moving guide

What to Pack First When Moving: A Room-by-Room Order

The biggest packing mistake isn't bad bubble wrap — it's packing in the wrong order. Box up the kitchen three weeks early and you'll be eating takeout on the floor; leave the garage for last and moving day turns into chaos. The rule that fixes it: pack from "rarely touched" to "touched daily," and keep one box that never gets taped shut at all.

First: things you won't miss (3–4 weeks out)

Storage areas: attic, basement, garage shelves — the stuff already in boxes.
Seasonal items: holiday decorations, off-season clothes, camping gear, beach stuff.
Books, DVDs, and decor: use small boxes for books — a large box of books is an injury, not a box.
Wall art, photos, and mirrors: wrap them now; bare walls are good motivation anyway.
Guest rooms and any room nobody sleeps in.

Second: the sometimes stuff (2 weeks out)

Kitchen extras: the stand mixer, serving platters, the good china, small appliances you won't use this month. Keep one pot, one pan, and a place setting per person out.
Most clothes: leave out about ten days' worth. Wardrobe boxes (or trash bags around hanging clothes) save hours.
Linens and towels beyond one set per bed and person — they double as free padding for fragile boxes.
Toys, minus each kid's favorites.
Office and paperwork: files, extra cables, the printer. Back up your computer first.

Third: almost everything else (the final week)

The rest of the kitchen, ending with the fridge and pantry. Defrost the freezer 48 hours out.
Bathrooms, keeping a toiletry kit per person.
Electronics: photograph cable setups before unplugging; bag screws and remotes and tape them to the thing they belong to.
Lamps, rugs, curtains — the things that make a house look lived-in leave last.

Last: the essentials box (never in the truck)

Pack one box — or a suitcase per person — that travels with you: medications, phone chargers, basic tools, toilet paper, soap, snacks, a change of clothes, kids' and pets' must-haves, and your documents folder. If the truck is late, this box is the difference between a rough night and a fine one.

Labeling that actually helps

Destination room + contents summary on the top and one side of every box: "KITCHEN — everyday plates and glasses".
A number on each box plus a running list on your phone = instant inventory; you'll know if box 23 never made it off the truck.
Color tape per room lets helpers deliver boxes without asking where anything goes.
"OPEN FIRST" on the boxes for beds, the coffee maker, and the shower curtain.

How many boxes will you need?

A rough rule: 10–15 boxes per room, so a one-bedroom apartment runs about 20–40 boxes and a three-bedroom house 80–120. Buy more small boxes than feels reasonable — heavy things go in small boxes, light bulky things in big ones.

Packing is only one lane of the move. The week-by-week moving checklist keeps the rest on schedule, and the change-of-address checklist makes sure your mail arrives at the same house you do.