The Ultimate Checklist of Things You Forget to Do When You Move

Investigation of the Companies – Most Crucial Thing To Remember

One of the actions most commonly forgotten, but one with the most severe consequences is the research of the cross-country moving company you want to choose. Remember that by picking a specific cross-country movers group, your job doesn’t end. Remember to check the DOT (Department of Transportation) number of your chosen company to avoid dealing with relocation scammers who offer false licenses and insurances, or none at all. Moreover, you need to see through all of their recommendations, reviews, meet them in person for the estimate of your home, and so on. In a word, the better investigator you are, the lesser is the possibility of tricking you. On the other hand, forgetting this task may cost you literary everything.

Preparing Documents – Finish With Formalities Weeks Before a Move

The second most important but also often forgotten (and hated) task is gathering your documents. So, on the absolute top of your relocation to another state checklist should be the arrangement of your documentation, for which you will need time. If you have a last-minute move, be sure you don’t neglect this step – forgetting it would cause so many unnecessary inconveniences. Place them in a folder and ensure that, on the date of a move, you have them by your side:

• Medical and dental records for all of your family members,
• School records, if you are relocating with your children. Also, amongst the most often forgotten forms are those from the veterinarian, so if you are relocating with a cat, for example, make sure to remember it,
• Financial documentation (such as bank and credit card accounts),
• Employment documentation,
• House and car records,
• Other personal documents (IDs, passports, birth and marriage certificates, and alike).

Don’t Miss To Cancel Your Old Address and Inform Companies and Institutions About Your Moving

Some relocation mistakes can have less or more significant consequences, but forgetting to inform everybody about your move can cause several serious misunderstandings. You could get into problems with your bank, loan providers, tax agencies, and other seemingly invisible but all-present companies. So, one of your priorities should be informing important agencies about your new home address. Also, it would be best to inform other bureaucratic institutions of your housing changes (Social Security Administration, US Citizenship and Immigration Services, and alike.) Research how to change your address so that important notices for you and your family come to your new address.

Things You Forget To Do When You Move and Pack

Some actions are often forgotten or neglected but are very important for organizing the packing itself. Be sure to memorize and use them properly. Forgetting only one of them can make the whole process of packing and unpacking a lot more complicated than needed.

Forgotten Lists – Forgotten Things

Sometimes people don’t remember to create lists, especially if they pack in a hurry. However, the more lists you create (for relocation essentials, for example, or packing materials you will use,) the less is a chance of forgetting. It is essential that you create an inventory list for all your items, a moving-out list with every object you want to keep with you. The modern age offers different applications that can help you create a photo inventory of your belongings, such as Sortly, so be sure to try them.

Don’t Miss To Cover Every Room From Top to Bottom

This action is most commonly known but also frequently forgotten. Ensure that every room is covered, and for the best results, do it at least twice: on the day of boxing up and the day of a move. People usually don’t remember to check their rooms one last time for any strayed object so that something always gets left behind. Remember to check every surface, cabinet, drawer so that everything you own is packed. Also, remember to check that everything is secured and that all windows and doors are shut and locked. If you have no time to double-check everything, ask your family and friends for help.

Try to organize boxing up by following some logic (ensure that you pack your kitchen and bathroom last, for example.) Be careful with storage spaces (lofts, basements, garages, and alike.) They are most commonly forgotten areas, stuffed with many different objects you need to sort and pack carefully. We suggest that you work on your storage spaces first because they contain objects that are not used very often. If you leave them as your last rooms, you will rush it all, which will end with you forgetting something or stressing out more than necessary.

Forgetting to Label Boxes Can Cause Unnecessary Difficulties

One more usually forgotten action is marking all of the boxes, which results in you coming to your new home and realizing you can’t find a thing. Help your future self – use our long-distance moving tips and mark every box (the more detailed, the better) so that you can easily find your objects even before unpacking. Also, if you haven’t hired a packing service, the labeling will draw your attention to the boxes with fragile objects, and you will know to handle them with more care. On the other hand, If you want to hire a moving crew, the movers would do all the work for you and show you the best methods for boxing up glassware and other delicate objects and give you tips on how to pack quickly.

