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Downsizing

Posted on January 18th, 2012 No Comments

This is a guest blog post from Self Storage Finders, directory of storage facilities.

The economy has been sluggish for several years, another recession is looming and consumer confidence is still low. In these tough times, people are learning to do more with less. This is apparent in the trend towards smaller homes, apartments and condos. While downsizing sounds easy, there are certain things one should consider.

Where will you be downsizing to? Are you staying in the same area or moving out of state? When moving out of state you have to consider the costs, job market and schools for your kids. Are you going to purchase a home or rent? Is it better to rent a house, apartment or condo with your lifestyle?

If you plan to purchase a home, renting an apartment might be a good start. Renting first will give you a familiarity with the neighborhoods, schools, commute, shopping and safety issues before finding a more permanent place. Talk to co-workers and locals to learn more about the area and by the time you are ready to purchase a home, you’ll know exactly where you want to go.

You also have to consider what to dispose of and what to keep. Just because you are downsizing, it doesn’t mean you have to get rid of everything as some of your possessions will have meaning and value to you. Other items can be sold, donated or thrown out. Some of your larger items may not fit in an apartment but will be needed once you purchase a home. A Chicago storage facility or Los Angeles storage unit can be a good resource in these instances. Storage units are great during the relocation process, can be found easily and are usually relatively cheap.

Downsizing is a big change and it may take some time to adjust to your smaller living space. Be sure to no clutter your new space and your adjustment will go smoother and be less stressful.

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Summertime moving tips

Posted on July 15th, 2011 No Comments

Summertime is usually the month that most people choose to move home; the fact that the kids are on break from school and the weather is mostly sunny makes this time of year a particularly popular one. But even while summer conjures up brilliant sunshine in the nation, one also must not forget the rainfall that is also likely to show up as well.

True, the rain is a welcoming change especially when there have been days of record-breaking heat. And while those who work outside would welcome the rainfall to keep them cool, rain is indeed a mover’s nightmare that could very well impede progress during moving.

A little bit of rain would never cancel a move. However, if it is a thunderstorm type of scenario, then you are better off changing the moving date. For those who are unable to put off moving day because of legal landlord issues, then be prepared to put in that extra work to protect your furniture from the elements.

For your furniture, it is best that you use some heavy duty tarp to wrap or cover as well as plastic, the latter especially when covering mattresses and sofas. Avoid the use of shrink wrap as water can still seem into it.

Moving the furniture to and from the truck in the rainy weather can also be tricky. True, the top portion is covered and protected but what about the bottom part of the furniture that may have to touch the wet or muddy ground?  Moving experts would advise that you make a walkway out of either old carpets or rugs for which you can drag the items into the house. On moving day, ensure that you make the movers’ job as easy as possible. You can do this by using lots of sheets, towels, blankets, whatever you can find to lay in the house to prevent the movers from slipping. You want to lay them out smoothly so that the movers would not trip or fall. You simply cannot ask the moving crew to remove their shoes when they enter your home. That’s why it is important to either spread material on the floor or simply have a mop handy to clean up the mess.

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Moving cabinets and armoires – the quick and easy way

Posted on June 29th, 2011 2 Comments

Armoires and cabinets are indeed attention catchers, the beauty of this decorative furniture can suddenly be diminished especially as moving day draws near. It’s the type of cumbersome furniture that one would rather leave behind if it were not for their effective storage qualities. Plus relocating with this type of furniture can be a great challenge. Here are a few ways in which you can easily move armoires and cabinets without the fuss and stress.

One of the first things that you should do is to remove the items that are packed into the armoire and cabinet and place then in boxes for moving. If they are fragile items such as porcelain ornaments and the like, be sure to bubble wrap them a few times before gently placing in them in the box. When it comes to your cabinet, it would be wise to remove the shelves (if they are indeed removable) and put them aside. These shelves should be placed in another part of the truck for moving since you do not want it to slide out and damage other items in the vehicle. You should also think about removing the doors of the cabinets as well; a rough drive can make it catapult to God knows where in the back of the truck.

There are some who may have armoires and even cabinets that have glass doors; these can be very tricky to move. When you get to this part you can either call on professional movers to assist you if you think you would make a mess of it or simply use a moving blanket over the area as it is made for protecting fragile items such as these.

We also recommend that you also remove the drawers in the cabinet or armoire rather than taping it to stay sturdy. By taking it you would be giving yourself an extra headache as most of the times the tape would is hard to remove and would ultimately destroy your furniture.

