23 GENIUS First Apartment Moving Hacks That Will Make Your Move Stress-Free!

This blog post is about moving hacks.

Moving into your first apartment is an exciting, yet definitely overwhelming step.

It’s your first time actually moving on your own, getting your own apartment and building your life from scratch.

Moving can be hard and stressful, but there are different moving hacks and moving tips you can follow to make your move stress-free and much easier.

With proper planning, you can definitely have a smooth moving experience, and never understand people who say they hate moving 😉

In this post, I am sharing with you 23 moving hacks that made my first apartment moving process 90% stress free! (let’s be honest we all get stressed no matter if there’s a reason to be or not lol)

Let’s get started!

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MOVING HACKS

How can I make my move easier?

As moving can be a stressful process, there are a few things to follow to make your first apartment moving process stress-free:

1. Decluttering – start by decluttering your belongings weeks or even months before your move. This way, you’ll know exactly what you have and what’s coming with you.

2. Plan your move – create a timeline for your move, set deadlines for packing, hiring movers, etc.

3. Pack smartly – in addition to gathering all of your moving supplies first (boxes, tape, bubble wrap, etc), make sure you start packing early to prevent rush or stress as you get closer to your moving date. Also, I recommend packing room by rom, and labeling & color coding every box (more on this later).

4. For moving day – pack a first night box with essentials you’ll need for your first night and day at your new apartment, and also pack a first week with essentials you need on a daily basis and need easy access to.

Moving Hacks - Plan Your Move!

1. Start Planning Early

From the time you decide you are ready to move out and get your own apartment, start preparing yourself mentally and physically for your first move.

By that, I mean have enough time to start first apartment shopping, declutter your room, prepare a packing list, and start packing early enough that almost everything is packed a few days prior to your move.

You don’t want to leave everything for the last minute, and you don’t want to start packing 2 days before you move. Also, I don’t recommend rushing things either.

Take your time, have time to think about each essential or furniture piece you want to buy, take time to declutter and pack your stuff.

2. Declutter Everything

There is probably no reason to pack your whole room at your parents home. Go through your closet, drawers, furniture, etc.

Decide what’s coming with you to your new apartment, what’s staying at your parents house, and what’s going out on an adventure (aka giving away/donating/throwing away/being sold).

It will be so much easier for you to have a fresh start and bring with you only things you ACTUALLY use and need.

3. Create a Moving Checklist

After you decluttered everything, and have an understanding of what you have and what you need, it’s time to create a moving checklist and plan ahead!

You can check out this FREE first apartment checklist printable that has everything you’ll probably need for your first apartment move.

Plus, it also includes an empty version of the pages incase you want to write everything down on your own as well.

4. Budget For Your First Apartment Move

One of the best tips I’ve learned in life so far, is everything is possible if you budget for it accordingly.

Budgeting is a HUGE part of moving into your first apartment, because there are so many expenses to prepare for.

I recommend making yourself a budget spreadsheet, or get yourself this first apartment budget spreadsheet, and budget all of your first apartment shopping and moving expenses.

By using a budget spreadsheet, you will know exactly what you have, and what you need to buy for your first apartmen.

You’ll be able to budget for each expense, keep track of your spending, and have an idea of what’s exactly going on.

5. Start First Apartment Shopping!

Now comes my favorite part – SHOPPING!

I had so much fun shopping my first apartment, it actually felt like a dream come true lol

What I did, while still living in my parents house, is I low key started shopping for small first apartment essentials like 6 months before actually moving.

I wanted to take my time, I wanted to choose every product that will come with me to my new chapter in life. And I also didn’t want to spend so much money on once, so spreading it on 6 months made the whole process easier and stress-free.

I just has a large box in our garage that I put every single item I got in it.

Of course I didn’t but furniture. Only small kitchen/bathroom essentials.

6. Go to Stores For Free Moving Boxes

When I moved into my first apartment, I went to my local shopping center and mall and asked stores for boxes if they had any. Most of them had and they just gave me them for free.

I also know that U-Hall sells boxes, and you can also get moving boxes on Home Depot for a very low price and that’s also a great option.

Packing Tips & Tricks:

7. Pack a First Night Bag

When packing your whole life into boxes, you needddd to pack a first night box and a first week box.

Starting off with the first night box, it’s basically a box (or a bag) with important things you’ll need for your first night at your new apartment.

For example, pack a toiletries bag, have 2 sets of clothes, pack some snacks, water bottles, and anything you’ll need for your first day.

8. Pack a First Week Box

Moving on to a “First Week Box”, this is basically your go-to box for everything you might need for the first week of your move, if you weren’t quick enough to unpack and organize everything (which is totally normal, unpacking takes time).

In this box, I suggest having a few sets of clothes for the first few days, toilet paper, toiletries, everyday products, and different stuff you might need and would want to easily reach during your first week.

