Adulting means moving into your very first place. Follow these helpful moving tips for marking off everything on your first apartment checklist.

Moving into your first apartment is an exciting time. But don’t forget that there are a lot of things that need to be done! It’s not just as simple as packing boxes and having them arrive at your new place. You have to adult and get your new place prepared for move-in day and beyond.

In this post, you’ll find some simple tips for moving into the first apartment that you can easily do!

First Apartment Checklist: Tips For Moving Into Your First Place

How quickly can you move into an apartment?

This all depends on how motivated you are. If you’re contacting a moving company, your moving date is going to depend on the availability that they have.

And if you’re moving yourself, you can probably get loaded up and moved a lot more quickly. It’s safe to say that the moving process from start to finish can take as long as 2 weeks upwards of a month.

What should I pack first when moving?

When preparing to move, you have to remember that you’re still going to be living in your current place until your actual moving day. This means that you don’t want to pack up things that you’re still going to actively need. With that in mind, here is a list of items that you should consider packing up first:

Collectibles
Artwork
Excess and off-season clothing
Books
Extra dishes, etc
And those are just a few. You can see that the idea is to pack up items first that you really don’t need to use on a daily basis so it won’t hamper your current living conditions.

How long before moving Should you start packing?

Once you realize that you’re going to be moving, you should immediately start packing to be prepared. This is because you never know when life is going to happen and throw you off your game.

This is especially true if you work long hours or know that you’re going to be super busy in the days, weeks, or months leading up to your move.

What is the best way to pack clothes when moving?

I think it’s safe to say that the biggest and most annoying things to pack when moving are all the clothing items in your place. Somehow, all that clothing just piles up and it makes it impossible to move in one trip…or so you think.

The easiest way to pack clothes when moving is to do it as quickly as possible. If you can, leave items on the hangers and in the drawers. This may make it a little heavier during the time but will save you so much time when you arrive at your new place! No unpacking and everything is already hung up and ready to go.

Tips for moving into your first apartment

Now that you know some of the main tips for moving into your first apartment, let’s dive into some other simple aspects that you need to do. There does require a little bit of planning to be prepared for the move so make certain that you’re taking care of some of these must-haves before moving.

1. Save Up Money

You already put down money for your security deposit, but you’ll need some cash on hand for other things. While you can always save some money on second-hand furniture and storage, there are certain things you’ll want to buy brand new. These include:

cleaning supplies
spices
paper goods like toilet paper and paper towels
groceries
pots and pans
bowls/plates/cups
utensils

2. Purge

One way to save money (or earn money) for your move is to purge any unwanted old items. You can either donate or sell these. If you sell them, you can make a little bit of money back for your move. If you end up donating them, it might save you an extra couple of boxes.

3. Set up your utilities early

Don’t wait to set up your utilities. It can actually take several days for the utilities to be turned on so waiting until the day you move is a bad idea. Call ahead and give them a tentative date so that you’ll have power and everything that you need once you arrive.

4. Forward your mail

Don’t forget to contact the post office and forward your mail! This is as simple as filling out the form with the Post Office and making it happen. You don’t want to miss any bills or other important items so forward your mail once you start moving.

5. Set up a connection date for your internet

Setting up a tentative date for your internet connection is key as well. There tends to be a waitlist for this so call and get your name on the list! You’ll want internet there as soon as you move in. If you can’t get it for a while, see if your phone company offers a hot spot or live off of your data plan.

6. Hire a cleaning company for a deep clean

If you’re a germaphobe or just don’t have time for cleaning, hire out a company to arrive at the apartment and give it a cleaning before you arrive. This will save you a ton of time and stress and it will be an awesome feeling to arrive at a perfectly clean apartment.

7. Pack a first night box

Once you are all done moving all your boxes into your first place, the last thing you want to do us unpack all of those boxes. To get you settled for the first night, pack a first night box. This includes any toiletries or bedding you need, perhaps a surge protector for your phone charger and other devices, maybe a snack or two, oh and definitely some toilet paper.

Now that you know what it takes to move into your first apartment, you can rest easy with the planning process! Just book it and have fun moving!