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Posts Tagged ‘moving’

Summertime moving tips

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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 day and your groceries

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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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How to budget your moving expenses

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Moving house while trying to save some money may seem like an oxymoron; let’s not kid ourselves, moving can be an expensive undertaking whether you are purchasing or renting a property. Purchasing a home can set you back quite a bit especially when legal and closing fees are involved. Renting a house or apartment is not cheap either; most landlords require that you make a two month security deposit before moving in as well as you may also be required to pay for your own background check.

Just thinking about how much money one has to spend on moving is enough to make you want to stay put and make the best of where you currently stay. But it really does not have to be that way especially if you get down to some good old budgeting.  With the economy forcing most to tighten the grip on their wallets, this is one good way that you can see your money and know exactly how to spend it.

If you are not in a hurry to move from where you currently stay but have intentions of moving someday, it would be wise for you to start a savings account specifically for moving. For those purchasing a house, while the cost of your house may be covered by the mortgage banks, remember that you also have to save for other things that you would need for the house. These essentials may include the cost of paint; you may also need to pay for lawn care as well, not to mention you have to save money for the movers or may even need to install a security device. You can start as soon as possible to save towards the above mentioned essentials.

For those hoping to rent you should be saving for your rental deposits, money to pay the movers plus have a little left over for emergencies.

Now here is where the budgeting comes in. With the money that you decided to save each month, you can now go forward with hunting for your new home. For renters, if you have managed to save at least $7,000, you should be looking for a rent that is ten percent of what you save especially if you want to be able to pay your bills and have surplus. Looking for an affordable rent does not mean that you have to compromise your taste and safety; if you have to spend another hundred dollars or two to get the kind of home that you want and in your desired neighborhood, then by all means you should do just that.

You may also want to get quotes from those involved in the move including the movers, or the rental truck for self move, as well as the rental deposits for the homes you may be interested in. Once you gather this information, you can use these quotes against what you have saved to determine if you would have enough left over to go forward with your move or if you would have to continue saving some more.

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Moving with a child

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Children do not usually fair well with having to relocate from one place to another when moving home. Like adults the stress can be overwhelming for them coupled with the fact that they tend to be more emotional, especially if they are moving away from a neighborhood filled with memories and their friends.

Even in such a fragile situation there are quite a few ways in which you can alleviate your children’s fears about moving and get them to the point where they would anxiously welcome the change of moving.

The trick in all of this is to get your child involved in the different aspects of moving starting with getting them involved in the moving tasks. For instance take your children with you as you drive around to pick up moving boxes from your friends, family or even from the supermarket. Along the way, keep the conversation about moving very positive with the children; find out about their fears and address them. On the day that you pick up moving boxes, you should also head to the store to pick up packaging supplies such as tape, labels, markers etc. Allow the children to select their own color and style of labels, markers even stickers to personalize their own moving box; they would soon start to get excited about moving.

Allow the children to pack their own boxes containing their bedroom items making sure that you get them to only keep the things that they want while getting rid of those that they would either want to throw away or donate.

If you are moving with young children, you can pack their boxes for them and have them tell you what they want to keep. Don’t be surprised if the younger ones are clinging on to a “comfort” item such as an old stuffed toy or even a blanket. No matter how raggedy it may you would be surprised to know that the item may be exactly what they need to make the moving transition.

If you have enough time before moving, you should also try to schedule a party and invite your children’s friends over so that they can bond for a while before moving. At the party the children can exchange telephone numbers, physical or email addresses and keep in touch with each other, especially if you are moving to another town.

If the children are going to be attending new schools when you move, ensure that you take them along so that they can get a feel for the school and the teachers as well.

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Unpacking the quick and sensible way

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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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