9. Use Suitcases As Moving Boxes

In addition to moving boxes, you can also utilize suitcases and luggage bags for your move!

You can pack suitcases with clothes, or anything else that will fit in your suitcases.

10. Color Code Boxes

One of my favorite moving hacks is to color code boxes! By color coding boxes by room, you and your movers will know exactly what boxes to put in each room.

For example, put a pink sticker on the bedroom boxes, a green sticker on the kitchen boxes, a yellow sticker for the closet, etc.

11. Label EVERYTHING

Same idea like color coding your boxes, you want to know what’s inside each box and where’s it going.

When packing, don’t forget to label EVERY SINGLE BOX.

You can either write on the boxes with a sharpie, or get moving boxes labels to make sure you know exactly what’s inside of each box.

12. Keep Clothes on Hangers

One of the most annoying moving mistakes I made, was taking my clothes off their hangers and folding all my clothes into boxes/suitcases.

It is MUCH EASIER to keep your clothes on their hangers, wrap them with large garbage bags so they will stay on their hangers, and just transport them from one closet to another 😉

13. Use Towels & Sheets For Fragile Boxes

Using towels and sheets for fragile boxes is a win-win situation – you are also packing your towels and sheets and also protecting and packing fragile stuff.

For example, wrap glassware/dishes with towels, and make sure the moving boxes are padded so dishes or any fragile items won’t break.

14. Tape Mirrors so They Won’t Break

Another one of my favorite moving hacks is to tape mirrors.

Make sure that the mirrors won’t break during the move is to place tape over the glass in an “X” to prevent the mirror from shattering during the move.

This way the tape will absorb any shocks that the mirrors can get and will protect the mirror from breaking during the move.

15. Pack Socks Into Your Boots and Shoes

Packing socks in boots and shoes is perfect for maximizing moving boxes space.

Instead of packing your socks in one place, and packing your shoes in a different box, just fill your boots and shoes with socks!

16. Pack Cleaning Supplies in Its Own Box

There are two reasons why you want to pack cleaning supplies in it’s own box;

Since you’ll need to clean your apartment before/during moving day, you want your cleaning supplies to be as easy to reach as possible, and have them all in one place.
Another reason, is that sh** happens, and you don’t want to have your cleaning supplies in the same box as your clothes or other belongings for example.

17. Tape Screws And Bolts on The Back of The Furniture Piece

You NEED to follow this moving hack. ALWAYS tape screws and bolts on the back of the furniture piece.

You’ll thank me when you put furniture pieces together, and won’t need to look everywhere for the screws.

Day Of - Moving Hacks:

18. Pre-clean Your New Place Before Moving in

If you get the keys before move-in day, I highly recommend cleaning your new apartment before moving, since the apartment will be completely empty, it will be so much easier to clean your place before moving everything in.

19. Pack Your Car/Truck Strategically

Not trying to brag lol but when I moved into my first apartment, I brought all of my moving boxes in one regular-sized car from my parents house, without actually leaving anything at their home!

I just packed my car extremely strategically, and I was able to fit so many things inside my car. When packing your car, it’s important to keep to things in mind –

Heaviest boxes are at the bottom, lighter boxes are on top.
What boxes you want to unpack first. Whatever you choose, keep them on the back of your car, so they are easy to access and unload.

20. Get a Free 30-day Trial to Amazon Prime For Your Groceries

You can’t go wrong with an Amazon Prime membership when moving.

I didn’t have the membership before, but a few days before I moved I signed up for the FREE 30-day trial and I made the best use out of it!

I now have the membership regularly, but it was so smart to have the free trial during my first month of my moving into my first apartment, I used it to quickly ship furniture/essentials I wanted to buy straight to my new apartment, and I also ordered groceries straight to my new apartment for my second day.

Unpacking Moving Hacks:

21. Start By Unpacking The Kitchen

I don’t know about you, but most of my moving boxes were kitchen boxes and clothes.

The kitchen is the heart of the apartment, and most of your daily life products are for the kitchen.

So, it’s smart to start off by unpacking the kitchen moving boxes first. It will free up lots of moving boxes, and will lower the amount of moving boxes you’ll have to deal with.

22. Assemble furniture ASAP

After the kitchen, start the rest of your unpacking journey by getting your bed and couch set up.

This way you’ll have a place to sleep, and it will also free up a lot of space in your apartment when unpacking the rest of the boxes.

23. Break down boxes as you unpack

And lastly, breaking down boxes as you unpack is one of the best moving tips to follow if you want to prevent clutter, junk, and a huge mess piling up in your apartment.

Always make sure to break down boxes once you finish unpacking them, and every few boxes go to the dump or recycling center to clear everything out.

That’s it for now! I hope you learned some great moving tips and moving hacks for your first apartment move!