Moving Countdown: 30 Days Out

You’re about a month out, and this is the busy stretch before the final week. You confirm everything you’ve booked, switch your address and utilities over to the new place, pack the bulk of the house, and line up the details for moving day. Keep clearing out as you pack; the closer you get, the easier it is to see what you don’t need. Take it one week at a time with the drop-downs below, and grab the printable checklist (PDF) so you can tick things off as you go. The last week before the move has its own checklist — you’ll find 7 Days Out at the bottom of this page when you get there.

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Week 4 – Confirm everything and switch your address over▼

This week you confirm what you’ve already arranged and start the official switch to your new home. These steps take a few days to go through, so it helps to start them now.

☐Confirm your move in writing. Reconfirm the date, the time, and the details with your mover or your container delivery, and get it in writing so nothing is a surprise.

☐File your change of address. Submit the official U.S. Postal Service change of address, then start working down the address list you made last month — bank, employer, insurance, subscriptions.

☐Set up utilities at both homes. Schedule electricity, gas, water, and internet to start at the new place and stop at the old one, timed to your move so you’re never without and never paying for an empty house.

☐Keep getting rid of things. Stay with the two rules: decide keep-or-go the moment you touch something, and put out a full bin every week.

Week 3 – Pack the bulk of the house▼

With the easy rooms already done, this is when most of the packing happens. Work room by room and keep the daily-use things out.

☐Pack room by room. Pack everything except what you use day to day. Keep labeling each box with the room and what’s inside, on the side, not the top.

☐Start using up what you can’t move. Eat down the freezer and pantry and finish open cleaning supplies — you can’t pack food, and many chemicals and spray cans aren’t allowed on a truck.

☐Set up a “do not pack” corner. Pick one spot for the things you’ll need to the very end and on moving day, and tell everyone it stays unpacked so it doesn’t get boxed by mistake.

☐Keep getting rid of things. Another room packed, another full bin out the door.

Week 2 – Handle the moving-day logistics▼

Now you sort out the day itself — the access, the parking, and the space the truck or container needs. These are easy to forget and slow to fix at the last minute.

☐Arrange building access. Reserve the elevator or loading dock, get a parking permit for the truck or container, and ask both buildings whether they need a certificate of insurance.

☐Clear the path for the truck or container. Make sure the driveway or street spot is open. A Box-n-Go container needs 8.5 feet wide by 8.5 feet tall of clearance to be set down.

☐Reconfirm care for kids and pets. Double-check the sitter, friend, or daycare you lined up last month so moving day stays calm and safe.

☐Keep getting rid of things. Whatever you are not taking should be gone by now — last rooms, last full bins.

The heart of a smart move: don’t pay to move what you’d replace for less. The most expensive mistake people make is paying to move everything — including cheap, replaceable furniture that costs more to haul than to buy new at the other end. The goal isn’t to move your house; it’s to move what’s worth moving. Two rules carry you through the whole phase:

The “get rid of it” rule. Handle each item once. Decide keep-or-go on the spot, and if it’s go, get it out the door right away — no “maybe” pile to re-sort later. Drive the decision with one honest question: every item costs money to move on top of what you already paid for it, so would it cost more to move this than to replace it at the other end? For inexpensive flat-pack furniture the answer is usually yes — especially long-distance, where it rarely survives being taken apart and rebuilt. Save the move for your valuables, your quality pieces, and the things you can’t replace; let the cheap, replaceable stuff go.
The “full bin every week” rule. Every week, the trash and recycle bins go out full of things you’ve let go. It’s an honest gauge: if your bin isn’t full this week, you haven’t pushed hard enough. Small, steady weekly purges beat one impossible weekend at the end.

What Our Customers Think

Judy S.

Video transcript

With any storage facility, my concerns are, number one, safety and theft of my items — how well are they going to be cared for? Are they going to be damaged, shaken around, especially in a pod? Then also ease of access — it’s not like a roll-up-door storage locker where you can just go and get in; it has to be brought out. And I thought, boy, all that moving around, it’s going to be a wreck. And cost, and so on. And then, working with the people there — how easy is that going to be?

I was very pleased with the service. When I first packed up, I didn’t order enough pods, and here I am in the middle of moving, on a deadline — I have to fly out across the Pacific, so it’s not like I can wait around. I needed more pods. They delivered me more pods on the spot, and I packed them up.

Over the years — and I’ve been here quite a few years, because I moved from the mainland to Hawaii, and now from Hawaii to Panama — I’ve had these storage lockers for years. I went from four to three, three to two, and now two to one. Every time I’ve had to come here or contact them, they’re Johnny-on-the-spot, so accommodating. When I call in to make my payments, I almost feel like I work here now, because I know everybody so well. They’re very understanding and easy to work with.

