What should you do a week before the move?
If you’ve already gone through the moving process, you probably already know what to do. In case that you need a reminder, or you are relocating for the first time, we will give you some tips in order to make your move less stressful. If you got to the last week, that means you have already packed most of the seasonal stuff and other things you are not using often. Last week can be quite stressful so take a deep breath and go through your checklist. It will be easier if you are organized and that’s why checklists are very helpful. Now, let’s go through the things you should do a week before the move!
The moving process itself can place you under a lot of stress, so you should also check how to deal with moving anxiety.
Organize Yourself
Make another checklist and plan what do you want to do each day of those last remaining seven days. If you do it like that, you won’t be under pressure and you will finish everything in an orderly fashion. The first day, you can finish packing things from the garage. The second day you can close your bank accounts and pay bills if you have some left. Do not pack the coffee maker yet! Items like coffee maker, toast maker or other appliances like microwave you should pack on the last day before the move.
Make a plan for every day! Organization is the key to success!
Make a simple meal plan
At the beginning of the week, figure out your meal plan for those last few days. You probably won’t cook often due to the fact that you will have a lot of other things to do. Try buying only food that you will use during that last week. Also, try to use up everything that you have in your refrigerator and freezer because at the end of the week you might end up throwing away a lot of it.
You will go through a lot of stress, so, how to stay healthy while moving is something that you should definitely consider.
Bills and Accounts
Be sure to pay all the bills and cancel subscriptions that you have, a week before the move. By doing it at this time, you will avoid any new bills that can arrive at your old address after your move. Do not forget to close your bank accounts. Ask if there is a possibility to transfer those to your new location. If not, just close them and open new ones closer to your new home address. You can open and transfer accounts after you move too, but it is recommended to take care of this before you relocate.
Make sure to close your bank accounts and pay the bills before you move! It is easy to forget these simple tasks!
Confirm with your movers
Confirm with your movers a week before the move. We have already sorted out our budget and we don’t want any extra costs. Just call your moving company and go through everything again. Ask about the truck and every other detail you’ve already arranged, just to be sure that everything goes according to plan. Also, there are some things that movers might, and often do, refuse to transport or pack. Those things include perishables, plants, hazardous and flammable items, pets and of course valuable items.
A lot of movers will offer insurance. But do you need home insurance? You should certainly ask your real estate agent about that.
Get rid of the stuff and furniture you don’t need
While you are packing and going through all the stuff you have, you will soon realize that there are some things you just won’t be using anymore. So, try to get rid of some of the old things you won’t need, such as an old lamp, some pieces of furniture etc. This will make more room in the loading truck for the stuff you actually do want to keep and transport to your new location.
You can also decide to buy new furniture for your living room or bedroom for your new home. So, if your old furniture is still in good condition but you don’t want to throw it away ask your family, friends or neighbors to take them.
Perishables, plants, and valuable items
These things you have to take care of yourself. It’s logical that movers won’t take care of any kind of fresh food and frozen ones. Perishable Food can spoil, so the best option is to consume it before the move or give it away to someone so you won’t end up throwing the food away.
Also, plants are sensitive and they require care, movers don’t want to deal with this either. If you are planning to keep your old plants, the best way is to transport them with your own car. In case you can not do it at all, then just give them to someone as a present. Perhaps a family member or a neighbor would be a good choice.
Valuable items are usually money, some documents, important papers, jewelry, and similar items.
Disassemble furniture
If you are paying a full service and had an agreement with your movers, they will disassemble furniture, wrap it and load it into a moving truck. However, if you have to do this yourself, you should do it before your movers arrive. Disassemble everything you can and leave the bed for the last day. A bed is something that you will need the most, before the move.
Do not forget to defrost the freezer, you should do that at least 24 hours before the move. Appliances like microwave, toaster or coffee maker, you want to pack last. Also, be sure they are loaded last because you might need them as soon as you arrive at your new location.
If you have to disassemble furniture yourself, make sure to do that before the moving company arrives!
An Essentials Box
Another important thing that you should prepare a week before the move is definitely an essentials box! Each of your family members should have one or two such boxes. The essentials box should contain the most important things that you are using every day. Also, you can pack one or two boxes and label them “family stuff”. You can put everything that the whole family is using in these boxes.
Be sure to put a label on them so movers won’t load them into a moving truck. Or simply just place them in your car, just in case.
Things that you might want to place in the essentials box will depend on your needs. Most of the time, they will contain things such as toilet paper, toothbrush and toothpaste, contact lenses etc. Also, one of the boxes should contain sheets, pillows and things which you will need for the first night of sleep in your new home.
If you accomplish all of this a week before the move, the moving process itself will be much more comfortable.