How to Use Moving Announcements to Make Your Big Move Smoother

Sitting on the floor in the midst of clothes and boxes, you suddenly wonder, "How will everyone know we've moved?" Bills and birthday cards going to the wrong address starts to plague your thoughts. You frantically make your way to the local post office to sign up for mail forwarding, but then it may take twice as long for your mail to reach you at your new place. Now you're not only worried about the mail, what if your old high school pals look you up and show up at the doorstep of your old place? After all, you can't go through everyone's white pages in your metropolitan area and edit your address and phone number. What can you do to make sure everyone knows you're moving? The best thing to do is to send out moving announcements before you change your permanent address.

What should you include on a moving announcement? Be sure to include your new address, phone number, and name change if you've recently gotten married. Nowadays some brides are choosing to adopt the man's last name, some to keep their own last names, and some are creating hyphenated last names. Make it easy for your friends, family and co-workers by specifying your new last name on your moving announcement.

When should you send moving announcements? It's best to send them five working days before you move. This will make sure that anyone sending you correspondence during your hectic week of moving will send their mail to wait for you at your new address. Even if you send moving announcements, you should still register for mail forwarding at your local post office. When you go, you'll need to bring a form of identification with you. The whole process shouldn't take more than ten minutes.

What type of moving announcement should you send? You can choose to send a card, a simple postcard, or even a magnet that friends can stick on their fridge to remember your new address. Choose something humorous that will help you crack a smile during the stress that accompanies moving. Be sure to proof your address on your moving cards, because the last thing you want to do is to send everyone the wrong address for your new place!

Once your moving announcements are ordered and sent out, you can go back to your boxes with one less thing to worry about.