Now that we’ve been in Lexington for two weeks (insane!) we’ve figured out most of the moving details. Obviously our “moving” is already done, but there are so so many random ends to tie up when you move. Today I wanted to create a quick list of things you might forget – that are important! – and simple ways to get them done.
Start Making a List of Address to Change BEFORE You Move
The last few months before we moved I would write down (in a note in Google Keep) every piece of mail that we got and needed to change the address. Bills, magazines, etc! That way I didn’t have to try and remember what we usually got in the mail. I also wrote down all our credit cards, bank locations, etc that needed to be changed. Making a list means you don’t have to try to remember!
OFFICIALLY Change Your Address!
When you move you should register with the Post Office. The previous tenants in our apartment in St Louis didn’t do that and we got their mail for months! We got some items that looked super important – so I gave it all to my landlord. Hopefully he tracked them down! Moral of the story is to change your address and have your mail forwarded with USPS. It’s free, super easy, and will forward items for a year. Sign up here. Bonus – you get tons of coupons!
Contact Utilities
No one wants to get to their new house or apartment and not have water or electricity! Get a list of your local utilities from your landlord or realtor before you get there. We called our new utilities and got accounts set to start on our closing date – that way we knew they would be working and in our correct names.
License & Car Registration
Many states require you to update your license within 30 days of moving. Trust me, do it before you forget! You don’t want notices going to your old address (although if you followed step 2 and registered your move you’ll be ok!).
Delete Old Addresses
If you’re like me, you have your old address saved a million places you shop online. Do yourself a favor and go delete that address from your address book right now! No one wants their urgent Amazon order being sent to the wrong place. A few seconds now will save you from shipping confusion later! This is another thing the previous tenants in STL forgot to do – we got items they had bought online shipped to their old address for almost a year. (Don’t worry, I didn’t open them! I had them returned to the sender!)
If you’ve read this list and are overwhelmed, don’t worry! Most of these things take only a few minutes and you can do them while watching TV in your new place 🙂 In order to make this post super handy I created an easy checklist below – happy moving!
