Start making necessary phone calls about two weeks before the move. Cancel your telephone, television, Internet and home security services, and cancel any cleaning or gardening services. Call the service companies at your new home to schedule new service hook-ups in the day or two after you arrive. You'll likely be using different companies for electricity, security and telecommunications in your new state; contact the local chamber of commerce for information. Give your new address to friends and family. Put in a change-of-address request with every magazine you subscribe to as well as your mortgage company, insurance carriers, loan providers and credit card companies. Arrange for the post office to forward any mail to your new address.
As you bubble-wrap breakables and fold clothes, assume that everything you pack into a box, you won't see again until at least a week after your move. Pack a few "first week" boxes to keep with you, either in your car or in the most accessible part of the moving van. Include underwear and clothes for everyone, sheets for the beds, towels, cell phone chargers, medications, scissors, tape, tools, flashlights, toilet paper, paper towels, soap, shampoo and plenty of nonperishable snacks such as trail mix and crackers. Add valuables and important paperwork, including birth certificates and mortgage documents. Your needs dictate what else you need to include; for instance, you'll need diapering supplies and toys if you have children, and dry food and treats if you have pets.
Depending on your budget and the amount of stuff you're planning to move, you might find it's easiest to hire help. You either may hire a moving company to transport everything, or pack your items in a large rented cubes and hire a company to move the cubes to your new home. Either option takes the stress out of transporting all your stuff, but if you rent moving cubes, you'll still have to do all the work of loading and unloading your belongings. If you opt to hire movers, get written estimates from at least three companies. Not all companies travel across state lines, so ask upfront. Get cash out of the bank or arrange for a cashier's check so you can pay the movers when they're done unloading at your new place.
If you opt to move yourself, plan to take things slowly. A moving truck or car with a hitched trailer attached is hard to drive. Spend some time in the truck getting used to the mirrors and equipment before starting it up, and make sure you have a clearly printed reminder of the truck's height on the dashboard so you can refer to it before going under any low bridges. Drive in the right-hand lane and stay at least five miles under the speed limit. If the drive will take more than a day, find hotels with brightly-lit parking lots and truck parking. If you can, back the truck up to a fence or wall, and request a room that looks out over it.
If you drive and vote, you'll have to research your new state's registration processes. Each state's Department of Motor Vehicles requirements are different; for instance, when you move to California, you're required to apply for a new driver's license within 10 days, while New Jersey grants new residents 60 days. Contact your former state election office to cancel your registration, and your new state election office to register with it; find contact information at eac.gov. If you've moved within the 60 days before an election, your new state may allow you to vote using your previous address.
