"I always tried to hang pictures as soon as I could. Just to make my house feel like it was actually lived in (albeit with lots of boxes)."

Stephanie also recommended grabbing a cross-referenced street map of your new town and driving around as much as possible, learning the lay of the land.

She added,

"The other thing I always needed in the first week was a new library card. (I'm a huge user and believer in the library) And the library always indicated something about the community, as well as being a fabulous resource."

Couldn’t agree more. Not only do libraries offer access to a huge variety of resources, but the bulletin boards are a treasure trove of information about your town, volunteer opportunities, local businesses, support services and upcoming events.

Thanks for the tips, Stephanie!

If you have any tips to share, send them to SpouseTalk:
EditorSpouse@jdwrite.com.