I’ve had other storage lockers — this is the best experience I’ve ever had. That’s why I’ve been here so long. My kids are already saying they’re going to use Box-n-Go when they move. You don’t think your stuff’s going to be in storage that long, but it is. And with all the ins and outs of the pods, nothing has ever been damaged. Not one thing. So I’m very pleased. Very pleased.

If you’re going to be out of state, your stuff’s secure, it’s taken care of, it’s not deteriorating. We had a leather saddle in there for years — I said to my husband, it’s going to be full of mold, even your shoes get moldy when they’re locked up. We took it out — it’s perfect. It’s temperature controlled, all of it. I couldn’t be happier. I would definitely recommend them. I have recommended them.

Kelly N.

Video transcript

This was the first time I was renting storage. My first concerns were: where was the storage place, and was it safe? I’m putting all my valuables and keepsakes — things that are really important to me — so it was really important that they felt safe, that the company was a real company I trusted. Also the cost — how much was it going to be? I didn’t want to have to worry, while I’m out traveling, about being hit with all these fees on top of it, or weird things. So those were the main concerns.

What surprised me the most — there are so many things I could say, but I guess just how easy it was. I had no idea. The whole process was very easy. When I moved everything, the box came to me, I put everything in there — it was just so simple and affordable. And then even getting into my storage: because I decided to keep traveling a little bit longer, it was super easy just to drop in, take stuff out or put some in. It was just so easy. And I felt very safe. So it totally blew my expectations of what I thought storage would be, because it’s just been very pleasant.

I recommend them all the time to many people — mostly because I feel safe, I feel like my storage is in a safe place, and just because of how easy and affordable this whole process has been.

Janice H.

Video transcript

When I first called Box-n-Go, I spoke to Frank, and he was very thorough with the information I needed — sizes, prices and rates, the contract based on the number of months, any specials. I thought, wow, he’s giving me everything; I’m not really having to ask. I liked that a lot — the information was provided up front. I told him I’d take everything, look through it, do some research, and come back to him. But I pretty much knew everything he’d said made sense, and I felt really comfortable with him. He was oriented toward good customer service, just on point. I had nothing in my mind that said I wanted to look any further.

I did some searches and Box-n-Go came up. I’d talked to some other people before, but when I got to Box-n-Go I was just like, “You know what? I’ve made my decision.” I had no hesitation about going with anyone else.

The container came to my home, and it was exactly the size I thought it was — no surprises, no “this is too big, this is too small.” I put everything in it, it got picked up, everything was on schedule, exactly as Frank had said. I was definitely pleased.

I really liked working with Frank. He was my point person the whole time I had my storage. I’d call him, he remembered me, and he made every attempt to be on point with everything. When I’d come to the storage facility to check on things — take some out, put some in — he was always there, friendly. And there were the two Stans; customer service was great, the warehouse guys were great. Everyone was friendly, no one was rude, no one was lost or disappeared. They helped me move stuff in, they helped me move stuff out. It was great — even though I was taking my stuff out of storage.

I would recommend them to everyone. So kudos to Frank, the two Stans, the warehouse guys, and Box-n-Go in general.

Print it and check it off

This page is also a printable one-page checklist — the same weeks and items above, condensed so you can carry it around, tick things off by hand, and keep your momentum without a screen.

⬇ Download Printable Checklist (PDF)

Frequently Asked Questions

It’s a month out and I’ve barely packed — am I behind?

Not necessarily, but this is the week to really get going. Pack the rooms and things you don’t use day to day first, and leave the daily basics for the final week. If you booked your move and cleared out the things you’re not taking, you’re in good shape — packing goes fast once the clutter is gone.

When should I file my change of address?

About two weeks before you move is the sweet spot. The U.S. Postal Service lets you pick a start date, so your mail begins following you the day you need it instead of arriving at the old place or piling up.

Does my building need a certificate of insurance for the movers?

Many apartment buildings and HOAs do, for both the place you’re leaving and the one you’re moving into. Ask both buildings now — it can take a few days to get one, and some won’t let a move happen without it.

What should I NOT pack?

Anything you can’t safely move — food, flammables, spray cans, and most chemicals — and anything you’ll need with you: medications, important papers, and valuables. Keep those last items in your own car or your essentials bag, not on the truck.

Continue your countdown

You’ve booked, packed the easy rooms, and started the paperwork. Here’s the rest of the countdown — including the earlier phases if you want to step back — and each phase has its own checklist you can work through at your own pace.