Another option for holding the drawers and doors in place is to get it shrink wrapped. Shrink wrapping an item such as this is a tedious job, but it’s worth it especially when you are trying to protect items such as these.

If you want to remove the doors and drawers instead one of the first things to do is to remove the screws and set them aside in a Ziploc bag and label so that you can locate them easily when you move. Once that is completed and set aside, then it times to remove the drawers and doors those of which you should also wrap in moving blankets.

 

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Moving day and your groceries

Posted on June 9th, 2011 No Comments

Moving with existing grocery items is not something that most people would consider doing. There are some who would rather throw out everything that is in their pantries and refrigerator opting to purchase a fresh set of groceries. For those that may purchase new groceries, the best thing that you can do is to sort of hold out on buying more grocery items as moving day approaches. This will allow you to have enough money to fulfill a huge grocery list. However if you are going to take your groceries with you, here are a few tips that you can use in order to relocate with everything in tact.

For those who buy grocery items in bulk for their large family, take into consideration that there are some things you would have to get rid of and others that you can take with you. It would make no sense at all if you were to take along items such as half used meats, vegetables or milk. You have the choice of either using them up within a week before moving or you can donate the unopened frozen foods to a local pantry or to a family or friend.

Bulk buying means that you would probably purchase the large family pack of meats and if this is so, one way you can get rid of it is to host a moving party where you invite your friends and family for lunch or dinner. Experts would tell you that some of the foods that you should not move with include frozen foods as we mentioned before, defrosted meats and cold cuts as well as opened sugar and flour, eggs and even opened bottles of soda and juices.

These are items that you can readily replace because of how inexpensive they are especially when you use a few coupons.

Items that you can take with you include anything from unopened boxes of cereal, crackers, sealed bottles and cans, unopened cookies, bread and chips and pasta to name a few. Canned goods and jarred goods that are sealed can also be packed for moving. Once you have gathered the groceries that you want to take with you, the next thing would be to concentrate on how to pack them. Experts say that items such as cookies or big bag of sea chips should be fitted in a small sized trash bag or any other small plastic bags that would hold the items. If you have a heavy item in the plastic bag then it should be placed at the bottom of the bag to avoid squeezing the other delicate items.

Heavy items such as canned goods must be placed in a durable box.  Even if you use the smaller box you can still find items such as unopened bags that are currently held together with twist ties.

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Unpacking the quick and sensible way

Posted on January 18th, 2011 No Comments

For anyone who has just moved into a new home, there is the very familiar scene of unpacked boxes lying around the room. Most of the procrastination on this part of the moving project comes from not knowing exactly where to begin with the unpacking process.

For an unpacking project to go well, you should devise a plan and stick to it. If you usually get a day off from work during the week, then this would be the ideal time to start unpacking. Weekend is also a great time to unpack; you have the support of your family plus their extra hands to get things moving. We always advise that you set your unpacking project to your favorite music along with some snacks and drinks. You would be surprised how quickly and easily you would get it all done.

The trick of all this is to also start unpacking from room to room. Remember that list of household items that you made. For instance most people prefer to start packing the kitchen so that they can prepare food for the family instead of spending money to eat out. Pack up your dishes, pots pans and even stock the refrigerator with fresh grocery items and the basic foods. If you have not plugged in your microwave, coffee maker or even toaster oven then this would be a good time to do so.

After the kitchen, the next place that should be given priority is the bedrooms. Sure you have been practically sleeping on the floor in camp-out fashion; now it is important to get a good nice rest on a comfortable bed. With that said this would be a good time to get out your tool kit and start assembling your beds. Remember you did not have to disassemble your dresser so that is one problem that is out of the way. After the beds are made, the drapes should go up followed by adding your personal touch to the room with your furniture.

You may have had your bathroom halfway completed by hanging the shower curtains, toilet tissue, toothbrush and even put out a towel or two for immediate use You should now unpack the items that would go into the medicine cabinet as well as to place the mouthwash and other essentials in its right place in the bathroom. Take your towels and store them in one of your spare cupboards perhaps the one in the hallway or close to the bathroom. And if you have extra bathroom items such as toilet tissue, toothpaste and bath soap etc, you should also store them in the hallway cupboard or where you can get easy access to it.

Finally, you should start unpacking your living room which is the biggest task that you may encounter in your move. That’s because you would be spending most of your time wiring and decorating in order to make the living area as comfortable enough for yourself and those who may stop over.

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