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At this point in time, you're excited about your upcoming home move, but not so excited about the actual moving process.

It seems like all the little things that you've been putting off are now becoming big things with more of an impact that you first realized.

The moving process can go a lot smoother if you plan the steps you need to take for the home move before the time to take those steps.

One of the first things you should do when you are preparing for the home move is to let people know that you are moving. Of course, your friends and family are likely already aware of the home move. But don't forget about lenders, organizations, and magazine publishers.

Send a change of address card to your contacts so you won't miss any important mail. You can file your forwarding address with your local post office so mail will be forwarded from your old address to your new address. Then you can update your address with these contacts as you receive mail at your new address. You can also do this online at http://www.usps.com.

To downsize on the amount of items you'll have to move start by retuning borrowed items to their rightful owners. You might also want to retrieve items you've loaned from your neighbors. If the items aren't that important to you consider letting the neighbors have them.

You should let your utility service providers know that you are preparing for a home move a few weeks before your home move date. If you are relocating within the same area, you can simply arrange for a transfer of service.

However, if you are moving to an area that does not use the same utility providers, then you will need to completely disconnect service.

Arrange to have utility service started at your new location. Coordinate the connects and disconnects so that you aren't paying for utilities in two locations.

Your bank is one of the most important institutions to inform of your intentions of a home move. If you plan to keep the same accounts, you can simply have your address updated on the accounts. You should also have new checks printed with your new address. However, if you plan to open an account in a new bank it should be done during the home move preparation period. The most important thing is that you have access to your money in your new home. If you are changing banks, you should leave your old account open until all checks and other charges have cleared.

If you are going to be driving a long distance, you should have your car serviced before the home move. It might take you some time to find a place to have your car serviced in the new area.

Schedule any final appointments with your doctor and dentist so you will have time to find care providers in your new area.

There are a lot of steps you need to complete outside of putting your things into boxes and loading them on to a truck. To help keep tasks organized you might consider creating a checklist.