The only moving out of home checklist you’ll need
So, you’ve decided to fly the nest. Be it with a friend or your partner, moving out of home for the first time is incredibly exciting (and stressful)! From signing the lease and sorting out your utilities, to hiring a skip to get rid of all your old junk, there’s lots to organise. But the best way to ensure you have a stress-free move is to prepare.
To get you started, we’ve put together the ultimate moving out of home checklist. It covers things you should do before/during/after the move and the essential things you need when moving out of your parents’ house.
Overview:
A Moving Day Checklist: Exactly What To Pack
How To Be Organised During Your Move
Tips On What You Need To Do Post-Move
Essential Moving Out Of Home Checklist: A Room-by-Room Guide
A Moving Day Checklist: Exactly What To Pack
When it comes to a successful move, preparation is key, and that’s why we have made a complete moving-out-of-home checklist so you can be prepared for moving day.
1. Organise your utilities
Before the big day, make sure you set up the following:
• Electricity
• Gas (if needed)
• Internet (you may have connection fees if it is a new home build)
• Home and contents insurance*
* If you’re renting, the landlord might already have home insurance. So you’ll just need to sort out contents insurance.
2. Buy the big pieces of furniture early
When you’re moving out of your parents’ house, you’ll probably be getting most of your big furniture delivered. As soon as you know your move-in date, start looking at getting a fridge and a couch. You might inherit older family furniture that can be refreshed or upcycled to suit your new home.
Get the fridge to be delivered either the day you get the keys or the day after. We also recommend getting the couch delivered the week of moving in too, because you can only live on bean bags for so long.
3. Plan how you’re going to move your stuff
If you plan on hiring a removalist or hiring a truck/trailer to do the move yourself (and maybe with some family and friends), you will need to factor in the cost. If you have a small number of items to move, you may be able to convince your friends to help you, using their car. If you have a large number of items to move, you will need to hire a moving truck.
4. Get rid of your junk
When it comes to moving day, the less you have to move, the better. So before you begin packing, do a giant clear out of the stuff you haven’t used in years or things you won’t need in the new house.
If you’ve got a lot of junk, we highly recommend looking into mini skip hire or hiring a 6m3 general waste skip bin. This way, you can get rid of everything in one go!
5. Start boxing up your belongings sooner rather than later
Don’t leave the packing till the night before. Once you know you’ve got the place, it’s a good idea to start packing up sections of your room one by one. It might just be a bookshelf one night and your bathroom stuff another, but it will add up slowly.
How To Be Organised During Your Move
1. Get your bed & kitchen set up first
The very last thing anyone wants to do after a whole day of moving is to make their bed. So the minute you’ve got all of your boxes in the house, set your bed up in your bedroom.
Once you’ve done this, you’ll want to roughly organise your kitchen too. We say “roughly” because you’ll probably change the layout of your kitchen a few times in the first couple of weeks. As long as your fridge is plugged in, you have access to drinking water, cups, bowls/plates and cutlery – you’re set.
2. Try to put the right boxes in the right rooms
While packing your stuff, we recommend labelling the boxes by room and contents. That way during the big move, you can just create a pile of boxes in each room. Doing so can help with the unpacking process too!
Tips On What You Need To Do Post-Move
1. Change your address
In South Australia, you have 2 weeks to change your residential address on your licence. In addition to this, you also need to change your address for things like:
• Car insurance
• Banks
• Electoral Office
• Doctors or a local veterinarian
• Club memberships
• Anywhere you get bills from
You can also easily redirect your mail for a month through Australia Post, just in case.
2. Clear up the garden
Once you’re done with the Ikea trips and you’ve ticked off most of the items on our moving out of home checklist, we recommend doing some gardening. This is especially important if you have pets that go outside, and the previous owners/tenants didn’t mow the lawn before they vacated.
And if the garden doesn’t seem like it’s been tended to in a long time, opt for hiring a green waste skip bin. It’s a super quick and easy way to get rid of your excess green waste, and it saves you from filling up the green bin and waiting for it to be emptied each time.
Essential Moving Out Of Home Checklist: A Room-by-Room Guide
Moving a full household, including furniture, appliances and personal items, can be overwhelming, and it’s easy to overlook the essentials. This room-by-room checklist ensures nothing is forgotten on moving day.
Bedroom
• bed
• bedside tables
• wardrobe/dresser, if there isn’t an inbuilt wardrobe
• quilt, bedsheets & pillows
• lamp
• All of your electrical cords – think phone chargers
Bathroom
• Towels
• Bathmat
• Hand soap
• Toilet paper
• Toilet paper holder & toilet brush
Laundry/cleaning
• Washing machine (your new place may have it. You can also use a laundromat for the first few months too)
• Laundry basket & washing basket
• Hand soap
• Mop & vacuum
• Dust pan & broom
• Washing powder & pegs
• Stain remover
• Surface/glass/floor cleaner
• Toilet cleaning supplies
Kitchen
• Fridge
• Plates & bowls (including mixing/salad bowls)
• Chopping boards
• Oven mitts
• Water glasses & mugs
• Microwave, kettle & toaster
• Bin & bin bags
• Tea towels
• Clingwrap, baking paper & foil
• Sponges & detergent
• Cutlery & knives
• Utensils (whisk, wooden spoon, spatula, tongs, measuring cups, can opener, grater, peeler, etc.)
• Oven pans
• Pots & pans
• Water jug (especially a filtered one if your new place doesn’t have a Puratap)
• Placemats & coasters
Living room
• Couch
• Coffee table
• TV & TV unit
General (things you often forget about)
• Door mat
• Lighter/matches
• Scissors
• Batteries
• Tool kit
• First aid kit
Keep in mind, this is only a general list of the things you need when moving out of your parents’ home. You may have a home office/study you need to think about, or pet food/supplies if you have a pet!
Streamline Your Moving Day Clean-Up with Just Skips
Before you move, take the time to walk through each room of your current home and make a note of what you’ll need in your new space. From essential items to final clean-up, this moving out of home checklist is designed to help make the process more organised and less overwhelming.
If you’re preparing for a move and need help managing the waste that comes with it, Just Skips offers reliable skip bin hire across Adelaide. If you have any additional questions or need any help, please do not hesitate to contact our team or call us on (08) 8255 6677
Frequently Asked Questions
What do you need when moving out of home?
You’ll need to organise essentials for each room, including furniture, bedding, kitchenware, cleaning supplies, and personal items. It’s also important to set up utilities like electricity, internet, and contents insurance before moving in. To ensure nothing is missed, consider using a room-by-room checklist.
How do I move out of my house for the first time?
Start by planning your move in advance. Set up your utilities, organise furniture deliveries, and decide whether you’ll hire a removalist or move with help from friends. Begin packing early and label boxes by room. Decluttering your home beforehand can also make the move easier and more efficient. A skip bin makes it easy to dispose of unwanted or hoarded items during your move.
How do I start the process of moving out?
The first step is preparation. Walk through your current home, take note of what you’ll need, and create a checklist. Begin decluttering early to avoid taking unnecessary items with you. A skip bin can help you throw away any unwanted or hoarded items, making it easier and more convenient to manage waste before the move. Once you’ve cleared the clutter, you can focus on packing and organising your essentials.
