Moving to a new city is simultaneously exciting, nerve-racking, and tedious.

Exploring the new streets, shops, cafes, and sights that your new home has to offer is sure to take up most of your free time after the move, but you can’t forget about the behind the scenes necessities amidst your new metropolitan affair.

What necessities you may ask?  Well, we are sorry to break it to you, but getting set up in a new city will require more than just unpacking a few (dozen) boxes.

First Things First

There are a number of things you will have to do when you arrive to your new home, but two of the most important things you will have to take care of are getting your finances changed over, and ensuring your mailing address is properly updated.

Managing Your Finances

Ah yes, the most tedious business of them all: managing your money.

Managing your money is important all of the time, but even more so when going through a big move.

You may or may not need to change your accounts over to a new bank or other financial institution, depending on where you currently bank and what is available in your new area. Although online banking is continuously growing in popularity, it is still a safer bet to have a local branch that you can visit if necessary.

You may also need to consider finding a new accountant. It’s something most people only think about once a year (oh, tax time), but if you wait until the last minute, many local accountants may be too busy to accommodate a new client, or you may not be able to find an accountant suitable to your needs.

This is something you should research before your move. That way you have ample time to find an accountant you are comfortable with and can have your files transferred over from your current accountants office in time for the upcoming tax season.

Changing Your Mailing Address

You never truly realize how many subscriptions, accounts, bills (ugh), or contacts that you have until it’s time to change your mailing address.

Your first step should be heading to the post office and arranging mail forwarding – this means that anything being sent to your old address past your specified moving date will be redirected to your new address.

And then comes the fun part – you’ll have to go into, call, or go online and change your address for anything you’ve had to use an address for. This checklist is the best way to ensure you don’t miss anything, because there are a lot more things you will need to change than you expect.

And Finally

Once you’ve successfully settled in your new home, you can finally start to allocate your time and energy into really enjoying your new city – join some classes, start volunteering in the local communities, or just get lost wondering your new “backyard”.