4 Common Moving Mistakes You’ll Want to Avoid
Moving is a long process. You’re essentially consolidating everything you own, placing it in boxes, and loading it onto a moving truck. Depending on how much stuff you actually have, this could take you several weeks if not months to complete. As you can imagine, there’s a lot to remember, and while something simple like forgetting to leave your pj’s in your overnight bag might be easy to manage, more serious mistakes like scheduling the move at the last minute or packing junk can be costly.
While no one is perfect and every moving circumstance is different, there are lots of ideas out there to help you when it comes to packing. While here are some things you can do to minimize the chances of making these most common moving mistakes:
- Scheduling for Movers at the Last Minute
The absolute worst thing you can do is wait until the last possible minute to schedule your move with a professional mover. There are very popular moving times of the month and year. For instance, the 1st and 15th of the month are most popular times to move while the summer is the most popular time of year to move. Waiting until the last minute could result in you paying more money for services or not having your moving date available.
- Forgetting to Pack an Overnight Bag
Unless you plan on unpacking all of your personal belongings the same day you arrive at your new place, you’re going to want to have an overnight bag available. This bag should not only have a few pairs of clothes, underwear and shoes for you put on over the next few days, but it should also include important paperwork you might need (paperwork on the property, birth certificates, marriage licenses, etc.) as well as medications, to help the transition into your new home.
- Not Getting Rid of Junk
It might seem a lot easier to just grab everything, throw it into a box, and sort it later. The issue with that is, you end up moving to your new home with a bunch of junk you really don’t need. It helps to point out that since most moving companies will charge by the amount of items you have to move and/or the amount of time it takes to load and unload the moving truck, packing more than you need means more money out of your pocket.
Go through each room and sort your belongings into categories such as things you need, things you can sell, and things you can throw away. Things that you can sell will come in handy as you can look to sell them and make a few extra pounds on things you no longer use. The rest can either be thrown away or packed to go to the new place.
- Forgetting to Shut Off/Turn on Services
When you have subscription services that are based on your location, you want to make sure that you don’t forget to notify the service providers. This includes everything from your utilities and cable services to magazine subscriptions and other direct order memberships you may have. You want to make sure the service providers know exactly when to discontinue services or switch to a new location. You may want to talk with each service provider to find out what their cancellation policies are to make sure you’re not charged any additional fees for cutting off services in the middle of a month or prior to your contract ending.
Don’t make moving any more stressful or expensive than it has to be. This is why the very moment you find out you’re going to be moving, you need to create a checklist that includes everything on it from scheduling a date with the movers to decorating your new home. This will prevent you from missing important steps that can slow down the process. Other than that, enlist as much help as you can and try to make moving a fun memory for everyone.
What is your top tip for a less stressful move?
I always forget something to pack whenever I move. And I want to change it. I am looking forward to be more organized next time.
Good luck I hope you manage it be all organised 🙂 X
Yep, not getting rid of junk! So guilty of that one! I have a few box (10) that still needs unpacking from a year ago!
Thanks for sharing the tips. I will keep these in mind since we are planning to move somewhere warm.
Good luck with your move I hope it goes smoothly. x
Have a box with a couple of plates, bowls, cutlery and glasses, mugs and a kettle for the first day! You won’t have to rummage around in boxes for them then!
#3 was our biggest mistake! Ahh, we had so much junk! I actually just finished cleaning the basement to get rid of some of this junk and we have been living here for 5 years now! sad, I know. =p
Moving is never fun. I especially dread turning off the services and always forget to do this. I also forget to turn them on at the new place.
I am so glad we are in our forever home. I am not a mover. The last time we moved I forgot to pack an overnight bag and was stuck living in the same clothes for a couple of days. Great tips.
Great list and as a fairly frequent mover in the last 30 years, I’ll have to agree with everyone of those! So many things to think about, especially when there are young kids involved, who are always hungry!
These are excellent tips. I absolutely love because I did forget to pack a quick overnight bag…that is super important. Also love the advice to shut of utilities
I agree with your reasonings. Moving out is deemed a failure or a bad experience if not totally planned with much ample time.
Oh gosh, I’ve definitely had some last-minute problems before. It’s definitely good to write down all of your services and make sure to shut them off on time!
We accidentally packed a few bags of garbage when we recently moved. It was too funny. Yes! Be careful and get rid of junk before you go!
Haha I totally did the same – I keep thinking oh I could use that.. Nope I threw it out. x
Great tips! Whenever we get ready to relocate the first thing we do is get rid of junk!
I feel so much better for slimming down the things we have – I need to try and remember not to hoard! x
Great tips, I had a massive clear out before I moved and felt so cleansed afterwards. I would add not going food shopping ot that list though, eat everything possible out of the cupboards before hand so theres less to move plus it means not taking out of date food with you
Yes totally forgot about that, it is such a good idea to do that! x
These are great tips! Moving can be so stressful, it’s so important to do everything to make it as easy as possible for everyone!
