Moving day is approaching, but you still have a million things to get done before you leave. As always you try to be organized, and complete the packing list on time, but somehow you end up having more stuff than you even knew you had. No matter how excited you are about moving to a new place and “starting fresh”, there are many unanswered questions that may ruin your moving experience and take away from all that good excitement.

This moving checklist and packing tips will hopefully make your life, well at least moving day, as stress-free and exciting as you thought it would be.

  1. Start early. As soon as you can, get rid of the things you do not or will not need in your new house or an apartment. At the same time make a checklist of the most important items in order to have them packed when the time comes.
  1. Plan which packing supplies you need. Once you start packing, the last thing you will want is to have to stop everything and go to the store for more supplies or go door-to-door and ask you neighbors for some bubble wrap. In general, your list of supplies should include small, medium and large cardboard moving boxes, separators, bubble wrap, newspapers, markers, stretch wrap, larger bags should you want your mattresses moved too, a lot of tape to seal the boxes for moving, and a box cutter of course. As you can see, most of the things on the list you already have in your home! Just delegate some simple tasks to your family or friends and everything should go smoothly.
  1. Pack your moving boxes in a few stages. Start with large items first, like furniture or books, as those items should go on the bottom and protect them with stretch wrap. Lighter, more fragile items should come at the end and placed on the top. Be sure to wrap well whatever breakable you might own, like dishes and glass items. Use markers to label all your moving boxes as to which room they are to go to, as this will some handy once you start unloading them from the truck.
  1. Place small parts from TVs, furniture, kitchen cabinets or anything you take apart, in re-sealable bags. Take a photo of all the TV and Internet cables and components before you disconnect them. This way it will be easier once you start connecting everything again.
  1. Use vacuum seal storage bags, and you will be a moving pro! You will be able to fit more in a box and your clothes and sheets will stay dust-free.
  1. Don’t move things you don’t need. Consider giving them away to your friends or donating them. Everyone wins!
  1. Pack an overnight bag with a change of clothes, toiletries, important medication etc. This way you will have all your essentials in one place and you will not have to go through boxes when trying to leave for work the next morning.
  1. Separate a box with items you will need during the move. Include items such as scissors, paper towels, toilet paper, trash bags, chargers, eating utensils, tools and box cutters. Mark the box clearly so it won’t get mixed up with the other boxes and end up at the back of the moving truck.
  1. Remember to change your address at least two weeks before the actual moving date. You don’t want any of your mail getting lost during the moving process.
  1. Lastly, we’ll give you a few quick moving tips when hiring professional movers. Pay very close attention to the fine print so you are not left with doing most of the work yourself. For example, some moving companies will only help you move items packed in boxes and anything else you have prepared for moving will fall on you. They will also charge you additionally if they have to repack some items if they do not consider them properly packed. On a more positive note, most moving companies have to compensate you should they lose or break any of your belongings. As long as an item was properly packed, you are safe.

There you have it. Our top 10 moving tips for an easy and hassle free move. This list should help you ease the process and give you the best experience when it comes to moving to your new home.