Moving Countdown: Move Day & After

This is it — moving day and the days right after. Today is about keeping things moving, making sure everything actually leaves with the truck or container, and getting into your new place in one piece. The most important moment of the whole day is the walk-through before you pull away — it’s how you make sure nothing gets left behind. Take it stage by stage with the drop-downs below, and grab the printable checklist (PDF) so you can tick things off as you go.

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Before they arrive – Be ready▼

A few minutes of prep this morning keeps the whole day on schedule.

☐Have the spot ready. Clear the driveway or curb and put up your parking signs if you arranged them, so the truck or container can pull in close.

☐Load your own car first. Your essentials bags, valuables, documents, and “open first” box go in your car before anything else — never on the truck.

☐Be there to point things out. Be home when the crew arrives so you can show them what goes, what stays, and anything fragile or heavy.

☐Have small bills for tips. Keep some cash on hand if you’d like to tip the crew at the end of the day.

During the load – Direct and document▼

Stay close, keep it organized, and hold on to your paperwork.

☐Point the crew to what goes. Walk them through room by room, and keep your “stays with me” pile well out of the way so it doesn’t get loaded by mistake.

☐Long-distance, full-service move? Get a copy of the inventory. Your mover lists and tags the condition of every item before it goes on the truck. Look it over, make sure it matches what’s actually being loaded, and keep your own copy — it’s what protects you if something is missing or damaged at the other end.

☐Keep paths clear and people safe. Keep walkways open and kids and pets out of the way so the load goes quickly and nobody gets hurt.

☐Walk through before they pull away. When the place looks empty, do your full walk-through before the truck or container leaves — see the box below.

At the new place – Get it in the right rooms▼

A little direction now saves hours of moving boxes around later.

☐Direct boxes to the right rooms. Stand where you can point, and call out or label each room so boxes land where they belong the first time.

☐Check everything arrived — and check it off. On a long-distance move, check items off your inventory as they come in, and flag anything missing or damaged before the crew leaves.

☐Look things over before you sign. Don’t sign that everything arrived in good shape until you’ve actually looked. Note any damage on the paperwork.

☐Set up the essentials first. Beds, a working bathroom, and the kitchen basics — get those going tonight so the first night is easy.

After the move – Settle in and close the loop▼

The big day is done; a few follow-ups this week save headaches later.

☐Report any damage right away. If something arrived broken, tell your mover promptly — there’s a limited window to file a claim, so don’t sit on it.

☐Unpack room by room. Start with the kitchen and bedrooms. Break down and recycle boxes as you go so they don’t take over the new place.

☐Finish the last address changes. Update anything you missed — voter registration, the DMV, and any subscription still going to the old address.

☐Tell people you made it. Share your new address with friends and family, and if the move went well, a quick review of your movers helps the next person choose.

Before you leave, walk through every room — this is the most important thing you’ll do all day. By the time the truck or container is loaded, you’re worn out and ready to be done — and that’s exactly when things get left behind. Before you pull away, walk the whole place one more time, slowly and on purpose:

Open every closet, cabinet, and drawer. Check behind doors, in the garage, the attic, the yard, the laundry, and any shed. The forgotten spots are almost always the same — a coat closet, the medicine cabinet, a high shelf, the side yard.
Take photos of every empty room. They show you left the place clean and empty, they help you get your deposit back, and they’re your record if you notice later that something is missing.
Don’t leave until it’s truly empty. It is far easier to grab one more box now than to drive back for it — or lose it for good.

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 stages 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

What’s the one thing people forget on moving day?

The final walk-through. After a long, tiring day it’s tempting to just go — but that’s exactly when a closet, the garage, or a high shelf gets missed. Walk every room before you leave, and take photos as you go.

Should I take photos on moving day?

Yes — of every empty room before you leave, and of any valuable or fragile item before it’s loaded. Photos help with your deposit, prove the condition of your things, and give you a record if anything turns up missing or damaged.

Do I get a copy of the inventory on a long-distance move?

You should. A full-service mover lists and condition-tags every item before loading. Review it, make sure it’s accurate, and keep your own copy — it’s what backs you up if there’s a missing or damaged item when you unpack.

Something arrived damaged — what do I do?

Note it on the paperwork before the crew leaves, take photos, and report it to your mover right away. There’s a limited window to file a claim, so the sooner the better.

Continue your countdown

That’s the whole countdown. If you want to step back to any phase — declutter, booking, packing, or the final week — here’s the full set. Each one has its own checklist you can work through at your own pace.