When making a long-distance move, it is easy to get caught up in the process of going through all your belongings and packing them up safely. However, you also need to accomplish additional moving tasks, beyond packing, before your move-out date. Here are five items to put on your To Do List.

1. Change Your Address With the United States Post Office

You don’t want to wait until the last minute to contact the United States Post Office with a change of address. The U.S. Post Office allows you to change your address online for a $1 fee and will send a letter to your new residence within a week to confirm your change of address.

You should change your address a few days before you move. That way, you will get any mail that is already en route to your old home and all new mail will be rerouted to your new residence.

2. Change Your Address With Everyone Who Regularly Sends You Mail

Don’t just rely on the post office to forward your mail. You should also contact everyone who regularly sends you mail to let them know about your change of address. Forwarded mail will take additional time to get to your new home. By contacting everyone who sends you mail, you ensure that you will receive your mail promptly.

Contacting all official businesses that send you mail also ensures they change your address in their system, as the post office will only forward your mail for so long. A few examples of businesses to contact are banks, credit card companies, loan facilitators, and any other companies you pay bills to.

Be sure to change your address on magazine subscriptions. Also, go online and change your address on any online service you frequently order from, and update your address with any monthly boxes or subscription services you subscribe to. Magazines will only be forwarded for 60 days. Packages will not be forwarded by the U.S. Post Office.

3. Transfer Any Prescriptions to a New Pharmacy

If you have any medications that you get filled on a regular basis, you need to forward your prescriptions. Do this before you move. You don’t want to be in need of medication only to discover you haven’t forwarded the prescription.

Find a pharmacy that is close to your new home and forward all of your prescriptions there. After you move, if you find another pharmacy that you prefer, you can always transfer the prescriptions again. Doing this before you move will ensure you have access to the medication you need.

4. Find New Medical Providers and Transfer Your Medical Records

Next, you are going to need new medical providers. Work with your medical insurance to find new providers in the area where you will be moving to. Do your research and find providers who are accepting new patients.

Reach out to your current medical providers about transferring your records. Some medical providers will require you to come in and sign paperwork before they will transfer your records, so be sure to take care of this before you move.

5. Set Up Utilities

With a long-distance move, you will more than likely have to work with new utility services. Call all of your new utility companies and set up accounts. When setting up new accounts, you may have to put down deposits or provide proof that you paid your previous utility provider.

You may also need to set up appointments to have your utilities turned on. Be sure to schedule these appointments around your move-in date, so you can enjoy your new home as soon as possible.

At Island Movers, Inc., we can help you with the packing and moving process so you can focus on all the other tasks you need to accomplish. Give us a call and we’ll provide you with a free moving estimate.