Monday, October 17, 2016

Things to consider while moving:

You know moving is a sort of hectic process. Deciding a good moving company is again a challenge. Though the moving job is assigned to a professional moving company, it is your job to ensure things go as it is dealt. It may be a different feel for you to get into new environment as soon as you reach your destination.
You can go for a search online to get to know the general things necessary for a move. You can call to the moving companies to get a quote from them. You should know the factors that affect the estimates of a san francisco movers company. There are quite a lot of things you should consider while moving.

Saturday, September 24, 2016

Moving Checklist - 1 day until moving day:

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 - Packing. Aim to finish the packing today, apart from a few essentials in the kitchen and bathroom. You will feel so much better when you can see the end is finally in sight. "Don't forget to clearly mark the boxes with the room name you would like them to end up in".
 - Dismantle & Disconnect.  Unless you have arranged with the removal company, you will be expected to dismantle any self-assembly furniture that cannot be moved out in one. Take down curtains and any fixtures you are intending to take with you. Make sure you have disconnected the washer and fitted the transit brackets to secure the drum. Defrosted the fridge / freezer unless you have arranged to have these moved with the food inside, if this is the case pack the contents into bags so they can be lifted out quickly.
 - Snack box. Make up a box of refreshments for the next day, bearing in mind that your cooker may be disconnected or in the back of a removal van. Include tea, coffee, sugar etc, and the most important item of all the kettle, you will have to keep the refreshments flowing as moving house is very thirsty work. A selection of cold drinks is also a good idea. Mark on the box "kettle things" or "brewing tackle" and it will be guaranteed to be last on, first off the van.
 - Toiletries box. Make up a box in the bathroom and put in the toiletries that you aren't using. Leave this box open to put in all the other toiletries tomorrow morning after everyone has got up and cleaned their teeth, you can then seal it up.
 - Outside items.  Anything outside that you can move, try and put either inside the garage or in a dry place, there is nothing worse than putting soaking wet outside furniture into a removal van along with all your other furniture.
 - Parking. If you have difficulty parking outside your house, it could be a good idea to park your own car or cars outside so that your removal van will be able to park outside. Remember the van needs more room than its own length to manoeuvre.
 - Draw a map. Sit down and either write out some directions or draw a plan on how to get to your new address, including a contact number.
 - Mobile phone. Make sure that your mobile phone is fully charged up for tomorrow, you are probably going to need it.

Wednesday, September 14, 2016

How to Meet the Neighbors After Moving:



How to Meet the Neighbors After Moving


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All eyes are on your moving company truck driving down your new street, but who are these people now known as your neighbors and will you ever meet them?  Even though numerous ways to connect via social media and electronics exist, they sometimes detract from in-person meetings that truly acquaint people and build relationships.  When you move somewhere you may not know what the neighborhood protocol is, so you may miss opportunities to make new connections if you avoid meeting your neighbors.    Step out of your comfort zone and discover how to meet your new neighbors.

Greetings and Salutations

Don’t be afraid to smile and say hello to your neighbors even if you tend to be shy or the person looks intimidating.  Remember looks can be deceiving.  Even the woman with the Resting You-Know-What Face could be a lovely person and possible friend.  Women’s Health suggests inserting compliments in your conversations or commenting on their beautiful landscaping, for instance.

Hang Out Outdoors

The only way to get acclimated to your surroundings and acquainted with your neighbors is to become more than part of the scenery.  If there’s a central place where other residents frequent, make an appearance even if it’s to sit and observe.  Strike up an outdoor interest and attend neighborhood events, says Apartment Therapy.  A trending idea featured on Allstate.com is to start a lending library on your property that attracts neighbors, especially if you have the same taste in books.

Be a Joiner

In addition to meeting neighbors, joining clubs and volunteering produces more ways toward making friends and connections.  Using the Internet as a guide, locate your local gym, religious organization or meet-up groups for activities.  Before moving, ask everyone you know if they know people who currently live in your new neighborhood and if they can introduce you.  To get further acquainted with your neighbors, start a neighborhood group like a neighborhood watch or book club, says Women’s Health, or organize a block party.  If you organize a neighborhood-wide yard sale, sell anything undesirable that you kept in storage and meet neighbors in the process.  Apartment Guide recommends becoming a regular at a local restaurant or cafĂ©, too, and accepting any invitations you receive to meet people.

