Moving day is behind you, but days (or weeks) later, you have yet to determine which kitchen box has all the forks. You decide to just order pizza…but who ya gonna call? (Hint: It’s not Ghostbusters.)
If you fill out our Key Numbers and Addresses Printable before your move, you can avoid this predicament. Besides pizza delivery, here are some other important numbers to collect:
- Emergency Numbers. Include the police and fire departments, because even though you can always call 911, you might have questions or concerns that don’t fall into the “emergency” category – like a car that repeatedly speeds on your residential street. Finding a nearby doctor (for both you and your pets) is obviously important, but don’t forget about finding a dentist too. Dental care may not seem like an emergency service now, but you’ll feel differently when you wake up in the night with a throbbing molar.
- Utilities. Save yourself a lot of Googling by writing these numbers down when you set up service in your new place. Post them on your fridge and you’ll know just where to look if the power or cable goes out.
- Repair Services. The time to find a good plumber is now, when you have time to ask around for recommendations, not when your kitchen sink is spewing water like Old Faithful. The same goes for electricians, heating and cooling pros, and auto mechanics – don’t wait for an emergency. (To help prevent auto emergencies, check our blog on vehicle maintenance.)
- Food. Pizza, Chinese, burgers, Thai – whatever your favorite “emergency food” is, find someone who delivers it and save that number.
- Kid Stuff. If you have kids, make sure you have the number for their school or daycare facility. Ask around your neighborhood or join a community group online for babysitter recommendations too, and keep those numbers here. They’ll come in handy when you get tired of takeout and want to go out for a grown-up meal with real forks.
- Insurance Numbers. Write down the number of your insurance agent and check in with them shortly after you move in. They can advise you on risks specific to your new area.
Once you have all your important phone numbers, there’s still one more thing to do: Locate your important places.
The Just-Moved-In Scavenger Hunt. A phone number is all you need for the plumber or pizza delivery, but for places you need to visit regularly (the grocery store, for example), you need to do some reconnaissance. Take a drive around your new town and locate everything on our “important places” list. You can look them up online, but there’s no substitute for seeing them in person. Besides, there’s sometimes a delay between a store or office closure and the new information getting posted online.
Write it all down, post it up, and you’ll feel a little more in control of your new environment. You may even be inspired to find those forks.
