Thank you for visiting FindGoodMovers! View our cheap interstate moving checklist to save money on your upcoming long distance move. Download the free printable cheap interstate moving checklist pdf. 

Interstate Moving Calendar 

Quickly jump to the section you are interested in the most by using the links below.

• 6 Weeks Prior To Your Interstate Move
• 30 Days Prior To Your Interstate Move
• 2 Weeks Prior To Your Interstate Move
• 1 Week Prior To Your Interstate Move
• 2 Days Prior To Your Interstate Move
• Interstate Move Day

Where To Start With Your Interstate Move 

Start out by doing some research about moving companies. Then look up their reviews. Finally, create a document holder to keep all of your written notes, estimates, etc. See below for details.

Research Moving Companies

 Research “Cheap Interstate Movers” on Google Search, Bing Search, Or Yahoo Search

 Make sure the quote you receive has a US Department of Transportation number. Although, some states may not require the USDOT # so click here to find out if your state requires it.

Find Interstate Mover Reviews

 Read Interstate Mover Reviews On Yelp

Document Tracker

 Create a binder or document tracker that you can keep all your moving estimates, utility bills, etc that you need to keep track of during the move. Being organize helps avoid confusion during this very high multi-tasking time. Also, if you have children, you can keep track of your kids school records in this binder. It will help you when you are transferring their transcripts to the new school. View the interstate moving calendar below to get started up to 6-8 weeks before the move date. 

6 Weeks Prior To Your Interstate Move

 Gather up your packing supplies –  Your are going to need boxes (see tips for saving on boxes), tape, bubble wrap, wrapping paper of some kind, gloves, tape measure, level, and more. Get all these things ready in advance and throw them in the garage until the move day. You will thank your previous self for doing this.

 Throw away perishables – Go through your refrigerator and throw away all the goods that can’t survive the trip.

 *Still want to save your perishables? You can save all of your perishables by throwing them in a cooler and filling it with ice.

 Prepping the new space – If you have the opportunity to see the new space before the move. Try to take some measurements of the door spaces to make sure your furniture will fit between them.

30 Days Prior To Your Interstate Move

 Choose Your Interstate Moving Company – Yes, it is now time to make the decision in stone. Officially hire to moving company or moving method you chose and stick with it. It’s too late in the game to be scurrying around now.

 Make sure you have receive final estimates, taxes, and fees that are included.

 Start Packing Your Home – Don’t pack up the stuff that you use frequently. Instead start packing up stuff like pictures, decorations, etc so that you still have full use of things that you use everyday.

 Label your boxes – This is where most homeowners mess up. Label your boxes so you know which rooms they go into when you reach the new location. Label them something easy to know where they go like; living room, kitchen, bathroom, Sarah’s room, etc…

 Transport valuable items in a small safe – Don’t pack up your jewelry and other valuables in your boxes. Instead put your valuables in a safe and transport them with you. You don’t want your valuables damaged, or even worse, stolen by the moving company. Yes, believe or not, people steal and it sucks but that’s why you should always protect yourself first.

 Fill out a change of address form –  Fill out a change of address form with the United States Postal Service. This will ensure that you start receiving your mail at the new location. Also, be sure to contact your credit card companies, bank, etc and let them know your new address. Most importantly, contact the DMV to make sure they have your new address on file.

2 Weeks Prior To Your Interstate Move

 Request the day off from your job – Make sure and request a day off from your job 2 weeks before the move date.

 Driving across state? – If you are driving a vehicle across state, make sure and take your vehicle to your local mechanic and let them know you will be driving long distance. They will inspect the tires, brakes, oil, transmission fluid, etc to ensure that you will make it to your new destination safely.

 Re-Confirm the details – Re-confirm the moving details, dates and times with your interstate moving company to make sure you guys are still on the same page. It’s better to be safe than sorry!

1 Week Prior To Your Interstate Move

 Finish any packing – Finish up packing, its time to get you to your new state. Pack up goods that are left over from the previous packing session. Although, you are still going to need your toothpaste, hair products, makeup, cologne, deodorant, etc. So, separate those things in a carry bag so you can have them with you at all times.

 Take Prescription Drugs – Make sure you refill your prescriptions prior to the move and also research where your will get your prescriptions filled at the new location.

2 Days Before Your Interstate Move

 Refrigerator – Clean out the rest of the items in the refrigerator and give your freezer a good defrost for at least 24 hours before moving it. Make sure and clean it out with bleach to get rid of the smells that are in there.

 Re-confirm again – Re-confirm the moving details with your interstate moving company to make sure everything is still on schedule.

 Final Payment – Make payment to the interstate moving company. However, some moving companies charge at the end of the move just in case their was anything broken, damaged, or lost during the move so they can compensate the property owner.

Day Of The Interstate Move

 Moving truck verification – Verify the USDOT number on the side of the truck matches the USDOT number on your interstate moving quote.

 Sit back and relax – No more to do at this point accept make sure the moving company gets your item to the new location and unpacks them.

 Tip Your Driver – Some customers might not know that, like most service industry workers, tips are appreciated and are often counted on to supplement a loading crew’s paycheck. The amount to tip depends on you but $20 per employee is a fair amount for six to eight hours of work, and you should tip them at the end of their service. The driver can be tipped before or after the move is completed and any amount from $50 to $100 is usual. You can also decide to make the tip 10 percent of the total cost of moving. See More about this top on the Long Distance Movers Checklist.

Save Money On Moving Boxes

Save money on buying wardrobe boxes, dish barrels, and specialty containers by following the tips below.

 Find Restaurant Boxes –  Restaurants throw away 100’s of boxes every single day. Why pay money for boxes at U-haul or some other place when you can get boxes for free. Sometimes you can go behind the restaurant near the dumpster to find a whole pile of boxes ripe for the picking. Although, this may require you to pull boxes out of a dumpster and if you are too good for such a thing then this might not be the option for you.

 “Collect supplies: If you’re doing your own packing, you’ll need lots of boxes. The best boxes are the ones that reams of copier paper come in because they’re sturdy, have lids and are easily stackable. If you work in an office, find out who handles supplies for the copy machine and have them save boxes for you.” Angies List Movers & Moving Companies

 Fold your boxes instead of taping them – Folding your boxes is easy and requires a simple box folding technique shown below. Save money on tape and get boxes that have flaps so you can fold them up.

Save Money On Packing Glass & Dishes

 Save your newspaper ads you get in the mail – Stop throwing away those newspaper ads prior to the move. Those ads will come in handy when it’s time to wrap up your dishes, silverware, glasses, etc.

Additional Ways To Save Time & Money On Interstate Movers

 Downsizing – Try getting rid of some of the household items your not really to fond of to make this interstate move less expensive.

 Find a friend with a truck – Every once in a blue moon you will find a friend who is ready to ride out of state. See is you have an awesome enough friend to drive you move across state. I have seen this happen before and unlikely as it might be, some friends are just meant to be.

 Pack more efficiently – Most people just throw things in the truck without organizing them. You will get much more room out of your moving truck if you pack efficiently. Try to find moving boxes that are all nearly the same size and be ready to move things around a bit. Fill in those gaps made by oblong furniture by throwing lamps, small appliances, boxes, and more in there. This will make sure you get the most out of your moving truck and avoid wasting space.

Find Cheap Interstate Moving Quotes

 Fill out quote forms to get cheap interstate moving quotes