Use Your Kids and Pets

Although it sounds sneaky, meeting people through your kids and pets is an ideal socializing tool.  When your children play outside, observe where other children play and take them there.  Once you’ve met neighbor kids and their parents, host a playdate with them, especially if they’re around the same age.  If your kids are enrolled in school, join school organizations and local sports teams to meet other parents.  With your dog in tow, walk around the neighborhood, so you can meet other dog lovers.

Make the First Move

It’s a big step but introducing yourself to neighbors will eliminate any unfamiliarity and foster relationships.  After learning their names and getting acquainted, neighbors can offer the neighborhood and township scoop.  If you need a nudge to talk to them, bring cookies you baked or show off your neighborly behavior, says GOOD, by helping them with unwieldy bags or exchanging misplaced mail.  If you’re confident enough, when you’re holding your housewarming party for loved ones include the neighbors or plan a get-together for just the neighbors so everyone can get acquainted and build up your community.

Monday, May 9, 2016

Moving Yourself Is Tricky! Top 5 Self-Moving Mistakes To Avoid:

Mistakes when moving yourself

You’ve probably heard numerous clever quotes about making mistakes in life, and until you’re the one making a mistake, these words of wisdom actually sound fine. Depending on your current state of mind, such quotes can even be somewhat inspirational /”Mistakes are stepping stones to success.”/. But make no mistake, once you find yourself on the other side, the grass doesn’t even seem remotely green. Make a costly blunder and you may not be able to see any grass at all.

Now, it’s never fun to err, especially during a period where there’s a bad combination of elevated stress, money at stake, and too little time – like a house move, for example. Without a doubt, moving from one home to another is a unique period in one’s life where the extremely transitional nature of the life-changing event tends to put a lot of pressure on people. And as you can imagine, increased levels of stress lead to a higher number of errors from the people who are often already too stressed out enough as it is.

If you yourself are facing a house move anytime soon and you’re thinking of moving on your own, then it’s extremely important that you stay away from serious trouble by avoiding the most common mistakes when moving on your own. Some move related mistakes are too insignificant and you can simply ignore them (like forgetting to clean your refrigerator prior to moving day), other errors will greatly slow down your progress (running out of essential packing materials), while yet other blunders could really cost you (hiring the services of a bad moving company).

Stay safe. Stay protected. Learn the top 5 mistakes when moving by yourself.

DIY mistakes #1: “Professional movers are too expensive!”


With experienced movers, you can rest assured that your prized possessions are in good hands.
It’s a common misconception to assume that professional relocation services are always much costlier than organizing and executing a Do-It-Yourself house move. The truth is that it’s very hard, and even unfair, to make general comparisons due to the fact that the moving price is formed on a case-by-case basis. In other words, because of the great number of additional factors that affect the final moving price, no two house moves will cost the same even if they seem extremely similar.

Generally speaking, DIY moving can be cost effective only if:

you’re moving within the same town and city,
you’re moving locally within a radius of 100 miles and won’t cross another state,
you have previous experience in organizing a house move,
you’re moving out of a relatively small home with not too many, too heavy or too expensive household items in it, and
you know you can rely on a few good friends to give you a hand when you need it the most.
Don’t make the moving mistake of assuming that hiring a professional moving company will cost you more, especially if you don’t meet all, or almost all of the conditions above. Once you leave the realm of a local move, a top rated cross country mover becomes vital for the successful end of your relocation adventure. After all, not for a moment should you forget the staggering number of hidden costs when moving on your own – obtaining quality packing materials, renting a moving vehicle and moving equipment, purchasing adequate relocation insurance, paying for road tolls and taxes, paying for additional loading/unloading labor, food and lodging along the road, etc.

Learn how much your house relocation will cost you and use that valuable info to set up your moving budget accordingly.

VERY IMPORTANT: What to know when hiring a mover

DIY moving tips

DIY mistakes #2: “Packing is just another pre-move task.”

Let’s get straight to the point: packing up a house for a move is not just another task you need to mark as checked before Moving day comes around. No matter how you look at it, packing is the most important job during your pre-move preparations and failure to approach it with the urgency and dedication it requires could easily become one of the most serious mistakes when moving yourself.

To avoid costly mistakes when packing your home by yourself, you must be familiar with and follow these 5 fundamental Do-It-Yourself packing rules:


Whatever you do, you can’t really hide from packing.
Start thinking about packing up your home as soon as you know for sure that you’re moving to a new home. Or on the next day at the latest. It’s easy to underestimate the staggering amount of time that packing up for a move requires, and it’s even easier to switch into a procrastination mode. Trust us – just don’t it.

