Everyone moves. Almost nobody plans one.
New home.
No chaos.
One kit for the whole move: the 8-week countdown, room-by-room packing, the declutter before you lift a single box, fair moving quotes, every utility switched over, and the box you’ll open first at 22:00. Works for student rooms, flats and houses.
INSIDE
Countdown · Declutter · Quotes · Room-by-Room · Utilities & Address · First-Night Box · Handover · Settle-In
Same calm style as trullz.com — free tools, zero hassle. Part of the TRULLZ product family (the fresh-start planner? the Life Planner).
8 pages. 8 weeks.
Fill page 3 (Countdown) using the pre-written phases. Most people start too late; T-8 weeks is when »the whole thing« still costs nothing extra.
Declutter (page 4) and moving quotes (page 5) NOW. Both get exponentially harder and more expensive the closer you get to the date.
Page 6: three boxes a night beats a heroic weekend. Label every box with room + number + first-thing-to-find.
Page 7 keeps the day itself boring on purpose. Page 8 handles utilities so hot water waits for you, not the other way round.
THE ONE RULE
Do TODAY’s countdown item before checking anything else. A move never fails on the big things — it fails on the thirty small ones nobody wrote down.
Fill this countdown · declutter window opens · start docs folder · research 3 moving companies
Collect 3 written quotes · book favorites in this order: crew first, van second, helpers last
Declutter room 1–3 · sell/donate gets its deadline · new-home floor plan sketch, measure big furniture
Utilities & address changes mapped (page 7) · buy boxes, tape, mattress bags · start packing storage rooms
Declutter room 4–6 · packing runs: 3 boxes/night · label system fixed (page 6)
Book elevator / parking permit / neighbours notice · kids’ & pets’ move-day plan · start eating the pantry
Submit address changes (page 7) · confirm movers in writing · pack kitchen except daily set
Pack everything except essentials · First-Night Box visible (page 7) · defrost fridge T-48h · cash for the crew
Meter readings photographed · every room final-sweep · boxes to truck by number plan, heavy rooms first
Settle-in (page 8) · unpack by zone · handover walkthrough of the OLD flat with photos
COLUMN FOR YOUR REALITY
Phases shift for short moves — keep the ORDER, squeeze the TIME. Order = decide early, pack mid, admin steady. That order is what keeps the cost at the friendly end.
Move less. Pay less.
Used in the last 12 months, or genuinely not replaceable. Everything else is weight you pay two men to lift.
Worth over 20 € and wanted online. List this week — items sell in days, moves come in weeks.
Fine things you keep »just in case«. Someone gets them this week; write the deadline down or it won’t happen.
Broken, expired, unknown cables. The 30 rehooked cables of »might fit one device« — all of them.
| Room | Hours spent | Boxes saved (est.) | € earned / donated value |
|---|---|---|---|
THE ONE TEST
Haven’t used it in a year? You’re about to pay to move it, then pay again to store it, then throw it away in the new flat. Decide at T-6, not at T-0.
Always three offers, same checklist each time. Verbal pricing turns into +40 % on the day — written is the only real price.
| Company 1 | Company 2 | Company 3 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Written total price | |||
| Included hours / crew size | |||
| Cost per extra hour | |||
| Materials included? (boxes, blankets) | |||
| Insurance / damage policy | |||
| Floor / distance surcharges? | |||
| Arrival window on the day | |||
| My honest gut feeling |
1. What is NOT included in this price?
2. When do extra hours start charging — arrival or first box?
3. How does the damage claim process actually work?
Company: ______________________
Price agreed: __________ € · written: ☐
Date/time: ____________ · crew: ____ people
Disposal tour needed: ☐ yes ☐ no
MOVING-DAY SNACKS
Water, coffee, and something solid for the crew and your helpers. It costs 10 € and is often the difference between a rushed crew and a careful one.
Label = room + box number + THE first thing you’ll look for. »Kitchen 4 — coffee gear — first« beats »stuff« forever.
Books flat-packed bottom layers · electronics boxed WITH their cables · lamps taped shades separate.
Dishes vertically like records · pans nest with a towel between · ONE »open first« box: kettle, plate, cutlery, pan, sponge, 2 cups.
Bedding as the Day-1 bedding bag · clothes in suitcases first, boxes second · mattress bag taped shut.
Towels = free padding for fragile stuff · liquids triple-bagged · toothbrush set stays OUT (First-Night Box).
PC/monitor in original-box protection if possible · photos of every cable setup BEFORE unplugging · small screwdriver travels with you.
Kids pack their own »treasure box« that travels in the car · tools last out, first in · paint/chemicals: only if transport and disposal are allowed.
| Room | Box # | First thing to find | Fragile? (☐) | Packed (date) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Survival before boxes.
| What | When | Done (photo taken?) |
|---|---|---|
| Meter readings: electric / gas / water | MOVE DAY, before leaving | |
| Damage & defects photographed (old flat) | at handover | |
| Keys counted + receipt signed | with landlord | |
| New landlord walkthrough (new flat): damage HERE also photographed | before trucks unload |
NEW-FLAT PROTECTIONS FIRST
Check smoke detector, note where the fuse box is, test the heating on Day 0. Bottled water + toilet roll live here permanently — until the boxes with everything else arrive.
| Service | Cancel / move (date) | Old meter reading | New home start date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Electricity | |||
| Gas / heating | |||
| Internet / TV | — | ||
| Water / sewage (if separate) | |||
| Insurance (liability, household — new flat often means LOWER prices: ☐ checked) | — |
1. Employer + bank + insurance
2. Doctor, dentist, kids’ school
3. Official mail forwarding (the free safety net)
4. Clubs, subscriptions, streaming
5. Gym & memberships (check the new-home branch BEFORE cancelling)
6. Driving licence + vehicle registration (legal deadline — write the date)
7. New flat: bins schedule, parking rules, building do’s & don’ts
8. Online addresses: shops, PayPal, delivery apps
| Zone | Unpacked by | Done? (☑ box count crossed out ✓) |
|---|---|---|
| Zone 1: Sleep + bathroom (quality of life) | Day 1 | |
| Zone 2: Kitchen (eating at home = money saved) | Day 3 | |
| Zone 3: Home office + kids | Day 5 | |
| Zone 4: Books & everything secondary | by Day 14, then FREE the boxes | |
| Garage/storage boxes (the purge: binned or donated, not moved again) | Day 21 = the OUT deadline |
FIRST MONEY IN THE NEW HOME
One week in, run the honest »new-month« of the Money Kit — new flat, new baselines. And open the Life Planner fresh: this move was the reset. Goal, one at a time.