Packing an over night back is so freaking smart. I’ve never thought to do that but it beats digging in boxes for things or realizing you left the things you need at the old house.
I hate moving, but I try to make the best of the process. Next time we will have movers.
Moving is the worst isn’t it – I have to admit I hope this move we have just done will be our last for a very long time. x
Great tips. We just moved and I wish I would have seen this before the moving process.
Wonderful tips! we moved last summer. actually this day last august we moved! It was a stressful time but we rented a big dumpster before we even packed and got rid of ALL our junk!
I wish we had done that – we did it last time, but not this time, so we had a LOT of trips to the dump instead haha! x
Getting rid of junks would be my first step before packing. Awesome tips! Thanks for sharing!
Thanks for the pointers! I really hate to move, but this help will be much appreciated 🙂
This is a great list of common moving mistakes to avoid. It is so so important to get rid of junk before moving. Pre-packing is another great tips too. Thanks for sharing the list of what to avoid when moving..
Oh, this post is very informative. I will share this with my friend, she is planning to move so soon.
Moving is already as stressful as it is so you don’t really want to make it any more difficult by committing these mistakes! Just like anything, early preparation is always key.
It’s definitely a bad move when you call the movers at the last minute. That never ends well. It’s important to have a separate bag with all your essentials in it, a change of clothes, chargers, toiletries and everything you use everyday.
Great tips!!! I leaned long ago to toss the junk before you move. It’s literally hell having to do it in your new place lol
Great tips. I started our move very early and I still made a lot of mistakes. Great advice.
I haven’t had the chance to come across a point in my life where I had to move, but when I do, I will be sure to check this post. Thanks for the great advice and tips! 🙂
Thank you for this post! It is so good and helpful
I made many of these mistakes when I moved, thinking I would get rid of stuff when I was able to properly sort stuff when I got into a bigger house. Such a mistake – the junk stood in boxes waiting to find a place. I definitely learned my lesson!
I think not getting rid of junk is such an important one…! Awesome tips
We’ve moved house 17 times and have it down to a fine art (especially where the cats/dogs are concerned). We always do our own packing and label every box clearly so the movers know which room to leave each box in. Clothes go on hangers laid flat on the back seat of the car, the animals stay in the car while everything is going on and are kept inside for about a week after moving (and are chipped).
Even before you move you can prepare yourself mentally (especially if you’ve been happy in the house) by packing away most of your belongings weeks in advance so that you’re surrounded by packing cases. You’ll be relieved when moving day finally comes around!
AND, MOST IMPORTANT: The last thing to get packed is the kettle, tea, coffee, milk etc. and TOILET ROLL!
These are great tips. I always make a list of things I need to do when I move. And getting rid of junk is a big thing for us!
I have made a couple of these mistakes before!! Moving is so much work, so important to plan everything out even little details.
I have moved way too many times and these are good tips. The overnight bag is essential as the moving truck sometimes takes longer that expected.
I wish I had this list when I was moving! Such helpful tips, and so enjoyable to read with a lovely layout. Your blog is gorgeous, by the way!! 🙂 So clean and great to read.
I actually did really well this time around on our move. Although I have moved so many times so honestly by the 10th move I think you should be a pro LOL. The one thing I do forget usually is pack the overnight bag
#3 is my favorite part of moving. it is the best time to sort, and purge of all of the things we don;t really need.
An overnight bag is definitely a must when moving. You will NOT feel like unpacking everything on your first night in a new home.
Great tips. Definitely need to make sure you book a mover in advance, that would be a nightmare being caught out at the last minute and not being able to find one.. or having to pay more because you don’t have the option to shop around.
These are great moving tips for moving to a dorm our just moving period. I love the pack an overnight bag. When you get to your destination generally you are so tired you just want to crash and shower and that overnight bag is the ticket to getting it right. These great tips should take the stress out.
Moving can definitely be stressful, but with the right tips and the right mindset, it doesn’t have to be that bad. I like the idea of packing an overnight bag with the essentials you’ll need on the first few days.
These are great tips! I moved this past March into a smaller home. I am in the process of trying to go the minimalist route and am happy to say I got rid of OVER 75% of my stuff. For a single mom, I had more than I would ever need in 10 lifetimes. I am much happier in my new home and it’s not cluttered! I’m actually STILL getting rid of things. I donated, trashed and gave away all that. For the clothing, I didn’t box those up. I put my hanging clothes in trashbags and knotted the bags at the top. I put clothing that was in drawers either neatly in trashbags or suitcases. Those were the first thing I unpacked. 🙂 Great post!
Jacqui
flightsoffancymom.com