1. Toiletries and medications:
Pack a suitcase like you’re going out of town for two days, and longer if the move is cross-country, It’s just easier if everything you need is in one place—your suitcase. Make sure you also include a generous supply of toilet paper and hand soap and don’t forget to toss any medications or supplements into your suitcase.
2. Important documents:
Make sure you keep at least one form of identification on you during the move, especially if you’re renting a moving truck or anything else that’s going to require an ID.
3. Anything valuable:
It’s best to keep anything of importance or value out of moving boxes and off the truck. Money, jewelry, or small family heirlooms can mysteriously disappear between point A and point B.
4. Basic cleaning supplies:
The house you move into should (hopefully) be cleaned before you arrive. But movers will be traipsing in and out of your house all day, and that will inevitably create a bit of mess. If you keep a vacuum—or even just a broom and a dustpan—on hand, you can sweep everything up on moving day and won’t have to worry about waking up to a mess.
5. A shower curtain:
This one’s remarkably easy to forget and pack away: If the showers in your new home aren’t enclosed with glass doors, make sure to keep a shower curtain with hooks—or at least a liner—handy for those first couple of nights. Keep towels out of the moving boxes, too.
6. Comforting items for the little ones:
That means favorite stuffed animals and any blanket or pillow your kids are particularly attached to. It’ll make the first night in an unfamiliar place a lot less scary.
7. A utility knife and a marker:
These two items are going to make unpacking feel like a breeze. If you’re going to dive into unpacking right away, you’ll want a utility knife out and also keep a marker handy to mark boxes that have been unpacked. Fill up empty boxes with the disposable moving supplies (e.g., bubble wrap) and mark them with a big X once they’re ready to be taken out to the trash or for recycling.
8. Phone and laptop chargers:
No one wants that uneasy moment when your phone or laptop is dead and you have no idea where you put the charger. Make sure you (and your kids) know where these sanity-saving items are before you make the move.
9. Paper plates and disposable cutlery:
There are only so many nights you can eat pizza while hovering over the box, or Chinese food straight from the containers. Have disposable plates, cups, cutlery, and paper towels on hand from the get-go. If you’re especially efficient and manage to unpack your dishware on Day 1, make sure you have dish soap and sponges on hand to clean them.
10. Everything your pet needs:
Don’t risk being the new neighbor who doesn’t pick up after their pup—leave the doggie bags out of the moving boxes. (Make sure you don’t pack his food and water bowls, either).
11. A corkscrew:
At the end of moving day, you’ll want this handy!