At first glance, you wouldn’t think that changing addresses would have much of a financial impact. If you look closer, though, you’ll realize that a lot of your finances depend on people knowing your correct address. Utility providers will need to know your current address to they can supply power, Internet and other essential services to your home, for instance, and financial institutions will need to know your current address so they can contact you if your account has any issues.
Fortunately, changing your address isn’t difficult, and these tips will make it even easier.
Verify Your New Address
If you just shook your head after reading this, it’s understandable. How could someone not know their new address? The truth is that you won’t be as familiar with your new address as you are with your old one, and in the midst of moving you might make a wrong assumption about your new address.
You can start by verifying your new address with your realtor or landlord. When you do so, be sure to write the address down and double-check the spelling. If you want to be extra cautious, you can even reach out to the post office and make sure that the address you have matches the one in their databanks.
Make a List
After you’ve verified the new address, your next step should be to make a list of everyone you need to notify. In addition to the post office, this list should include:
- Your old utility providers
- Insurance agents
- Financial institutions
- The IRS
- Your cell phone provider
- Your credit card companies
- Subscriptions
- Your doctor
- Medicare or Medicaid
If you’re worried about missing anyone, check your mail for at least two weeks before you move and keep a record of every person or company who you want to make sure knows about your new address. If you really want to take your list to the next level, create a database or spreadsheet that lists the person or company, their contact information and whether or not you’ve let them know about your new address.
Include Everyone’s Names
If you have a family, you’ll need to make sure that you list everyone who is moving with you when you fill our a change of address form at the post office. If you don’t, other family members won’t get their mail forwarded.
You should know that if family members who have a different last name are moving with you, you’ll have to fill out a change of address form for every individual who is moving. If all the members of your family have the same last name, though, you’ll simply be able to use the family option on the post office’s change of address form.
Change Your Address Before you Move
Once you know you’re going to change addresses, take some time before you actually move to let people know about your new location. If you don’t, you’ll more than likely have to wait a while to get mail delivered to your new address, since most companies will need a couple of weeks to process your change of address form.
If you’re trying to figure out how to change your address with multiple people while you’re also trying to coordinate your move, one helpful tip is to break the task down. If you have a spare ten minutes or so, contact one or two of the people on your list to let them know you’re changing your address, and eventually you’ll be able to notify everyone.
Make Your Move go Smoothly With First Alliance Credit Union
Changing your address might not be one of the most pressing moving tasks you’ll have to complete, but it’s still crucial. Using these tips will help make changing your address easier, ensure you don’t accidentally omit anyone who needs to know about your new location and help your move go just a bit smoother.
If you’d like additional help in making your move smoother, become a member of First Alliance Credit Union today. Prepare for your move by putting money in a savings account, or take out a personal line of credit to cover your costs. You can also download a free moving budget from First Alliance that will help you keep your moving costs from spinning out of control.
