Don’t Forget These 5 Things When You Move

Getting ready for the move is stressful enough to cause you to forget many of the important things you should do before leaving. Juggling between packing and arranging your move with a properly licensed moving company, you have less time to focus on other things, which are essentially just as important. Here’s a list of the 5 things you shouldn’t forget to do:

Cancel or Update Subscriptions

If you do not wish to continue paying for subscriptions that are being sent to your old address, you’re wasting your hard-earned money. Subscriptions and memberships usually deduct charges from your account directly and this is why you may not realize that you’re still paying for them. It is important that you update the companies with your change of address and notify the gym and other association memberships as well. Doing so will have them promptly cancel their services or manage to send mail/documents to your new address.

Gather School and Medical Records

You can request schools for a copy of your children’s transcripts and important documents. Official and sealed copies are given precedence by new schools as report cards and standardized test results can be forged. Authentic and attested information help administrators determine your children’s academic level. Relying on aptitude tests alone isn’t always the best way to assess the strengths and weaknesses of children and shouldn’t be made the best indicators either. The importance of medical records is just as important. Providing your primary care doctor with your medical history is important for many reasons. Having read and assessed your medical records allows the doctor to examine and assess you much more thoroughly.

USPS

Notifying the USPS of your change of address should be your utmost priority. It is the fastest and easiest thing to do online. You could also go to your local post office and fill out a form that confirms your new location. Notifying state agencies regarding your new address helps redirect mail on time. In addition, you should individually notify the IRS, Social Security Administration (SSA), Healthcare Insurance, and Motor Vehicle Agencies as USPS may not re-direct government mail or checks to your new address. Updating your address is important considering you may have important documents pending, such as tax returns, citizenship letters, legal notices or medical reports. It is also the law in many or most states to update your address within the first ten days of moving. Plus, the disadvantages of not doing so are greater than any supposed benefit.

Get Utilities Turned on at Your New Location

You probably wouldn’t understand the importance of having utility services activated beforehand or at least on the day you arrive at your new home unless you experience even a few hours without them. Here’s what the struggles can look like:

– Heating/cooling – Going a day without heating or cooling can be really troubling. Also, depending on the climate of your new location, you might even have to face the harshness of summer or winter. In either the season, it is important that you schedule the activation for these services in advance. Having to spend cold nights can be dangerous for health, while hot and sweaty nights can leave you tired and full of fatigue.

– Gas – Not activating gas on time would prevent you from cooking and carrying out the normal functions of everyday life. This can be very distressing for those family members who consume homemade food or follow a certain diet regimen. Not only this but gas is also responsible for heating up your home, especially if your house uses a traditional heating system. Since the alternatives for using any other method to cook or generate heat are likely not to exist, you may have to go without cooking and heating completely.

– Electricity – Electricity is one of the biggest convenience of life for urban people. Without electricity, you don’t get to charge your phone, laptop, games, or any battery-powered device or gadget. You also don’t get to illuminate your house and usher away the darkness. Kitchen appliances such as refrigerator, microwave, and toaster all remain un-operational, leaving you unable to perform even the smallest of tasks to make yourself comfortable. Spending the first few days in a dark gloomy fashion is likely to ruin the excitement that comes with moving to a new house.

– Internet – Internet access keeps you connected to a fast-paced world that facilitates you with regards to almost every concern or query. It is a source of convenience, entertainment, and information. Not to mention, it is also highly addictive. Being without the internet even for a little while leaves you jaded and longing for it. Plus, being in a new location gives you all the more reason to have an internet connection available, especially with regards to navigation, searching for addresses and phone numbers for eat-outs and other places.

– Cable – Living without cable may not be so bad but if you’re someone who regularly tunes in to his favorite shows, you’ll feel miserable having to miss out on them even for a few days. Plus, cable is also a very good source of background noise that keeps the feelings of emptiness or isolation at bay. Having cable services turned on in your new home will increase the lively feeling, making you and everyone feel more upbeat.

Survey the Neighborhood

You would obviously search up information about your new location before confirming your move, but physically strolling around your new house has its own perks. You get familiarized with the location and feel less like a stranger. You may also make small talk with your neighbors and learn about the way of life there. All in all, a short visit before you move in works like a de-stressor, which may also boost your positivity level. Neighborhoods, in essence, are all about people. The sooner you’re able to immerse yourself, the sooner you can pursue social activities and build wonderful connections.