Moving to a new city or town can be exciting and scary at the same time. You get a new change of scenery, and you can use this as a new beginning. But you also have to start over, make new friends, and familiarize yourself with a new area.
When you’re already comfortable where you live, you forget about all the little nuances you have to do if you change your address. Moving not only requires you to get all your belongings from point A to point B, it also requires you to do a lot of other things as well. There are so many tips for moving, but what about after you’ve already moved? The following are four things you need to do after you move to a new city.
- Familiarize yourself with the area.
The first thing you will want to do is to familiarize yourself with the area. Get a map and study it, or just get in the car and drive around. You’ll want to learn where the closest gas station, restaurant, grocery store, and other necessities are located in relation to your home. You will also want to know how to get around the town so that you can get to and from work or to and from your kids’ schools without any issues. The more you familiarize yourself with the area, the better your entire moving experience will be.
- Forward your mail.
If you haven’t done this yet, you’ll need to have your mail forwarded to your new address. This way, you will still receive all the important mail you currently get as well as ensure you still receive bills that need to be paid. Forwarding your mail is something you can do at the post office or on the USPS website.
Along with forwarding your mail, you’ll also want to let your friends and family know about your move. Send them an email or a postcard that lets them know that you move as well as your new address. This way, you don’t have to worry about them sending anything to the wrong address.
- If you aren’t sure of your future address, or when you’ll be able to receive mail there, you can also have the USPS hold your mail until your ready to receive it.
- Locate new service providers.
In your old town, you “had a guy” for every possible need. You had a place for servicing your car, you had a doctor, whether for annual exams or specialty needs, you had a dentist for annual dental exams and/or specialty needs, and you even had a veterinarian, assuming you have pets. In a new town, you’ll have to establish all of these relationships again. Use online review sites or talk with your neighbors about who they use for certain services. By locating a doctor, dentist, mechanic, and veterinarian right away, you’ll eliminate the stress of trying to find one when you’re in desperate need.
- Update online profiles.
You likely have online accounts for certain factors of your life. For example, you may have an online profile for your cell phone bill, your credit card, or even for your bank. No matter what online accounts you have set up, you’ll need to update these profiles with your new address. This way, your credit card statement will stop going to your old address.
Along with profiles, you’ll want to update other accounts as well. For example, if you simply had your cable transferred to the new address, you’ll want to ensure the cable company has your new address on file instead of your old one. You’ll also want to do this with gas and electric bills, assuming you’re keeping the same provider.