Unless you really wish to lose extra valuable time and waste even more valuable money, don’t even think about packing all of your earthy possessions without sorting them out first. Make a detailed home inventory to help you slim down the number of your belongings prior to the move.
Create a packing calendar to introduce discipline and order into your packing process. Start the process from the premises that are the hardest ones to sort and pack – storage rooms and the kitchen.
Safety is a real concern when moving home yourself, and especially when you’re packing on your own. Safety both for you and for your prized possessions. So, the first step to ensuring nothing bad happens is to get hold of quality packing supplies.
Packing up an entire home is a challenge that cannot be usually dealt with by only one person. To avoid falling behind schedule, ask your good friends to lend you a hand, or even better – if you can afford it, hire professional packers to finish the job several times faster and several times safer.
DIY mistakes #3: “I’m immune to move related injuries.”

It’s important to keep in mind that some DIY moving mistakes can be rather painful – literally! One of the major differences between having professionals handle a house move and having non-professionals do it is the level of overall safety. In fact, professional movers are vigorously taught how to reach and maintain the highest degree of safety when working on a move – both personal safety and protection of property.

Therefore, if you have decided to undertake the DIY approach to moving to another home, don’t make the mistake of assuming that you are immune to any type of accidents. Instead, follow this self-moving advice to stay on the safe side of things from Day 1.

Avoid personal injuries by using your common sense at all times. Before having to lift and move heavy furniture pieces with your pals, make sure 1) the walking path is clear of any obstacles, 2) you use proper moving equipment /an appliance dolly, moving straps, etc./, 3) you know the proper lifting techniques to avoid nasty (back) injuries, 4) you wear durable work gloves to protect your hands and fingers, and 5) you have your most comfortable pair of shoes with excellent traction and ankle protection.
Remember to 1) double tape your cardboard boxes even if they seem sturdy enough, 2) place clean sheets of paper on the bottom of each box to protect, 3) use plenty of crumpled packing paper, bubble wrap or pieces of clothing to create cushioning layers inside the moving boxes and fill up any empty spaces, and 4) keep all your moving containers less than 40-45 pounds each.
Don’t make the self-move mistake of letting small children and/or pets be around the action on Moving day! Too many pairs of playful feet could endanger the safety of the entire DIY moving operation. Keep your loved ones away from the moving epicenter for both your sakes.
GOOD TO KNOW: How to ensure your safety when moving house

DIY mistakes #4: “Renting and driving a moving truck is child’s play.”

As far as DIY moving tips go, an important stage in most self-moving adventures is to secure a vehicle with which to transport your household items. And when it comes to self-move rental trucks, there are some not-so-funny mistakes you should avoid at all costs.


The important job of loading a rented moving truck on your own is not to be underestimated.
Truck rental mistake #1: If you select a rental truck with smaller storage capacity than you need for your stuff, then you might be forced to make more than one trip to your destination. Or worse – you may need to return the vehicle and rent a larger one, which would mean loads of wasted time and nerves.

Truck rental mistake #2: If you choose a truck with larger space than you actually need, not only will you be paying for extra storage which you have no way of utilizing, but you will also run the risk of damaging some of your belongings if you fail to secure them well for safe transportation. Still, it’s the “preferred” mistake out of the two scenarios.
Above all, it’s useful to have a basic understanding about the approximate capacities of self-move rental vehicles. Here are some approximate truck capacity calculations to help you make a good choice. However, discuss this important issue with a knowledgeable representative of a truck rental moving company before your final decision.

Pickup truck. Good for small loads and partial moves.
Cargo van. Suitable for college moves, partial moves or moving out of a studio apartment when moving locally.
10-12 foot truck. Ideal for college moves and small apartments.
14-17 foot truck. Good for moving out of a 1-2 bedroom homes or smaller offices. These are the most common rental moving trucks on the market.
20-26 foot truck. Ideal for moving the household items found in large 3, 4 bedroom homes.
IMPORTANT: Learn the best ways to protect your move

DIY mistakes #5: “My friends will gladly help me move out.”

One thing you should do at all costs when moving on your own is to explore your self-moving options as far as they can go. Of all the self-move mistakes to avoid, the costliest error you can ultimately make is to underestimate the complexity of the upcoming relocation, and therefore only think you’ve got all the bases covered.

As mentioned above, a self-move is not the right time to attempt to prove to yourself that you can manage all the tasks without assistance of any kind. If you can’t afford to let professional packers and movers take care of the toughest relocation stages for you, then you will most definitely need to reach out to your friends and ask them for help.


