Packing tape and corrugated boxes became some my best friends during my move to McKinney, Texas. And do not forget my beloved permanent marker and my sturdy dolly. Although these objects are designed to move my tangible world, cardboard alone is insufficient for moving my virtual life.

Throughout my recent move to McKinney Texas, many websites became my cyber friends as they helped me set up my new home and update my information to reflect my move.

The first website friend I made was UHaul.com. One of the best things about U-Haul services is that I could make a one way trip to McKinney with my equipment.  I did not have to try and work out a creative solution to return a trailer to my former residence. Also, I was impressed at the variety of trailer designs and range of truck sizes that they had available. With all this said, renting the equipment was the easy part. I then had to load my cardboard mountain into the truck (How do I have so much stuff!?!), and get on the road. Finally, I could extract my belongings from the bulging U-Haul when I arrived in Collin County. 

During the process of finding a place to live, I found out that McKinney residents can choose their own electricity provider. Because I had a choice about my power company, it was important for me seek out a good rate in anticipation of Texas Summers. During my quest for utilities, WhiteFence came in handy. WhiteFence.com is a neat website that is designed to compare many different providers for services such as phone, power, internet, and television. I could compare the prices and packages listed for my new McKinney address all in one site. But the WhiteFence website became a true friend of mine when I was able to find a sweet deal on power. Now I don’t have to sweat the Texas heat.

Now in McKinney, water is a different story than electricity. The City of McKinney takes care of sanitation and sewer. So of course I was delighted when I found out that I could pay my water bill online at the local McKinney website. McKinneyTexas.org also had plenty of information about community events, Collin County government departments, and good utilities FAQ. This city information was definitely helpful and excitement grew in me as I learned about my new North Texas home.

While most of my website friends are focused on my new address in McKinney Texas, the United States Postal Service website became my best friend for covering my old address. Here I could ensure that my mail would be forwarded form my old address to my new one. I learned on the USPS website that they would forward my mail to McKinney from my old home for a whole year! I was extremely thankful because I did not want to miss bills due to the move. On this website, I put in my forwarding address information so that my mail would find me in North Texas. I think that the Post Office website is my favorite of them all. It was extremely helpful and reassuring to me that my mail would find me in McKinney.

What a great adventure! I’m sure could not have made it to McKinney, Texas without my website friends.