Your Moving Bucket List: 8 Things To Do Before Moving Out Of Home

Moving is a radical change. Moving is a new beginning. Moving is an ultimate stress. Moving is…

The list can go on and on but whatever definitions of “moving house” you come up with, they will all meet the same criterion – they will all signify stepping out of your familiar comfort zone into the vast, uncharted territory of the unknown. When faced with such an intimidating prospect, it’s only natural to start feeling sorry about the world you are going to leave behind and the opportunities you have missed. What better way, then, to put your mind at peace and to prepare for the inevitable change ahead of you than to do all the little things and all the big things you always wanted to do but never had the time, the courage, or the will to accomplish? In other words – to complete your moving bucket list before the imminent relocation takes you to a brand new place and a brand new life. Not sure this is going to work? Not even sure what to put on your bucket list? Take a look below!

1) Watch Your Whole Life Flash Before Your Eyes (In A Film Of…. Photos!)

So, what to do before moving house? First, make sure you are going to remember what you are leaving behind. But how can you possibly remember every meaningful place in your city, every friendly face in the neighborhood, every nook and cranny of your old home, so that you can see them flash before your eyes whenever you feel nostalgic for the past days? Easy enough – just take lots and lots of photos!

Snap a few shots of every location, every person and every little thing that has played a part in your life or that reminds you of a funny experience, a happy moment, or a sad time. Take photos of the small city streets, brightly lit in the night. Take photos of the old café just around the corner. Take photos of the flowers in your garden. Take photos of the clutter and toys in your home. Take romantic photos with your spouse in your secret special place. Just capture the settings of your life in pictures – you will love looking back at them and telling your kids stories about your old city.

Besides, the detailed photos of your home and your household items will also allow you to set up your new place in exactly the same way as your old one, will help you easily and quickly reconnect electronics and appliances, and will even serve as a proof about the condition of your belongings (in case they get damaged while in transit and a conflict arises between you and your movers).

After having documented your actual life so far, you can move on to the second most important thing to do before you move out of your house – find out what your new life could be like.

2) Experiment Until You Get It Right

One of the most essential things to do before moving out is to get a clear idea of your life after moving in.

Most probably, you have already secured a job in your new city, researched your new area, found an appropriate home for your family and so on (If you haven’t done these things yet, get down to work right away – Moving day is approaching faster than you think, whether you fulfill your bucket list or not). But will you be able to turn that new home into your dream home, your sweet haven? Chances are you have some bold decorating ideas, some unique designer visions, some brilliant concepts, but you just don’t know if they are going to work fine for your new place. Well, why not find out for sure? Your current home provides a great experimental site for creative ideas that you’d like to put to the test.

How about painting your bedroom walls a deep shade of purple, for example? Will it make the room too dark? Or will it be too obtrusive? Or will it be just magical? Buy a can of the color and try it out on your old bedroom walls! You will immediately know whether it’s right for you (and paint your new bedroom walls that specific color after the relocation) or not (and decide on a more neutral tone for your new home walls).

How about installing spotlights in different colors in your living room, instead of having a chandelier? Or, keeping plants in the bathroom? Whatever you fancy! Play around with artwork, try out bold ideas and find the perfect combination of colors, styles, and decorations that will match both your everyday needs and your aesthetic preferences.

Once you’ve decided what you want, make a detailed floor plan of your new home and go through your belongings to find out which of them you can use to create your dream living environment. Then, get rid of everything that doesn’t fit in.

3) Let Doomsday Come

Postponing Doomsday, even when it comes just to the fate of your material possessions, will do you no good. There is a reason why sorting out and organizing your belongings tops the list of things to do before moving out – it is a time-consuming, exhausting and challenging process that needs to be completed before you can get a binding estimate (the final moving cost is based on the total weight of your shipment) and start packing for your move (the type and amount of packing supplies you are going to need, as well as the time required for the packing process, depend on the number of items you intend to ship to your new home).

So, create a really great chaos in your home (opening up all the dusty boxes, kitchen cabinets, junk drawers, and any other secret places hiding piles and piles of forgotten, useless, outdated or unwanted items) and then bring order to the chaos, inventorying and organizing your possessions.

Related: How to make your moving inventory sheet

Set aside everything you won’t be able to use in your new home (because of the available space, the climatic conditions, the specifics of your new lifestyle, etc.) or don’t want to use anymore (because it is outdated, outgrown, worn out, or just not to your liking) and find a way to get rid of it – organize a yard sale, donate useful items in good condition to charity, give items of sentimental value away to friends and relatives, and dispose of damaged goods. Just make sure you won’t waste your time and money moving useless clutter to your new home. And, also, make sure you have booked the services of trustworthy movers to take good care of your prized possessions and ensure a smooth and trouble-free relocation.

Having gotten this far in the moving preparations, you need to turn your attention to the hardest things to do when moving house – parting with close friends and saying goodbye to favorite places.

4) Host A Farewell Party

Inviting people over will help relieve the moving stress and will allow you to say goodbye to everyone. Organize a busy and joyful farewell party to have some fun together with your good buddies one more time and pay tribute to your friendship. Prepare your best home-made specialty, provide a variety of snacks and drinks, play your favorite music and let the spirit of festivity in. Dance all night long, make a karaoke contest, tell jokes – whatever you and your friends truly enjoy.

