Moving Checklist | The Best Checklist For Moving Out of State

Thinking about leaving the nest? Been There! It can be scary to decide to leave everything and everyone you know behind, but this moving checklist is the best place to start!

All it takes is a bit of planning and preparation and you will be on your way! I’ve put together this moving checklist to help build your own self-moving checklist. It’s one of the best moving checklists of things to do. It also gives you some tips on moving essentials!

Whether you are simply looking for a checklist for moving locally or a checklist for moving out of state, this guide will help you.

This post is a moving checklist of everything you need to do before moving out of state.

The Best Moving Checklist Ever:

Money you need to help with the checklist for moving out of state

1. Money- Do You Have A Job Out of State?

Let’s get right to it.

Money!

Money stops a lot of people from chasing their dreams. It’s sad but true. The best thing you can do is land a job FIRST or figure out how you’re going to fund your life. Securing the bag should be your number one priority.

Unless you are a freelancer, have friends or family in another state, are extremely courageous, or are financially prepared (emergency fund) to move without needing a source of income, I highly suggest searching for your new job or way to make money BEFORE moving out of state.

Why?

The location of your job will ultimately determine where you will be living.

A job will provide a sense of comfort and ease… at least financially.

You are more likely to get approved for housing if you have proof of income.

*When I moved I was asked for two previous pay stubs and proof of a new offer or new hire letter.

As a person who literally just moved to a new state, I think it’s helpful to share what that experience was like for me so you can know what you need to do.

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How to Start a Blog and Make Money

Personally, I am a full-time teacher, but on the side, I started writing blogs in hopes of monetizing them to make passive income. My hope is that it creates more financial freedom for me which will, in turn, create more freedom for my life in general.

If you are interested in how I started writing blog posts, you can see how I got started here.

Just so you know, I am currently not getting paid to write posts, but I am documenting my journey and road to monetization.

Read on: Bloggi ng Monthly Income | First Month Blogging

2. Where Are You Going To Live? | Moving Checklist Address Change

I don’t like to live extremely close to where I work. I cringe a little at the thought of running into people I know at the grocery store. It just means that I can’t always opt to look like a bum if that’s the OOTD, haha!

For me, I’m okay with a commute of about twenty-five minutes. Thirty minutes max! To some people, a twenty-five-minute commute may be close while to others it may be a bit too far.

Take traffic into account! I didn’t and I’m lowkey regretting that.

Whatever you decide, I think having step one of this checklist for moving out of state completed helps you get to this point in a stress-free way.

You know which city to live in now. GREAT! Now to find your new nest.

Types of Places To Live In

Apartment

Studio

House

Condo

Couch Surfing (Crashing with friends or family)

I experienced living in dorms, apartments, and a house when I was in college. Post-college, I now live in an apartment. It’s been about four years so far and year five is quickly approaching! So trust me, I know a thing or two about moving on the fly and moving out of state.

If you are traveling alone, roommates can help lower the cost of living. It can help cut your rent in half, pay less on utility bills, and maybe even help save a little on food (a girl gotta eat).

If you plan on living alone, which is what I would suggest, you should start searching the internet for apartments, condos, and studios. Compare prices and see what you can afford. Make sure to READ THE REVIEWS, but also remember to take everything people say with a grain of salt.

moving into your first apartment checklist

A few sites that I used to help find apartments were www.apartments.com and the main websites of the chosen apartment complexes.

Gather a list of your top living choices and make a separate moving checklist with a list of the places you’d love to live in. Go through the pros and cons of living in each place, the location, the commute to and from work, etc.

Make sure to check each site thoroughly and try to gather as much information about the new living space as you can. You should narrow down your search and pick your top three possible places and research those more to decide on the perfect home!

3. Shopping- Where To Buy Food?| Local Moving Checklist

I lived in a city that DID NOT have a Trader Joe’s and I didn’t find out until it was too late. Talk about heartbreaking!

It may not be a bad idea to broaden your horizons in regard to the stores you shop at. You can start by picking a new grocery store.

Shopping HAD to be added to the checklist for moving out of state to prepare for this in advance.

But who am I kidding? I do almost ALL of my shopping at Target. Target has EVERYTHING! I’ve spent way too much money there. It didn’t help that I lived three minutes away from my nearest Target.

4. Travel – How Are You Moving Out of State?

I decided to get rid of all of the big furniture from my old apartment and start fresh. This meant that I was essentially moving to an empty apartment in a new city and state.

