The Ultimate Moving Checklist: A Week-By-Week Timeline

Everyone knows moving can be stressful. But as a moving company with almost 20 years of experience, we’re here to tell you that it doesn’t have to be. The key is to plan ahead and be prepared. We put together this comprehensive moving checklist to help you stay on track and put your mind at ease that nothing will fall through the cracks.

This week-by-week moving checklist breaks your move into six phases, from two months out through your first week in your new home. Follow it as you plan for your moving day to make sure nothing gets forgotten.

A note on timing: The timeline below is built for moves involving a 2-bedroom home or larger. If you’re moving a studio or 1-bedroom, you don’t necessarily need to start quite as early. That said, starting early never hurts, and the phases still apply.

6 – 8 Weeks Before Moving Day: Start Planning & Book Movers

This is the phase most people skip or compress. Don’t. Everything after this depends on having a mover booked, a timeline set, and a clear picture of what you’re taking with you.

Book your movers

• Research and compare at least two or three companies before committing. Read our guide to how to choose a moving company in the Twin Cities if you’re not sure what to look for.
• Book at least 4 weeks in advance — more if you’re moving during peak season (May through September).
• Provide a full inventory of everything your movers will handle, including large furniture and specialty items.
• Ask about cancellation and rescheduling policies, and confirm how damaged items are handled.

Get a realistic picture of your move costs

• Review how much movers cost in the Twin Cities so you’re not surprised by the final number.
• Budget for packing supplies, moving insurance, and tips for your crew.

Decide what’s coming with you

• This is the time to declutter before you pack rather than after. Moving fewer items saves real money and makes unpacking significantly easier. Keepsake PCO has a helpful room-by-room guide on how to declutter before moving worth reading before you start.
• We offer an environmentally-conscious furniture disposal service for items that aren’t worth moving and can’t be donated.

Reserve logistics

• Reserve a parking space for the moving truck at both addresses if necessary.
• If you’re moving into or out of an apartment or condo, reserve the elevator and loading dock for your move date. Many buildings require advance notice of several weeks.

4 – 6 Weeks Before Moving Day: Gather Supplies & Start Packing

2 – 3 Weeks Before Moving Day: Prep Your Home & Handle Admin Tasks

This phase has two tracks running in parallel: getting your current home ready to hand over, and handling the administrative tasks that most people forget until they’re standing in their new home without internet or a forwarding address.

Prepare your current home for move-out

• Declutter remaining areas you haven’t gone through yet.
• Begin patching walls: fill nail holes, touch up paint where needed.
• Take down picture frames, TV wall mounts, and any other wall-mounted items.
• Start the kitchen early — it’s the most time-consuming room to pack and the one most people underestimate. Aim to have it packed at least two weeks before your move date, keeping out only the essentials you’ll use in the final days.

Handling the cleaning yourself? The move-out cleaning checklist covers what needs to happen before you hand over keys. If you’d rather not spend your final days in the home scrubbing appliances and cleaning bathrooms, Keepsake PCO handles move-out cleaning across the Twin Cities and can coordinate around your CMM move date.

Handle address changes and utilities

This is the section most moving checklists leave out, and it’s the one that creates the most headaches after the move.

• USPS mail forwarding: Submit a change of address at moversguide.usps.com at least two weeks before your move. Mail forwarding handles temporary redirection but does not update your records with individual organizations.
• Utilities at your current address: Contact your electricity, gas, water, internet, and trash providers to schedule disconnection or transfer on or after your move date. Don’t cancel too early.
• Utilities at your new address: Set up services at the new home at least two weeks in advance. You want power, water, and internet working when you arrive.
• Banks and credit cards: Update your billing address with all financial institutions.
• Employer: Update your address for payroll and HR records.
• Insurance providers: Notify your health, car, and home or renters insurance providers.
• Subscriptions and deliveries: Update your address for any recurring deliveries, streaming services, or subscription boxes.
• Schools: If you have children, notify their school and begin the enrollment or transfer process at the new location.
• Healthcare providers: Update your address with your doctors, dentists, and pharmacy.

Minnesota-specific: Minnesota law requires you to update your driver’s license address within 30 days of moving. You can do this online or at your local Driver and Vehicle Services (DVS) office. Update your vehicle registration at the same time.
Minnesota DVS address change information.

