Most moving day problems don’t start on moving day. They start a week or two earlier, when something small gets skipped. We see the same handful of mistakes all over the Omaha metro, and almost every one of them is easy to avoid. Here are the moving day tips that matter most, organized around the mistakes they prevent.
Want the full week-by-week plan? That’s in our complete moving checklist. This post is about the day itself.
1. Leaving the Packing for the Last Day
This is the big one. If the crew shows up and the kitchen is still in the cabinets, the move takes longer. If you’re paying by the hour, it costs more too.
Do this instead: Start packing the rooms you use least a few weeks out and finish everything except daily essentials before moving week ends. If you’re running behind, it’s not too late to get help. Packers can knock out a kitchen much faster than you can at midnight.
2. Not Packing an Essentials Box
Your phone charger is in a box. Somewhere. On the truck. Maybe.
Do this instead: Pack one bag or box per person with chargers, medications, toiletries, toilet paper, a change of clothes, sheets for the first night, snacks and basic tools. Put it in your car, not on the truck.
3. Putting Valuables on the Truck
Jewelry, cash, passports, important papers, laptops and medications shouldn’t ride with your furniture.
Do this instead: Set aside a “do not load” zone before the crew arrives. A bathroom or an empty closet works well. Put a sign on the door and keep your valuables and essentials box there until they go in your car.
4. Skipping the Labels
Unlabeled boxes all end up in the garage or the living room, and you spend the next week hunting for the coffee maker.
Do this instead: Label every box with the room it goes to and a short list of what’s inside. Write on two sides, not just the top, because the top is hidden once boxes are stacked. At the new place, tape a sign on each bedroom door (“Emma’s room,” “Office”) so everyone knows where things go.
5. Forgetting to Reserve the Elevator and Parking
Apartment and condo buildings often require an elevator reservation, and some want a certificate of insurance from your mover before they’ll let a crew in. Show up without either and the move can stall in the lobby.
Do this instead:
- Ask your building manager about elevator reservations, move-in hours and loading areas at least two weeks out. Ask whether they need a certificate of insurance, and let your mover know. We can send one on request.
- Save a spot for the truck as close to the door as you can. Ask a neighbor to leave the curb open, or move your own cars out of the driveway the night before.
- If the truck has to use metered street parking, ask Park Omaha about meter hooding (reserving the meters) well before moving day.
A long walk from the truck to the door adds time to every single trip. Our apartment moving guide has more on building logistics.
6. Not Measuring the Big Stuff
The sectional that came in through the patio door five years ago doesn’t remember how it got there, and neither do you.
Do this instead: Measure your biggest pieces (couches, sectionals, box springs, dressers, the fridge) and then measure doorways, hallways and stair turns at the new place. If something won’t fit, figure out now whether the legs come off, a door needs to come off its hinges or it’s time to sell it.
7. Forgetting to Defrost the Fridge
A freezer that’s still frozen on moving morning leaks all over the truck, your boxes and your new kitchen floor.
Do this instead: Empty, unplug and defrost your fridge and freezer at least 24 hours before the move, and shut off the water line if it has an ice maker. Our guide on how to move a refrigerator walks through every step, including how long to wait before plugging it back in.
8. Not Giving Your Mover the Full Picture
An estimate is only as good as the information behind it. Forget to mention the garage, the storage unit or the piano in the basement, and moving day gets longer.
Do this instead: Tell your mover about everything that’s going, including the garage, outdoor furniture, specialty items and stairs at both homes. And read your moving agreement before moving day. At Easy As Pie, it arrives when you book, and if there’s more to move than we planned for, we tell you at the start of the day, not on the bill.
9. Skipping the Walkthrough
If nobody points out the dresser that’s staying or the glass tabletop that’s loose, the crew has to guess.
Do this instead: Walk through with your crew lead before anything moves. Point out what’s going, what’s staying and anything fragile, valuable or awkward. Our crews walk every room before loading and after unloading for exactly this reason. Before the truck leaves, check every closet, cabinet, the garage and the attic one last time.
10. No Plan for Kids and Pets
Moving day means open doors, heavy furniture and a lot of strangers. That’s a rough combination for a toddler or a dog who bolts.
Do this instead: Line up a sitter or a grandparent for the little ones if you can. If not, give them a moving day bag with snacks, a tablet and a favorite toy. Keep pets with a friend or in one closed room with a sign on the door. Our guide to moving with pets has more ideas.
11. Showing Up to a Dark House
It’s no fun to unload in the dark or find out the water’s off at bedtime.
Do this instead: Schedule your utilities a few weeks ahead so they’re on at the new place by moving day. In Omaha, OPPD lets you start, stop or move electric service online, and M.U.D. has online forms to start, transfer or stop gas and water service.
12. Ignoring the Forecast
Omaha weather does what it wants. A July move in the heat and a January move on an icy driveway each need a little planning.
Do this instead: Check the forecast a few days out. In summer, stock the cooler with water for everyone. In winter, shovel and salt the walks and driveway at both homes. Our winter moving tips cover the cold-weather details. We move in all kinds of weather and bring tarps, plastic wrap and padding. If conditions are truly unsafe, we call you and pick a new date together.
Your Night-Before Game Plan
- Essentials box and valuables packed and in your car
- Fridge empty, unplugged and defrosted
- Beds stripped and bedding bagged
- Driveway and parking spot cleared
- Phone charged and on loud so your crew can reach you
Moving Day Tips FAQs
What should I do on the morning of moving day?
Eat breakfast, finish packing the last few items, strip the beds if you haven’t, clear the path to the door and keep your phone handy. Then do a walkthrough with your crew lead when they arrive.
Do I need to be home on moving day?
It helps at the start, so you can walk through what’s going and what’s staying. At the new place, someone needs to point the crew to the right rooms. In between, relax. One of our customers napped on her couch.
What shouldn’t go on the moving truck?
Valuables, important documents, medications and your essentials box should ride with you. Propane, gasoline, paint thinner and other flammables can’t go on the truck at all.
What’s the most common moving day mistake?
Not being fully packed when the crew arrives. It slows down the whole day and, on an hourly move, raises the cost.
Want a Moving Day That Goes to Plan?
At Easy As Pie Moving Co., our crews call when they’re on the way, walk every room with you and pad and strap every load. Your moving agreement arrives when you book, with every rate spelled out and no stair fees.
Request your free estimate or call us at (402) 200-4661.
