Yeah, yeah, home is where the heart is. But when your heart decides to find a new pad, everything else has to follow: your furniture, your valuables - oh, and your mail, too. Most of these items can be tossed carelessly into a moving van and glued back together later… but how do you make sure you keep getting your important (and unimportant) correspondence?

As much as you'd love to dodge annoying relatives and overdue credit card bills, there are certain things you still want to receive (e.g., paychecks, magazine subscriptions, Publisher's Clearing House notifications). Besides, you've got an obligation as a member of society to let friends, family, and pertinent government agencies know your current whereabouts. But don't worry. Changing your address isn't all that complicated - and we promise it won't involve any heavy lifting. After all, you've gotta save your strength for that grand piano.

1. PICK UP A CHANGE-OF-ADDRESS FORM FROM THE POST OFFICE

You're done packing your life into a bunch of cardboard boxes, and your shiny new palace awaits. So where are you? You're headed to the post office, of course, to pick up a change-of-address kit.

The United States Postal Service distributes a handy Mover's Guide free of charge - and within this one magical envelope, you'll find everything you need to make your transition from one residency to another as smooth as possible. If you can't find it, just ask for it at the counter. Here's what to expect inside the Kit:

  • The Official Change of Address Form (PS Form 3575, if you're into technical names). You can also find this form online, print it out, sign it, and give it to your mail carrier or mail it to your local Post Office. You have to sign the form as a promise that you are changing your own address and not changing someone else's (say, an enemy upon whom you are attempting to exact revenge).

  • Address Notification cards, a fancy name for postcards that you can use to inform businesses and friends directly of your address change. You can print out your own personalized cards from the same online address.

  • An assortment of coupons that can be used for discounts on various moving needs, from telephone services to personalized address labels. And yes, the services are high-quality - a quick peek inside will reveal brand names like AT&T, Geico Direct, and Chase, just to name a few.

  • Perhaps the most useful item in the Guide is a cool little pamphlet that guides you through the entire moving process. It's filled with useful numbers and websites, as well as suggestions and tips on every aspect of moving, from transporting your pets to switching utilities. And there's even a week-by-week timeline to help you stay on schedule.

But we digress. After all, this isn't an article on how to move; you just want to change address. So read on to continue the process.

2. GET TEMPORARY FORWARDING SERVICE

We know what you're thinking: "Don't I just fill out some sort of a card to change my address, and my mail will get forwarded?" Well, yes and no. The Change of Address Form is only a temporary solution - when you fill out the form, you're filling out a mail forwarding order. Whenever the post office receives a piece of mail addressed to your old residence, a yellow sticker with your new address is slapped onto the envelope, and the mail is then shipped off to the correct destination. So senders still don't know that you've moved - you're going to have to inform them yourself (but more about that in Step 3).

Here are the basics about getting your mail temporarily forwarded to your new address:

  • Limited Time. As you can imagine, the inconvenience of having to forward all of your mail on a permanent basis is enough to make anyone go postal (pardon the pun), so the service only lasts for a limited time. How limited? That depends on the type of mail being forwarded. The United States Postal Service will redirect first-class mail, priority mail, and express mail for up to one year, while periodicals like newspapers and magazines will generally be forwarded for 60 days. For other types of mail, check with your local P.O.

  • College and University Mail Services. Not all mail forwarding services work the same way. So far, we've only been talking about the United States Postal Service, which handles most of the nation's mail traffic, but most colleges and universities have their own on-campus mail services, each with their own policies regarding mail forwarding. Many schools offer temporary forwarding service for semester breaks and summer vacations, but under some policies, periodicals and other pieces of mail that are considered lower than first class will not be forwarded. In that case, undelivered magazines may be considered dead mail and are either thrown away or taken by the postal workers who handle them, so if you don't want someone else enjoying your issue of Maxim, make sure you research your school's policies before taking off for the summer! You have been warned.

  • Fill out the form. To get your temporary forwarding service, we go back to the Change of Address Form. In that form, you'll be asked for the names of all the people who are moving (you and any family members who are moving with you), your old and new addresses, and the date you want forwarding to begin.

  • Temporary Moves. If your move is only temporary, you'll have to indicate how long you want forwarding to continue, and when you want it to stop. Don't leave filling out this form to the last minute; fill it out and mail it in at least one month in advance, just to be sure your order is processed in time for your move (otherwise, you'll have to deal with a mail-less limbo period).

Remember, if you don't inform the post office of your new address, no one will be able to find you. Incidentally, the mail forwarding service has become a primary resource for locating people who don't want to be found - police often use it to find criminals on the run, and the welfare department uses it to find deadbeat husbands. So not only is mail forwarding a convenient method of transferring your mail, it's also an instrument of justice!

One the time limit for the forwarding service expires, you can pretty much forget about seeing your magazines or those packages of cookies from grandma. That's why you can't stop here; you have to continue to Step 3 and properly contact everybody who sends you mail. If you still have any questions about the Post Office's forwarding service, then check out their official online FAQ.

3. CONTACT EVERBODY YOU KNOW

This is the most important step of the process - even more important than the Change of Address Form. This is the part where you get people to change your address in their little address books by sending them those Address Notification postcards we talked about earlier.

During the temporary window in which the forwarding service is active, it's your job to inform everyone (and we do mean everyone) who sends you mail that you've moved. If you're like us (that is, super-popular and know tons of people, but you're a bit forgetful), we've taken the liberty of providing a general checklist of important people and businesses to remember. Keep in mind, this list is by no means extensive and certain items may not apply to everyone, but it should be enough to get you started:

  • The IRS (You can get a form online; just print out Form 8822, fill it out, and send it in)
  • Telephone company
  • Utilities (electric company, water, etc.)
  • Credit card companies
  • Insurance companies
  • Bank
  • Magazine and newspaper subscriptions
  • Voter registration
  • Cable company
  • DMV
  • Schools/universities
  • Employer
  • Doctor
  • Dentist
  • Lawyer
  • Parole officer
  • Friends
  • Family

Many bill statements and subscription forms have a "Moving? Fill in new address here" space right on the form, which makes your job a little easier. For everything else, you'll have to use the cards from your change of address kit. Make sure you get enough (you can always pick up extra cards at your local post office if you run out) and send them out ASAP. Remember, once forwarding stops, your mail will either be marked "Return to Sender" or end up in the hands of whoever just moved into your old place. This is the only way to tell everyone you know to stop living in the past.

Once your network of allies are aware of your new situation, there won't be any more need for the mail forwarding service - and you'll be perfectly set and happy in your new home. That is, until the credit card bill arrives…