Whether you have just started looking for a new apartment or have found a place and are preparing to move out, there is an endless list of things to do. One of the tasks that seems most daunting is packing everything up. Of course, you can’t really pack up your life until your new place is ready to move in, right?  I mean, you need all this stuff on a daily basis, right? In reality, you can start packing over a month in advance.

We all get so attached to our “stuff”, we get the idea in our heads that we can’t live without it, even for a few days. But, as it turns out, we don’t use all of our apartment living stuff as often as we might think.

Start Packing Early

Go through your closet. Do you really wear all this stuff? Dig deep – if you haven't worn it in over a year, get rid of it! Then pack up all of your clothes that are not needed for that season. Moving in the summer? You won’t need your sweaters and jackets for a while – especially in Chico or Redding. Pick an area of your apartment to carve out for stacking pre-packed boxes.

Hot tip: Use wardrobe boxes for clothing on hangers. This saves time and keeps your clothes from getting wadded up and wrinkled.

You can also pack up a lot of your extra towels and bed linens. Leave just 2 sets of sheets and the necessary towels out, everything else can get boxed up. Same thing goes for the kitchen. Leave the stuff that you use weekly and pack up the rest. Large serving trays and seasonal items can get boxed up too.

Hire a Moving Company to Do the Rest

If you pre-pack as much as you can, you will save yourself time when it gets down to your last week. With less to pack and move at the very end, it's easier to afford using a moving company to do the rest. For local in town moves it can be surprisingly affordable, especially when you only need the movers for a few hours. 

Schedule End Dates and Transfers of Service for Utilities

You can notify all your apartment living utilities in advance so that they can either plan an end date for service, or a transfer of service. Scheduling in advance for this will also increase the chance of getting on the schedule for your preferred days and times. If you wait until you move to notify our cable TV provider, you might find it’s going to be a week before they can schedule you to setup your new service. Here’s a quick reminder list of utilities to notify:

• TV/Internet Provider
• Power & Gas
• Water
• Garbage Recycling
  
  

Notify Your Insurance

If you carry apartment living renters insurance (you should carry renters insurance), you will want to notify your insurance provider of the upcoming move and the new address so that your coverages will be effective immediately upon your move-in date.

If you need more help wrapping your brain around moving out, check out our Ultimate Guide to Moving!