You can throw the party about a week before moving day, when most of your household items will be still in place and you will have all the comfort you are used to. Or you may throw an empty-house party, after the moving truck has taken your belongings away – there will be plenty of free space to “go wild” and you will have nothing to worry about as the stressful moving day will be already over. Besides, it will be a great opportunity to show your gratitude to everyone who came to help you with the moving preparations.

However, it will be difficult to share your worries and your expectations, your hopes and your fears with your closest friends during a party. You should reserve a special farewell for the few special people you hold very dear to you – spend a day together, exchange meaningful gifts, enjoy a favorite activity, and promise each other to stay in touch regardless of the distance between you.

5) Enjoy Your Favorites

Before moving out, find enough time to relive each of the fun activities you used to enjoy with a good friend of yours. Play basketball (or any other sport) together, go fishing, have a barbecue or watch a movie – just forget all about your forthcoming relocation and enjoy a pleasant activity in the pleasant company of a special friend one last time.

Use the opportunity to recall happy moments or funny events from the past, to tell that person how much he/she means to you, to reflect on your common interests and dreams, and to remind your buddy that you will be there to support and encourage him/her, no matter what.

Find the time to visit all your favorite places too – the charming family restaurant down the street, the old church that witnessed so much of your happiness and so much of your sadness, the lively shopping center where you would go hunting for holiday gifts and little luxuries, the peaceful park near your old home, etc. Enjoy some long private moments in these special locations, lost in sweet memories and anxious hopes.

Then, allow yourself all the “commonplace pleasures” you are going to miss in your new surroundings:

• Order food from your favorite restaurants in town – it will take time until you find a good food place in your new city, you know;
• Eat out every evening the week before Moving day – you definitely won’t have enough energy left to prepare your food after long hours of laborious moving preparations. Besides, having dinner with a friend in a charming restaurant downtown shortly before your relocation is worth every penny spent on the food;
• Visit your usual stylist and get a haircut – after the move, you will have to find a new doctor, a new school, a new sports club, a new “everything”, so who knows how much time will pass before you find a new stylist as well;
• Visit that famous bowling place / that renowned sushi bar / that modern art gallery / whatever it is in your case which always appealed to you but somehow you never got to try it out;
• and so forth!

So, what to do before moving out? Just enjoy every small thing of your daily routine you found enjoyable and dare to try every new experience you wanted to but never made up your mind to actually try! This will help reduce the moving stress and will allow you to close the relocation chapter of your life without any regrets.

Now, you are almost ready for your big relocation adventure. Just a couple of more entries on your moving bucket list:

6) Leave A Welcome Gift And A Secret Message To The New Residents Of Your Old Home

The house you are about to leave will soon become the home of a new family who will bring along not only their material possessions but also their own unique memories, emotions, and lifestyle. It certainly feels a bit sad to know that your life in this place will practically become non-existent the moment you step out of the door for the last time. Unless, of course, you leave your “mark” on the property before you move out of the house.

There are many effective ways to shout out “We were here! Our life made a difference!” and be remembered – plant a tree in front of the house, leave your handprints or footprints in a concrete garden path, carve your initials on the fence, leave a coded message on the basement wall, bury a time capsule in the backyard, etc. Find your own creative way to embed a memory of your life in your old property.

SEE ALSO: 8 ways to say goodbye to your family home

What’s more, it will be quite a good idea to welcome the new residents of your home with a small gift and a warm message. Leave a letter of practical advice that will help the new family adjust quickly and easily to the surroundings and buy them something nice to remember you with – a beautiful vase, a framed picture of the house, a wicker basket full of goodies, a bottle of wine, a bouquet of fragrant flowers – anything will do as long as the well-wishing token comes from the heart.

While this is not among the most important things to do before moving house, it is among the most sentimental and positive things you can do before you leave your old life behind. Because moving day will inevitably come and you will have to move on.

7) Have The Last Laugh On Moving Day

All your hectic preparations, all your elaborate plans, all your important decisions – it all comes down to Moving day. Many unexpected problems may occur on the big day and ruin your moving experiences; many things can go wrong during your relocation; many small mishaps may get on your nerves – however, pushing the panic button will do you no good. You need to find a way to keep your cool and keep the moving chaos under control. You can do that, as long as you keep your sense of humor alive, whatever happens.

Then, you will be able to keep stress at bay. Then, you will be able to take the right decisions under the given circumstances and to avoid rookie moving mistakes. Then, you will be able to celebrate the favorable outcome of your moving adventure, regardless of the difficulties along the way. So, don’t forget to laugh heartily on moving day. Provided that you have properly organized your relocation, you are sure to have the last laugh.

Your new life will begin the day after moving day – your bucket list should be complete by that point. Or should it? There is no chance that you could forget about the last and most important things to do before moving, right? The things that apply to you and you alone!

8) What You Always Dreamed About But Never Got To Do

The rest of the page is for you – why not start writing on it now?

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