Who to Tell About Your Move and How

Moving is exciting, but it can be difficult to break the news to those close to you if you are moving far enough away that it will make seeing your friends and family on a regular basis difficult. You want the people around you to be excited, but deep down you also recognize that saying goodbye to your loved ones will be hard for everyone involved. In addition to the people in your life you care about, there are also services and agencies that you will need to inform of your move as well.

• • Friends and Family – Your closest will be both the easiest and the hardest people to tell about your move. There are two ways to approach breaking the news: you can tell them all individually or as a group. If you would rather tell people one on one, invite each person out to dinner somewhere significant to both of you and tell them over a delicious meal and a bottle of wine. Be prepared for some tears, some hugging, etc. Even if you are not an outwardly emotional person yourself. Keep in mind that everyone handles big news differently, so if your friends and family need to process the news, be kind to them as they do so. If intimate conversation is not your forte, throw a party to announce the big news. Prep your guests ahead of time by telling them that the purpose of the get together is for you to make an important announcement, that way no one is totally and completely blindsided when you drop the bombshell.

• • The Postal Service – Getting your mail is important, so if you are moving, be sure to let the postal service know where to forward your mail. The USPS makes it incredibly easy to update your address and set up mail forwarding right on their site. Be cautious, though, and make sure you are on the correct site. It is a frequent practice for scammers to set up websites that look like the USPS site to steal your credit card information, so double check to make sure you are on the USPS website when you set up mail forwarding.

• • Your Bank – Most banks make it easy to update your address right on their websites, so make sure to update your bank information with your new address. If you are having a hard time finding where on your bank’s website to update your information, or if you would simply rather do it over the phone, you can always call your bank’s customer service number to get your information updated quickly and easily. Updating your address with your bank is important so that your billing address and zip code match your physical address and confusion can be avoided.

• • Your Subscriptions – Mail forwarding only lasts for one year, unless you extend it manually. This means you will not get your mail automatically forwarded to you forever, so any subscriptions or accounts that you have will need to be updated with your new address as well. Each website and company is different, so start by checking your subscriptions’ websites to see if there is an easy way to update your information. Most sites will have an account settings menu where you can do this, but if not, simply give a call to customer service the same as you would call your bank.

• • Your Job – If you work remotely, this may be a nonissue for you. If you work in the office, however, you likely will not be keeping this job once you make a long distance move. For future reference purposes, it is never a good idea to spring the fact that you are quitting on your employer, but there are a couple of ways you can go about telling your job you will be leaving. The first option is two put in your two weeks notice with exactly two weeks to go. This is particularly recommended if you suspect your job may retaliate by letting you go immediately. A simple, professional letter of resignation is all you need to let let your job know you will be leaving. If you are certain that your job will not tell you not to bother finishing out your remaining time, letting them know with as much notice as possible will likely be appreciated. If you know a month in advance when your last day will be, giving your employer as much of a heads up as possible will give them time to prepare for your departure and hopefully find a replacement that can start as soon as you leave. Many employers appreciate the advance notice, which will be helpful in the future if you need to use them as a reference during job interviews.