Having your friends bail out on you in the last minute could really complicate things for you.
However, don’t make self-moving mistake of assuming that your pals are obligated in any way to give you a hand. On the contrary, they will probably be dealing with complicated work schedules, previous commitments and other responsibilities, so

contact them as early as you possibly can to maximize your chances of positive answers;
it’s best to ask them for help face in face, if possible;
don’t try to underplay the amount of work they are expected to help out with, but be a straight shooter from the start;
show understanding to the ones who cannot lend you helping hand for one reason or another;
prepare and organize in advance whatever you can yourself to save your friends much valued time and efforts; and
remember to show your enormous gratitude and reward their sacrifice in a way that you seem to be the most appropriate and memorable.

DIY moving house tips

Sunday, April 10, 2016

How to Create Storage Space:

Storage spaces are at a premium in most homes. Have you ever heard someone complain, "I just have too many closets?" No, you haven't. Let's think outside the closet and create more storage space using the space already in your home.
Here are several tried and true and easy tips to create more storage space.
How to create storage space in your home - Image / Country Living
Image / Country Living

Toss stuff you no longer need through decluttering

The easiest was to maximize your storage space is to learn how to declutter. Clutter drains energy and costs time and money according to Zaslow. Regularly decluttering is a key step in maximizing storage spaces. For help, follow ourDeclutter Guide where we take you room-by-room through your home.
Tips:
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Rakku Shoe Wheel - Photo / Rakku
Photo / Rakku

Use the best storage solutions (not the fancy ones)

I'm sure you've seen some truly wacky storage solutions "As Seen on TV," but some storage solutions really do work. A good storage solution accomplishes the following:
  • It helps create more space 
  • It streamlines your organization by grouping like items together
  • It makes thing easier to find by creating a proper "home"
That sounds good, right? Here are the top storage solutions for different items in your home: Storage Solutions
Accessory Box - Plastic Storage Container - Photo / The Container Store
Accessory Box - Plastic Storage Container. Photo / The Container Store

Start using plastic storage containers

This one is really a no-brainer. Clear plastic will allow you to see inside the container more easily saving you precious time when quickly trying to retrieve an item from storage.
Tips:
  • Label these containers! Even though they are see-through, it will speed up item retrieval.
  • Buy containers that 'nest' together. Try our Guide to Plastic Storage Containers for more information.
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Maximize kitchen storage space by utilizing your prime real estate. - Photo / Martha Stewart Living
Maximize kitchen storage space by utilizing your prime real estate. Photo / Martha Stewart Living

Maximize your use of prime real estate

"This is defined by the space in between your knees and your shoulders" says Lisa Zaslow of Gotham Organizers. In other words, the easiest places to reach. Out of sight out of mind, so keep your most frequently used items in your prime real estate.
Tips:
  • Think about what you reach for most often. Those go in your prime real estate storage spaces.
  • "Out of sight, out of mind," remindsZaslow. If you want something to remain part of your life, store it where you see it often.
Photo / CalFinder
Diane Keaton's Book Collection. Photo / CalFinder

Think vertically

Most people think in terms of left to right, but don't discount that space above your head and at your feet. These are a great places to store out-of-season, holiday, or little-used and worn items.
Tips:
  • Do invest in a sturdy step ladder to allow you to reach this area.
  • Don't store anything too heavy up above--not boxes full of books or large appliances!
  • Don't store anything you use regularly above your eye-line. Remember: Out of sight equals out of mind.
More »
Organize Open Shelving - Photo / Style at Home
Organize Open Shelving. Photo / Style at Home

Choose the right products for your unique space

Triple measure your storage spaces before buying bins, trays or racks. There's nothing more frustrating than getting home and having to shove a container into a closet to make it fit. Storage products should fit your stuff, your stuff shouldn't have to fit whatever you buy on a whim. Plan ahead.
Tips:
  • Carry a note card with the measurements of your closets in your wallet. (see more tips like this in Household Organizing Tips)
  • Once again, try to use products that nest together. They will stack more easily.
  • Make sure they are clear and labeled.
Storage Products 101
Photo by Brother.
Brother Label Maker - a top organizing essential.Photo by Brother.

Always label for easy retrieval

I always thought label makers were for the organization freaks amongst us, but now that I have my own, I'm slightly obsessed with my label maker. It's endlessly useful and gives home organization a very polished and professional look. Plus, it saves me from having to decipher my terrible handwriting!
Tip: