Stress Free Moving #3: Moving Day

The big day has arrived! Here’s how to stay calm, wrap up your old home, and set the stage for a joyful start in your new space.

TLDR: Cleaning, Gratitude, and Settling In

Clean & Repair:

• Scrub your old place top to bottom.

• Handle small repairs (patch holes, tighten fixtures).

• Use my daily and deep cleaning checklist to keep track.
  

Thank You Gifts
Show appreciation for friends, family, or movers who help out.

• Snacks or lunch provided.

• Mini thank‑you bags with items like chapstick, sanitizer, or $5 coffee gift cards.

• Kid‑friendly treats like stickers or coloring books.
  

First Days in Your New Home:

• Unpack “Open First” boxes right away.

• Prioritize setting up the bed and bathroom.

• Give yourself grace to settle in slowly—your home will evolve with you.
  

Moving day is the start of a new chapter. Celebrate your hard work, thank your helpers, and enjoy the process of creating a new home.

If that was a bit too brief, here's how to pack, clean, and thank everyone involved on your moving day:

PACK

Begin packing either by categories of items or rooms by least used to most used. It’s up to you. For example, you can pack the guest bedroom up before your kitchen or whatever areas are least essential to most the closer you get to your moving date. Or to pack by category, you can pack sentimental items first as they are used the least.

I recommend just going room by room in order of least used to most. You can see why below. When you are getting closer to the time you need most of your things packed (this will vary by person and timeframes), go through each area and set aside your most essential items that will be needed right up until the day before the move. Set aside any items that may also be needed for the “Open First” box (see tip #6).

Now that your essentials are selected, you can pack absolutely everything else. I recommend moving clockwise or counterclockwise and packing until every drawer, shelf, or cupboard is empty. This will help you stay focused on packing quickly and efficiently and not get sidetracked by items you may still need or items to donate because you have already completed those steps.

Moving through a room in one direction will keep your momentum as you can more easily see progress than jumping from one section to another all over the room. It will also keep you from forgetting about or missing items to pack. If you have completed the KonMari process, your things will be organized into similar categories already in each area and should be packed with each other. It makes more sense to pack toiletries and bathroom items together than kitchen utensils with books for example. It will make unpacking organized and less chaotic. Try to pack with the new place in mind and what room you will want those items to be in.

If your movers are planning to put everything in one area and not disperse boxes to different rooms, it may still be helpful to use the inventory code tip to know which boxes go where and what is in each one or at least in a few important ones for when you unpack them.

Pack the essential items last when you no longer need to use them and remember to pack an overnight bag and “open first” box with your essentials for the first couple days.

CLEAN

Now it’s time to scrub your old place top to bottom and keep in mind any repairs that may need to be done before the last few days of packing. Some repairs and cleaning take a lot of time so make a list of all of it and check them off as they can be done.

See my checklist for daily and deep cleaning ideas to help you track all the areas to clean. You can use this to clean your new home too!

THANK YOU GIFTS

Giving your movers and helpers a small gift can be a thoughtful way to thank them for their help. Paying for their lunch or snacks is always an acceptable way to thank people who have helped you move, but if you want to go a step further and if you are like me and love giving gifts, you may enjoy putting together a small thank you gift with ideas of items below. You can wrap these in a mini paper gift bag or use mini cardboard boxes made to look like little moving boxes. You can even write “thank you” or their name in Sharpie marker on the sides!

Mini thank you gift ideas:

• Chapstick

• Small hand sanitizer or hand sanitizer sprays

• Cookies

• Chocolates

• $5 gift cards to fast food or coffee shops

• Cute hair ties or scrunchies

• Handkerchief

• Hand or feet mini lotion

• Key chain wristlet

• Color pencils, stickers, and coloring books for kids if they are coming to help.

• Polaroid pictures from moving day with friends or family

I know you will be successful in packing your things to move and I hope these tips and ideas will help you through this challenge. Congratulations on making a big change and I hope you find joy in your new home!

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