sleep in your new room as soon as possible.
Extra tip: plug your refrigerator in as soon as it’s placed in your kitchen so it can be cool and ready for you to stock when it’s time.
20. Greet Your Neighbors
Moving Stage: Unpacking at your new home
Being busy with the move, it can be easy to forget that moving into a new home also means getting new neighbors. It’s natural for them to be curious as they see you moving in, and some may even come over to say hi, introduce themselves and bring a welcome gift.
Remember to be polite, even if you’re in the middle of a stressful moment, and reciprocate their greeting. Who knows, your new neighbors may become good friends!
21. Remember to Enjoy Yourself!
Throughout all Moving Stages
Remember to enjoy yourself at every step of the process and throughout each of these moving tips! Moving into a new home is a big deal and should be treated with excitement. Take the time to acknowledge that and relish it. Remember the moments by taking photos and videos of every step of the journey.
Additional Tips When Moving into a New House
Use these additional tips to ensure you’re keeping stress levels to a minimum when moving.
Book a Hotel the Night Before Moving Day
Spend the night before moving day in a hotel to remove yourself from the boxes for a bit. Getting away from everything, even for the night, can help reduce your stress and ensure you actually get a good night’s sleep before the busy day. To keep things within budget, look into how to get cheap hotels with your AAA membership.
Rely on Your Loved Ones
Some moving advice that might not readily come to mind but that will definitely help reduce stress is relying on your loved ones during your move. Having a support system where you can ask for help and vent can make moving less overwhelming.
Seek Advice
Everyone has experienced a move at some point in their life. This means everyone has moving tips they can offer to make your experience smoother and less stressful. Ask those closest to you and people within your community for regionally specific moving advice.
Join AAA to Get Discounts and Rewards During Your Move
Life milestones and big moments are made easier with the AAA Discounts & Rewards® program . Explore exclusive discounts to help you save on your next move and more when you become a AAA member today.