Moving to a new apartment, even within the same city — is a troublesome and exhausting activity that can "unsettle" the most organized person. With the help of a moving checklist, you will be able to organize the move correctly and will not forget or miss anything.

The most obvious decision still will be hiring a reliable mover who knows packing hacks and is experienced enough to move fragile things. Expenses are always disappointing but using nowadays tools like approximate moving cost calculator or numerous apps will help you to plan and even save your money. You can save time and effort by instructing movers to pack property, disassemble / assemble furniture, choose a route, unpack things, etc.

What you need to do in advance before moving

Decide how the move will take place - whether you will involve a moving company in the organization of work, limit yourself to rented moving trucks and movers, or plan to cope on your own. If you plan to cope on your own, enlist the support of friends and acquaintances who will help you in packing things, and-most importantly-in loading and unloading operations.

Select the date and time for the move. Correlate your relocation plans with your family's work and school schedules. Take into account the transport situation. Traditionally, the most popular time to move into a new apartment is the weekend, especially Saturday. If possible, try to avoid peak hours, it is optimal to schedule the move at the beginning of the working week. Do not neglect the weather forecast-snowfall or heavy rain will complicate the already troublesome transportation.

Make a detailed plan of action with an indication of the terms for each item: buy packaging materials, sort things, disassemble furniture and pack property, decide on a contractor (car and movers).

Purge and declutter. Do not take unnecessary things with you – "extra" things should be distributed, sold or simply thrown away. If there are things that you are not ready to part with, and there is no place in the new apartment for them – they can be determined for storage in a warehouse.

Consider labeling the boxes. For example, label by room (bedroom, living room, kitchen) or by item type (dishes, clothes, documents). And it is better to additionally sort things in advance and indicate on the boxes the frequency of use (daily, regularly or rarely). This will greatly facilitate the search for the right items in the first days in a new place.

Take care of the packaging materials. Professionals know how many boxes, film or adhesive tape you need, but you can determine the number yourself. After self-counting, feel free to double the number (our experience shows that it is quite difficult to objectively assess the volume of things). 

Separately, collect boxes with basic necessities, first aid kit,  chargers for all gadgets. Are you afraid of missing something? 

Walk through the corridors and staircases in the entrances of the new and old house – make sure that all the things and furniture "pass" through the openings and fit into the turns. Pay attention to door blocks, corners, walls in narrow spaces — they need to be additionally protected or remember about the finish so as not to damage it.

Disassemble the furniture that will definitely not pass through the doors and openings of the apartment.

How to proceed on the eve of moving

On the day before the move, prepare meals and "snacks" for the whole family, including breakfast at the old residence and dinner at the new home.

Do you have small children or pets in your family? It is advisable to protect them from the stress of moving. If at least for a day they find themselves "on neutral territory" (with grandmothers, other relatives, friends), there will be much less excitement and trouble.

Prepare for all family members a "moving" set of clothes (non-branded, comfortable, not interfering with free movement).

Put a separate stationery knife or other cutting tool to open the boxes.

Make sure that both the old and new addresses have a parking space for the truck, and that the elevators are working.

Think about the route of the car so as not to get into traffic jams. Please note that the entrance of cargo transport to the city center may be restricted.

Be sure to get some sleep. You'll need your strength tomorrow, so don't put off packing for the last night.