Phew! Moving can really be a stressful experience. Whether you are moving for a job, to be closer to family, or just for the thrill of living in a different place, planning to move can be overwhelming. Not only do you have to worry about moving to your new home, but also you have to remember all the little things such as changing your mail addresses, organizing your boxes for when you arrive at your new place and making sure your health care is available in your new location.  Plan your move with these tips to make your moving experience as seamless as possible. So what now, you might ask? Well, we’ll tell you!

1. Mark Your Boxes
   This is one of those times that it is a good thing to be a little obsessed with organization. What about when it comes time to unpack? How do you know where everything goes? Boom! Mark the room the boxes will go in. One of the most stressful parts about moving isn’t the moving part but the unpacking. Figuring out what is going to go where can be very frustrating especially after you’ve hauled all your stuff to your new place! Having clearly marked boxes so you can put the boxes in the right place once you arrive at your new home will make your moving experience much easier. Being clearly organized will even make it easier to ensure you have a clear walking path in your new apartment once you get all your boxes into your new place.
2. Make Sure Your Mail Is Arriving At Your New Home
   Set mail forwarding for your new address. One of the hassles of planning a move is keeping track of the different address changes you need to put into place. It may be easy to remember changing your address for your Internet and banking statements, but what about you’re your streaming or your online shopping accounts?!  By setting a mail forwarding you will be able to have all of your mail forwarded to your new address. You can easily set your mail forwarding online at USPS.
3. Pack for Easy Accessibility
   There’s nothing worse than moving in to a new place and realizing you have no idea where you packed your toothbrush or toilet paper. Pack the things you will need in clear boxes to make it easy to find the things you will need in your first night. This will save you from having to dig through your boxes and find the things you are going to need to get through the first night before you can unpack.
4. Turn Your Utilities On
   Do you like to do everything by candlelight? If not, make sure you give yourself enough time to get utility services turned on at your new home. Things like electricity, gas, internet and cable may require a day or two to get set up. Nothing would be worse than arriving at your new home and finding that your electricity is not turned on yet!
5. Check to See If You’re Eligible for a Special Enrollment Period
   Here’s the great thing about moving. It lets you totally start over! However, if you’re planning to move to a whole new area you may find yourself outside your health plan network or you might need to find new doctors. Moving is a qualifying event! You may qualify for the special enrollment period (SEP) if your move meets one of the two following criteria:
6. 1. You are moving within your state but your health plan or network is not available OR
   2. You are moving out of state.
   If your move falls into one of these categories you will have 60 days to change or enroll in a new health plan after moving. If your move still doesn’t fall into one of these categories you may be eligible for a temporary plan and be able to buy something short-term until you can make changes.  A short-term plan can keep you covered until the next open enrollment period (OEP).

While moving can be a hectic experience, please don’t make it more stressful for yourself then it already is! Plan ahead and follow these tips to make the process as stress-free as possible. Don’t put yourself in a situation where you are scrambling last minute!

Are you moving? Where to? Do you have a moving schedule made? Tell us about it in the comments!