I was starting from scratch for sure!

Packing quickly was also important because once I found out I was offered the job, I had about 2 weeks to move my whole life to a different state.

Read on:

How to Pack to Move Out Quickly

Other Ways

Are you planning on flying to your new location? If so, perhaps you should look into getting a lot of your luggage shipped there ahead of time. Ship your things, fly to your new home, and wait for your belongings to arrive. Flying to your new home may call for an additional checklist for moving out of state.

Another option is taking a Greyhound Bus to your new home. I’m a true believer in doing whatever it takes to reach your goals!

5. Donate – Purge Everything You Don’t Need | Moving Checklist Things To Do

Memories! I know! I totally get it!

“Out with the old and in with the new.”

6. Start – Let’s Start Packing!

Just start packing! Honestly, the hardest part of doing anything is starting. Once you start, everything else follows. We can often get stuck in planning and researching before making a move. Analysis paralysis is what that is called. Just go for it and trust yourself!

You got this!

I actually enjoy the packing process. It’s fun and exciting! The packing process is what makes the realization hit. For. Sure.

7. Protection – Protect & Insure Your Stuff

That sounds way scarier than it needs to, haha!

All I mean is to make sure you sign up for home renter’s insurance. In my experience, most apartments require that I set up my renter’s insurance for me to be in line with the terms of the apartment lease.

Setting it up is crazy simple and easy. Most apartment complexes are working with certain insurance agencies. You often can set up your renter’s insurance plan through your apartment. The renter’s insurance agency I’m the most familiar with is www.eRenterPlan.com. It is very easy to set up.

Alert Your Bank & Forward Your Mail

Call your bank and tell them you will be moving out of state. If you make a purchase out of state and fail to inform them, they may think your card has been stolen and will decline your purchases. This can end up being embarrassing. Save yourself this embarrassment and call them ahead of time.

Forwarding Mail Out of State

It takes up to 12 days for USPS to update and forward your mail to your new place.

It is a pain to deal with where things are getting shipped and sent to. Just take care of it now.

Large Transactions

Your bank may also decline large purchases off of the internet. (This happened to me when I bought a Macbook from Best Buy a few days ago).

It wasn’t a big deal. My bank texted me asking if the purchase was valid. All I had to do was reply YES. I tried again and it worked.

Getting these tasks getting taken care of is a moving essential. You won’t think about this until your packages are getting sent to the wrong location. Take care of it sooner than later.

Set up electricity when you move out of state

8. Utilities – Electricity, Water, Trash Disposal

Go ahead and set up your electricity BEFORE you get there. Believe me when I tell you, moving into a house that doesn’t have air circulation in the middle of the summer is a MISTAKE.

Having this squared away helps with preparation. It’s probably the most important tip added to this checklist for moving out of state.

A lot of apartments come with packages on water and trash disposal (water bill included in rent, trash disposal fees included in rent). This helps make things A LOT easier and is one less thing to worry about setting up.

Now if you’re moving into a house, you definitely need to call or check the site of the local water company and get your water setup. Otherwise, no toilets or showers for you.

9. Personal Needs – Internet & Cable

Internet

I would not be able to function without the internet. Wi-Fi is a queen and necessary for me. In this day and age, it is necessary for almost everyone.

Look into packages and service providers in the city that you’ll be living in because it’s not the same everywhere.

Cable

Do you watch TV a lot? I actually don’t watch regular TV that much. I’m okay with Netflix and Disney+ … which is why I need the internet. Personally, I do not have cable but some people may prefer to have it. It saves me a few coins but ideally the choice is yours.

10. Thrive!

Lastly, find your niche and thrive!

Do you enjoy running? There are all kinds of running groups tailored to all levels of runners.

Do you like reading books? Maybe you can join a book club and meet people that way.

Try using Meetup.com. It’s a website used for people to literally meet up and join in on whatever niche they want to join.

All in all, it is extremely important to find a hobby and do things that you enjoy doing. It will help cure homesickness and produce good endorphins. I’m all for it!

Some studies show that having a social life helps aid in positive mental health. Do what you can to make sure you are okay mentally. If that means going for a run with people, playing video games online, or chatting with friends do it.

Please leave a comment below and let me know if you plan on moving locally or out of state. If you’ve already moved let me know how your move is going or how it went!