Loading…
5
Moved 1,400 miles to Austin with 3 suitcases, but the thing that actually helped was making a boring spreadsheet
When I moved from Cleveland to Austin 8 months ago I packed 3 suitcases and thought I was being smart by keeping it light. The real problem hit me in month two, when I couldn't remember my old electric bill amount or my landlord's name from the place I left, and every new account wanted that stuff. What saved me was a plain spreadsheet I made before the move with columns for every old address, utility, account number, and the date I closed each one, plus a running note of what I still needed to cancel or update. I know it sounds dumb but the DMV, my bank, and my new job all asked for details I would have guessed wrong on, and having it in one place took maybe 10 minutes total instead of a week of digging through email. If you're planning a big move, what stuff did you wish you had written down before you left?
1 comments
Log in to join the discussion
Log In1 Comment
brookereed11d ago
Honestly this whole spreadsheet thing feels like a solution in search of a problem. Most of that info lives in your email already, so a quick search for "electric bill" or "old landlord" pulls it up in seconds, no prep work needed before you move. The people who tell you to spend a weekend building some master tracking doc are usually the same ones who color code their sock drawer. When I moved two states over I just kept my email and called it a day, and nothing ever blew up on me. Plus all those places you had accounts with already know your info, they can look it up themselves when you call. Writing your landlord's name down months ahead just in case some form asks for it sounds like planning for a test you will never take.
1