The 8-Week Moving Countdown Checklist
A week-by-week plan from booking your mover through the final walkthrough on moving day.
Published 2026-03-21 · 8 min read · Checklists
Weeks 8 to 6: research and book
Start researching movers, verify USDOT numbers, and request written estimates from at least two or three companies. Once you've chosen one, confirm your date and get the written scope in hand. This is also the window to start a room-by-room decluttering pass, since it's much easier to sort belongings before packing begins in earnest.
Weeks 5 to 4: sort, purge, and gather supplies
Finish deciding what's moving with you versus being donated, sold, or discarded, and start collecting packing supplies — boxes, tape, paper — sized appropriately for your inventory. Begin using up frozen and perishable food if your move involves any real distance or timeline, so nothing goes to waste in the final days.
Weeks 3 to 2: pack the rooms you use least
Start packing guest rooms, storage areas, and anything you won't need in daily life between now and move day. Confirm any building logistics — elevator reservations, parking permits — with both your current and new address. Update your address with your bank, employer, and key subscriptions during this window as well.
Week 1 and moving week
Pack a first-night bag, finish packing everything except daily essentials, confirm final details with your mover, and do a final walkthrough of your current home before the crew arrives. On move day itself, be present to answer questions and direct placement at the new address as boxes come off the truck.
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