Howdy all! I’m hoping that some of you with more experience at moving around than I can help me out. I’m moving into a friend’s place for 3 weeks at the end of the month until the new apartment housing on campus opens up. I’ve never moved somewhere temporarily in between permanent addresses, so I’m not sure what all needs to be done. This will be all within the same city.
For example, what should I do with my mail…should I do a temporary change of address for those 3 weeks? Get a post office box? (Do they even rent those on a weekly basis?) Put a hold on my mail for like a week at a time and go in and pick it up? I can’t do the permanent change of address yet. Since my new apartment isn’t done with construction yet, the address isn’t in the database.
Do storage spaces rent on a weekly basis or will I have to get one of those for a month? I’ll just need a small one since I don’t have any furniture (just boxes).
I’ll be canceling my ethernet, basic phone line, cable, and utilities. Is there anything I’m missing?
Thanks!
–Jessica, UCCS
Jessica -
There are two things you can do with the mail. You can go ahead and put in your forwards - a temp forward for the three weeks, and then your permanent forward from the official date. If you do this, keep in mind that the permanent forward goes from your ORIGINAL addres, not the temp one.
Personally, as a former parttime mail carrier, I would recommend that you just put your mail on hold for the three weeks if your local office will allow that. I know what a pain in the butt forwards are, and I believe you are better off avoiding the temp thing - especially since its only for three weeks.
Renting a PO box for three weeks will not be any more helpful, because you still have to do a forward from your regular address to your PO box. I think the minimum rental is a month, but it may be longer than that.
Go down to the office and explain the situation. They SHOULD be happy to explain the options and may have others that I haven’t come up with.
Keep in mind that you should have your forward filled out a few days before you actually want it to take effect. For the most part, the forwarding system works fairly well, but I always try to make sure I call/write/online form companies and change as many addresses as I can before important mail goes through forwarding. Forwarding will typically delay your mail anywhere from two days to a week. (it’s supposed to only be a day or two, but that assumes your mail goes through forwarding correctly the first time, and doesn’t get bounced back to the forwarding office, who then has to send it back though forwarding.
Good luck!
Amy
Thanks Amy. I was thinking the stop would be the best way to go too. I intend to go in and pick it up at least once over those 3 weeks so I’ll have to reenter the stop when I do, but that should be easier than dealing with the forwarding system…especially since the computer (both requests are computerized now) keeps telling me that they can’t complete the permanent change of address because my new address isn’t in the database lol.
Now I just have to decide which branch of my town’s post office I want to go to…the main one, the local one that deals with my mail now, the one closest to where I’ll be staying, or the one closest to where I’ll be moving 
It would have been so much easier to just stay here for those 3 weeks, but that got nixed by the landlord 
(long story). Oh well…if something gets lost, something gets lost, although it shouldn’t with the stop.
Thanks,
–Jessica, UCCS
To hold your mail, you will probably have to go to the branch where your mail is currently delivered. I don’t think they will be able to do your hold at another branch.
Amy