The Final Week Before Moving Day: Finish Packing and Confirm Logistics

Packing

• Finish packing all rooms except daily essentials.
• Set aside an “open first” box for each room: the items you’ll need immediately on the other end. For the kitchen: coffee maker, a few plates, utensils. For the bathroom: toiletries, towels, toilet paper. For the bedroom: bedding, phone charger.
• Disassemble furniture that needs to come apart: beds, desks, large shelving units. Store all hardware in labeled plastic bags taped to the corresponding piece of furniture.
• Empty gas from lawnmowers and snowblowers. Remove propane tanks from gas grills — these cannot go on the truck.
• Remove all items from dresser drawers.
• Pad and wrap furniture that your movers won’t be wrapping themselves. Confirm with your moving company what they handle.

Confirm your logistics

• Confirm your move date, start time, and address details with your moving company.
• Reconfirm elevator or loading dock reservations.
• Confirm parking arrangements at both locations.
• Plan on tipping? Get cash ahead of time. A typical tip for a local Twin Cities move is $20 to $50 per mover, adjusted for the difficulty of the job and the quality of service.

Prepare your new home

• Confirm utilities are active at the new address.
• Change the locks or have them rekeyed before you move in. You don’t know who has a copy of the previous owner’s key.
• Locate the main water shutoff and electrical panel. Label the breakers if they aren’t already.
• Test smoke and carbon monoxide detectors. Carbon monoxide detectors are required in residential dwellings in Minnesota.

Clean Your Old Home Before Move Out

Once you’re fully packed up, you still have to clean your entire home. That means vacuuming everywhere, cleaning out appliances, wiping down surfaces, and more. Our partners at Keepsake PCO shared their move-out cleaning checklist that is designed to make sure your home passes inspection.

Of course, you may not feel like cleaning at this stage. In that case, Keepsake offers a move-out cleaning service to take that off your plate. It doesn’t fit in everyone’s budget, but it can be a huge time-saver if that’s what you’re looking for.

Moving Day Checklist

Moving day goes smoothest when your role is to direct rather than scramble. If your home is fully packed and logistics are confirmed, the crew can do their job efficiently and you can stay out of the way.

Before the crew arrives

• Do a final walkthrough of every room, closet, cabinet, and storage space.
• Make sure the path from each room to the front door is clear.
• Set your “open first” boxes aside so they’re loaded last and come off the truck first.
• Keep important documents, jewelry, medications, and irreplaceable items separate. We recommend moving them personally to ensure you know exactly where these items end up.

During the move

• Walk your crew through the home before loading begins. Point out anything fragile, anything that disassembles, and any access issues (narrow hallways, low doorframes, difficult parking).
• Stay available to answer questions but let the crew work.
• Note anything that gets damaged during the move before the crew leaves. Document it and address it with the company before signing off.

How long will it take? Check out how long a local move takes — we broke down average move times by home size and crew size based on five years of real CMM data, which is useful for planning your day.

Before the truck leaves your old address

• Do a final walkthrough of every room, including closets, cabinets, the garage, and outdoor areas.
• Check appliances: refrigerator, oven, washer and dryer connections.
• Make sure nothing has been left behind.

At your new address

• Direct the crew on where each item goes. Having a rough floor plan in mind before they arrive saves significant time.
• Check furniture and boxes for damage as items come off the truck.
• Tip your crew individually at the end of the job.

First Week After Your Move

The move is done but the checklist isn’t. The first week is when the administrative loose ends matter most and when most people lose momentum.

Settle in

• Unpack your essentials boxes that contain the bathroom, bedroom, and kitchen basics.
• Reassemble furniture before unpacking boxes into each room. It’s a lot harder to arrange furniture in a room that’s cluttered with half-unpacked boxes.
• Set a realistic deadline for full unpacking, like two to four weeks. Whatever is still in a box after that probably belongs in a donation pile, not a shelf.

Finish your old home

• Complete any remaining patching and touch-up work.
• Return keys, garage openers, and any other access items.
• Complete your address changes
• Update your driver’s license with Minnesota DVS within 30 days of your move date.
• Update your vehicle registration at the same time.
• Register to vote at your new address at vote.gov.
• Confirm all utilities are working correctly at the new address and that disconnection happened at the old one.

Moving Checklist: Quick Reference

Following our checklist will help you be prepared, minimize stress, and save money on your moving day.