Movers charge by time and weight. Every box of things you do not want, packed, carried, loaded and unpacked at the other end, costs you money twice: once to move it and again when you finally throw it out in the new place. Decluttering before the move is the cheapest packing you will ever do.
This checklist goes room by room. Start four to six weeks before moving day if you can. Two weeks works too, it just means longer evenings.
The garage and storage areas
Start here, because these spaces hide the most and hold the least emotion. Pull everything out onto the driveway if the weather allows. Seeing it all at once makes the decisions faster.
Old paint, solvents and chemicals usually cannot go in the household trash, and most movers will not take them. Check your town’s household hazardous waste days and plan around them. Broken tools, duplicate extension cords, and the exercise equipment that became a coat rack can go now.
The kitchen
Count your mugs. Most households own three times as many as they use. Keep one set of everyday dishes, the pans you actually cook with, and the appliances you have used in the last year.
Use up the pantry in the weeks before the move instead of packing half-empty bags of flour. Anything unopened and still good can go to a neighbor or a friend.
Bedrooms and closets
The easiest rule for clothes: if you did not wear it in the last full year of seasons, you are unlikely to wear it in the new home. Keep the pieces that fit and that you reach for.
Bedding and towels pile up quietly. Two sets per bed and two towels per person is plenty for most families.
The living room
Furniture is where moving costs add up fastest. Measure the rooms in the new home and compare. A sofa that does not fit through the new door is a very expensive thing to move.
Books, DVDs and decor are worth a ruthless pass. Keep what you love and would put on a shelf tomorrow.
The basement and the attic
These are the last rooms most people tackle, and the ones that run the move off schedule. Boxes that have not been opened since the last move are a strong hint. Open them anyway, because papers and photos tend to hide there.
If the basement or attic is full, it may be worth bringing in help for the heavy items before the movers arrive. A local junk removal crew can clear old furniture, mattresses and appliances in an afternoon, which is often cheaper than paying movers by the hour to carry them out. Companies such as https://hoverlacs.com usually quote from a few photos, so you know the price before anyone shows up.
Paperwork
Keep a single folder for documents you will need during the move: leases or closing papers, IDs, school and medical records, and anything with an account number. Shred old statements you no longer need instead of boxing them.
The week before moving day
Do a final walk-through of every room, every cabinet and every closet. Empty the fridge and freezer. Set aside a box for the first night in the new home: chargers, toiletries, a change of clothes, a kettle, toilet paper and a few tools.
Moving is easier when you only take what you want to keep. The work you do now pays off every time you open a box in the new home and are glad to see what is inside.