Remember To Leave Everything You Won’t Use

Moving across the country can be a huge bite all by itself – you need to take care of yourself, your family, and all of the objects you want to keep. However, what about those objects you want to get rid of? While boxing up, people often ignore dealing with stuff they don’t want to keep and end up taking those with them as well. Remember to make time for organizing a garage sale and donation – that way, you can sell unwanted items and earn money, do a good deed, and bring just what you want to keep. That is especially important if you are relocating to a smaller place. Objects that you no longer want certainly won’t be on the tiny house checklist.

Things To Remember To Do When Moving – Final Touches

When you’ve taken care of two big bad wolves (documentation and boxing up), you only need to tie your loose ends. But notice that their lesser importance doesn’t mean that you won’t feel the consequences if you neglect them. Remember to:

• Think about memberships that you possess, such as gym memberships or library cards. People frequently fail to remember them and resume paying fees even when they don’t use their services. Make a few calls and keep money in your pocket.
• Inform your cable and internet providers about your relocation so that they can cancel their services. This action is very commonly forgotten – don’t be a part of that statistic.
• If you have a subscription to some magazines or newspapers, you must also cancel it or transfer it to your future home, if possible. If you don’t remember to do this, you will be paying, but new tenants will enjoy them.
• So many persons lose their favorite clothing items by forgetting them in dry cleaning facilities. Ensure that it doesn’t happen to you. Remember to check your pockets for forgotten tickets.

Things You Forget To Pack – Commonly Neglected Items

How many items can one person (or a family) possess? Believe us when we say it is more than you can imagine, which you will know if you have relocated at least once in your life. If you are, however, relocating for the first time, you will most definitely be amazed. It is only natural that something gets forgotten in the process. We prepared a list of things people forget to pack frequently, so be sure to memorize and check them before a relocation date:

• Medications are one of the most commonly forgotten items. If you’ve checked all of the cabinets as we suggested, this shouldn’t be a problem. However, you probably put prescribed medications close to yourself and don’t pack them with everything else – that can be the reason why you don’t remember to bring them. Take care of yourself and ensure that they are traveling with you.
• Hidden valuables we often put in some odd storage place or other secret or unordinary space, so they can often be unintentionally left behind. Ensure that you know where all of your valuables are, so you remember to pack them.
• A key for a new home is one more object that is, believe it or not, frequently forgotten. Ensure to have it by your side when you lock your old house and go on a road.
• Charges and headphones are objects a person forgets to pack frequently, probably because we use them until the last possible minute. And because we can’t function without all that technology, try to remember to pack them first thing in the morning on the relocation day, after they are fully charged.
• Don’t forget to bring a box with relocation essentials, such as toiletries, fresh clothes, and alike. It should always go with you, not with the movers. However, this is often forgotten, which results in stress accumulation – you are dirty and tired from a long road, and the last thing you want to do is search for your necessities.
• Documents that we listed above can be gathered but accidentally left behind. We can’t emphasize enough how important it is to have all of the records with you – you can’t start your new life without them.
• Plants that you have for so long may seem like a part of the house. That is the reason they are usually forgotten. Don’t let that happen to you – place them in a box and let them make your new home more beautiful.

If you want to find out what are proper methods for relocating your plants, watch the following video:

Take Care Of Your Children and Pets

Among all of our tips, this may seem the most redundant. It may look that way, but when the relocation day comes, people don’t know what hit them and often don’t remember to take care of the beings that depend on them. Because of that, ensure that your children are away from all that noise and busy movers, possibly outside of your old home with a nanny or a family member. Also, if you are relocating with pets, remember to take care of them – provide an empty room with enough food and water, or let your friends watch them.

Free Your Mind From the Unnecessary Stress

A fear of forgetting something important can cause the growth of your negative emotions, such as anxiety. By memorizing this checklist and relocation hacks we showed you, you will be able to relax slightly, which is necessary to achieve as stress-free relocation as possible while moving across the country. Then, when you are all composed and calm, transfer to your next checklist and think clearly about what to do after moving.