Moving is such an overwhelming process. And if you’re anything like me, you always try to prepare yourself mentally with your internal monologue.
With this move, I will be more organized.
This time, I will pack more efficiently,
This move will be a stress-free transition into our new home.
Then reality sets in: no matter how many times I’ve moved, I still manage to make mistakes. Sometimes, these mistakes are small, while others have been quite emotionally and mentally catastrophic.
The reality is that no matter how much you declutter or plan, moving is chaotic. The unexpected always occurs—and I mean always.
And I’ll be honest: As a military family that moves every few years, we have some stories.
I have learned so much from my moving mishaps, both big and small. Like the time I trusted the movers to carefully pack up our things (spoiler alert: they didn’t) or having our power cut off too early.
Or the time I accidentally donated all of my racing t-shirts (and if you’re a runner, you’ll understand how devastating this can be).
But the truth is, you can learn and grow with every move.
Each move is an opportunity for a fresh start. And with every move, you’ll get a little bit better at this chaotic moving process.
You’ll quickly learn what not to do and gain moving hacks to make this process less painful.
And because I’ve made more moving mistakes than I would like to admit, I’m here to help you avoid the same mishaps.
In this post, I’ll share some of my biggest moving regrets and mistakes—everything I can think of that I’ve done wrong—so you can avoid repeating them.
While moving is always stressful, it doesn’t have to be as devastating or hard as we make it out to be.
These strategies will help you navigate your upcoming move with fewer “Oops, I should have” moments.
Honestly, in the future, you will be so thankful you learned from my moving fiascos instead of experiencing them firsthand.
Big Moving Mistakes to Avoid
1. Not Purging or Decluttering
If there is one thing you learn from frequent moves, it is that stuff accumulates. I swear, with every move, more things resurface that I haven’t seen in years!
It seriously can take a move to realize how much stuff you have.
Don’t just relocate these unwanted items to your new home because it’s the easy button.
Trust me, this stuff accumulates so fast!
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2. Donating or Selling the Wrong Items
My biggest advice is to stay organized and label everything!
I thought I was purging clothes well until I later realized I had donated the wrong bag.
And that was a heavy hit; all my racing t-shirts are gone. Cue the tears…
3. Underestimating How Much Time it Takes to Move
Oh my, always give yourself more time than you expect you’ll need.
True story-
Close to 6 months before I married my husband, we closed on a house. The kicker? We closed the day before he deployed. The DAY BEFORE.
Thinking it was a good idea, I informed both of our leasing tenants that we would be out in a month (my year lease would be finished, and my husband’s was month to month). I didn’t want him to pay for another month’s rent.
I thought I could move us both out of our respective homes while working a very demanding job with a plastic surgeon.
I finished it without professional movers, but it was exhausting and hard.
Moving always takes more time than you would expect.
4. Not Labeling Boxes Properly
Just imagine opening kitchen boxes upstairs in a bedroom and only carrying the boxes back down stairs.
It adds so much work and is beyond frustrating.
One of my biggest moving hacks is to color-code the boxes by room (with colored duct tape) and label all sides of the boxes.
5. Buying Boxes
Moving is already such an expensive process; don’t buy boxes—unless you’re purchasing storage boxes, which I recommend for specific items.
6. Using Too Big of Boxes
This was another naive, moving mistake. I tried to be ambitious and thought I could load up as much as possible in large boxes, but I was an utter failure.
I can’t even imagine making this mistake now. It’s like asking for a back injury.
7. Assuming the Movers will take Care of My Items like I Would
For our OCONUS move from North Carolina to Germany, we had the worst experience with movers, despite providing all sorts of treats and snacks (one of my favorite recomendations for happy movers)
They literally just threw our things in boxes and mistreated other items, such as our Tempurpedic mattress, which was stored and shipped on its side instead of crated.
The boxes themselves were mistreated and damaged.
It was a disaster.
8. Not Organizing the Clothes
Throwing your clothes in boxes willy-nilly may seem like the quicker approach, but I promise it’s not.
Organizing endless piles of clothes is far worse than doing laundry; as a mom, the laundry is always never-ending.
Not to mention, you may have to get creative with closet space and storage in your next home.
Check out these moving hacks for moving your clothes that will help you stay organized!
9. Forgetting to Pack the Move-In Essentials Box
You’ve just finished moving all of your boxes into the new house and are ready to call it a night but didn’t consider all the nighttime things, including bedding.
The last thing you want to do after a long day of moving is to start digging around boxes looking for your essentials
Especially when you’re so exhausted.
10. Not Updating Bank Information and Address Soon Enough
You must create a list of all subscriptions and banking information that require your address at least a month before moving.
This is crucial if you’re moving overseas.
Living in Germany, I still can’t authenticate some things because they require a text message to my American phone number.
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11. Not Having the Utilities Turned Off When They Should Have Been
Don’t ask me how I thought of this…This moving mistake is a little more embarrassing.
We packed up our last items into the car the day the power was scheduled to turn off.
What I failed to take into account was, we had a cleaning lady scheduled for that evening…oops!
Needless to say, we did the best we could.
12. Not Following Up with the Damages of Movers
I was hesitant to add this to my list of moving blunders, but I figured it would be helpful knowledge for you to consider.
Moving companies (my last experience was through the military) make it so incredibly hard to be reimbursed for damages.
Even then, you’re at the mercy of how much they value the damage. We had the chance to take the little bit they offered with the risk of the moving company claiming those items.
I do know some people who successfully made claims. But there is a lot of paperwork, and you need to complete it within the allocated time frame.
13. Not Taking Before Photos
This mistake is a continuation of the last one.
This goes a long way to filing a claim.
Take photos of any expensive items and big pieces of furniture before the movers arrive.
Tip: If your movers are not doing a great job, take photos of their boxes. This is important for documentation.
14. Not Prioritizing Your Toddler’s New Room
Moving is scary, especially for little kids.
Prioritize their rooms first.
This includes playing in their new rooms. They need to feel like it’s a safe space.
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15. Not Giving Yourself Enough Time for Goodbyes
Moving away from family and friends is so hard, and it can be really hard to say goodbye to everyone.
Start saying your goodbyes early. Don’t wait until the last month of moving—you’ll be so preoccupied with the move that saying goodbyes will likely fall to the wayside.
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Additional Moving Resources
- 22 Moving Hacks that will Change The Way You Move Forever
- The Ultimate Declutter Checklist: 112 Items You Won’t Miss (With Free Printouts)
- 14 Crucial Areas to Declutter Before Your Next Move
- Easy Tips for Packing and Moving with Little Kids
- An Easy, Organized Approach to Unpacking After a Move
- How to Deal With the Hardships of Moving Away From Family
- Moving day Tips for Happier Movers
Military Moving Tips
Final Thoughts: Move Smarter, Not Harder
No matter how much you prepare, moving has a way of presenting the unexpected. And with that comes all sorts of moving mistakes and blunders.
The bright side? Learning from these moving mistakes helps alleviate some stress for the next move.
And if you’re moving frequently enough, you will encounter your own share of challenges.
Moving means a clean slate and a fresh start. I hope that you’ve gained some insight into some of my regrettable moving mistakes to better prepare you for your upcoming move.
I would love to hear from you in the comments! Do you have any regrettable moving mistakes?
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