How To Find Your House-hunting “Sweet Spot”

I recently went house-hunting and discovered that it is very difficult to resist the pull of appealing elements that ultimately don’t matter to me that much. Ooh, is that a cedar-lined closet? Did you say the coffee shop is only a two-minute walk? Quickly, I realized I needed a little mental discipline in my search. Though we’d all love to be able to afford any house we want, the fact of the matter is most of us are priced out of a good chunk of our local markets. Sadly, we can’t all have the mansion on the hill, or even the three-bedroom in the nice neighborhood. Or maybe … [More]

Five Tips for Local Moves

Moving, even if just for a short distance, can be a massive drain on your time and finances. Early preparation, particularly in selecting a quality moving company and getting rid of unwanted possessions, can save you a lot of time and money. Moving Tip #1: Prepare Early Get your moving estimates early, particularly if you plan to move at the end of March or September, when many people’s leases expire. By getting your estimates early, you protect yourself in three ways: You have time to research companies and get references and referrals. The estimator will see that you are someone who plans in advance and isn’t desperate … [More]

Top Five Tips for International Moves

Moves of any type are stressful, but international moves provide some unique challenges. In addition to being uprooted from your home, moving to another country means a separation from your family, friends, culture and, in many cases, even your language. For these reasons, it’s important to carefully prepare for an international move by carefully choosing a good moving company, deciding what is worth taking with you, and learning about things like pet importation laws and possible tax breaks. Here are five tips for making your international move easier: 1. Scrutinize Movers An international move is quite different from moving within your home country, even if the move … [More]

Stay Relaxed During Your Move

Taking everything you own from one residence to another can be a stressful experience. Even if you’ve moved before, it’s easy to forget things like keeping a utility knife handy for unpacking all those boxes! To make the moving experience more relaxing for you, I’ve compiled some tips to keep in mind before and after your move. Remember, moving may be necessary, but it doesn’t have to be a horrible experience. Before the move Make the major decision on movers right away Do consider hiring movers. You’ll give your back and your friends a break. For tips on how to hire a mover, visit our post on … [More]

Use Your Gaming Skills to Store Furniture

Update 3/14/2013: Thanks for your interest in our Storing Furniture Infographic! We’ve removed the infographic but hope you’ll check out our blog for more tips on storage and organization. Does it seem like you never have enough space? Your garage is cluttered, the spare bedroom is a mess and you’re desperate for a solution? If this is you, you may need a quick lesson on how to effectively store your furniture and belongings by using your mad gaming organization skills! First You Must Learn to View Real World Objects as Game Shapes By learning to see furniture as different shapes, just like in an organizing game, you’ll … [More]

How to Choose a Moving Company

The month of May contains many little celebrations – spring weather, end of the school year, blooming lilies and National Moving Month! Maybe moving isn’t as exciting as lilies opening up for the world or kids throwing down backpacks for the summer, but it’s part of everyone’s life at some point. As I’ve mentioned before when discussing how to pack moving boxes, I think hiring a moving company is worth it. I’m not lazy, just practical! However, hiring a mover does require some thought, even if you’re only moving a mile away. It’s important to protect your wallet and your belongings by hiring a reputable mover. After all, … [More]

How to Load a Moving Truck

If you don’t like to plan things, then you really may not like loading a moving truck yourself. Sorry, but you’ve got to have a plan. No excuses, and no winging it. I agree that it sounds rather boring to plan out how you’ll load your moving truck, but it’s better than the alternative. If a moving truck isn’t loaded correctly, you may not only waste a bunch of time, but also damage many of your belongings. Before you rent that moving truck, ask yourself a few important questions. 1. Do you have the physical stamina and desire to transport your furniture and multiple heavy boxes? 2. Do you have … [More]

How to Pack Boxes for a Move

If you’re like me, you leave the actual moving of boxes to the professionals, but you’d rather pack the boxes yourself. I’m not saying that I can do a better job than a professional packer, but I think packing my own boxes does have some advantages. For one, I can mull over whether I really want to keep and move an item, or toss it in the pile to donate. Yes, you might argue I can do the mulling before professional packers arrive, but I’d rather take my time deciding if I want to keep those satellite jumping shoes passed down from great aunt Martha. Another advantage of … [More]

What to do with Used Moving Boxes

When you need it most, there’s nothing more perfect than a good moving box! When I move, I usually need a few more boxes than I had anticipated, but once the unpacking starts, I can’t wait to get rid of the cardboard clutter. I have to keep in mind that while the easiest solution may be to take the boxes to a recycling center, that’s not always the very best choice. Expand the Box Life Cycle You know I love recycling. (If you don’t then you missed my series on plastic recycling!) It’s wonderful to recycle, but reuse is better. If you allow someone else to use your … [More]

Buy an Eco-friendly Home

I’m sometimes weary of “green” or “eco-friendly” claims. After all, anyone can say a home (or just about anything) is green. So, it’s good to look out for greenwashing, which occurs when a person or company tries to sell you something that’s promoted as green, but is really just regular brown in a green package. It’s one thing if you buy a laundry detergent that you later discover isn’t really so eco-friendly, but I think houses are a bit too heavy to return! When you’re ready for a green home, you can cover yourself by building a certified green home or purchasing an existing home that’s been certified … [More]

Category Archives: Moving