After spending the past couple of years living in apartments where utilities, cable, and internet were already setup before I moved in, I seem to have forgotten how much of hassle it can be if you don’t plan ahead for setting these things up. To help you avoid making the same mistakes I’ve made in the past, here are 5 things you should do before moving into a new apartment.
1. Contact the utility company at least a week in advance.
You should do this for two reasons. If the utilities are in your name at your current place, you need to give them a date to stop the utilities at your current residence unless you really like paying for utilities that you’re not using. If the same company handles the utilities at your new place, then you can set that up at the same time. If not, it will be a little more of a hassle as you’ll have to contact multiple companies.
2. Call to get your cable/internet/phone/etc. set up at least a week in advance.
I made the mistake of not doing this for my new place, and I just spent over a week without an internet connection. I didn’t realize that the cable company here required an appointment, and of course, the next available appointment time wasn’t until a week later. Make sure you’re not disconnected by calling at least a week in advance to schedule these appointments.
3. Change your address and get your mail forwarded.
There are two options for getting your mail forwarded. If you’re old school, you can take a trip to your local post office and fill out a Change of Address Form in person. If you enjoy the convenience of technology and don’t mind paying a $1, then you can fill out a Change of Address Form online. Even though this will get most of your important mail forwarded, you still need to remember to change your address on your bank accounts, credit cards, subscriptions, etc.
4. Sell stuff that you don’t need anymore.
Moving is a great time to get rid of stuff. By stuff I mean things you don’t need anymore. If the stuff you have is still in good condition, you can try selling it on craigslist or eBay. If there are already new tenants lined up for your old apartment, you can see if they’re interested in buying some stuff from you. If so, then you don’t even have to pack/move/disassemble/reassemble your stuff, and you get some extra cash.
5. Start packing early.
If there’s any advice that I’m going to give out but never actually follow myself, this is it. I suck at packing early, and I’ve suffered the consequences — staying up all night to finish packing, forgetting where I put things because none of the boxes are labeled, and ending up with backbreaking boxes filled with textbooks. All of these issues could have been easily avoided if I had started packing sooner rather than later. The sooner you start, the more time you have to realize that you’re doing something stupid, like putting 100 pounds of textbooks into a single box that you’ll have to carry up and down stairs.
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These are great points, you may also add the financial portion of it in terms of security deposit, or 2 months of rent and of course planning if it really makes sense to rent.
Unless you are making very good money, then go ahead, assuming say your current environment is intoxicated.
You don’t want to move out and be stuck with debt and pay cheque to pay cheque for years to come, all for the comfort of getting away from your previous troubles.
Getting your mail address changed might be the most important. You could miss out on important letters or bills you need if you don’t do that early enough. Set appointments for any cable etc. as early as possible. But you can survive a week or two without those, you don’t want to miss bills.
Since I move almost every year, I’ve become a pro at this….well, except for packing early as I also wait until the last minute. Though last time I moved, I did pretty well and started a month earlier and didn’t have too much last minute stuff.
But, if it’s alright with you, I’ll add two more things to this list.
1.) Packing and transporting food can be a hassle. Clean your refrigerator and pantries out. Don’t eat out the month before moving and try to use up as much food as possible!
2.) Plan HOW you will move. Are you renting a truck and asking friends to help, or are you hiring movers. I underplanned this one year and it sucked! I had myself and only one other person helping me move up three flights. It wasn’t pretty and I was literally dead tired the next day…and I had to be at work.
One important thing is to make sure you update your address with your company (if you were working) so that you can get the W2 forms!
I’d also say that buying a few extra boxes is a good idea – when you move in you’ll have things you don’t really need left over and you’ll want to have some spare boxes left over for them to trash or stash
Good list, but here are a few things to add. when you set up utilities ask the person what the average monthly bill will be. Go to the neighborhood at night and drive around. If there are people around walking good, if not think about whether or not your are moving to a good area.
What is the best cleaning products that will get those cabinets sterile and clean and also the shower its a stand up shower if that helps. i am really picky about getting things clean and it grossed me out when i saw those things wrong thank you..