10 Tips for a Self Move

Due to tight budgets, we are sometimes forced to self move. Moving can be very stressful with the help of professionals movers, but somehow us self movers manage to do it all. Here are some basic tips on how to make a self move a little bit easier.

1. Start boxing as soon as possible. Stuff that you don't need should be boxed a long time before moving day. If you do all the boxing and moving the boxes into the moving van in one day, you are going to be very tired.

2. De-clutter before moving. The less stuff you have to move, the easier it will be. You can sell, give away or even throw away stuff that you won't need in your new place.

3. Recruit friends, family and neighbors to help you move. Anyone you think that would be willing to help, ask them. The worst they can say is no or that they are busy.

4. If you are renting a moving van, do your research early as possible. Here is a guide that will tell you all you need to know about renting a moving truck.

5. Hire someone to do the move out cleaning for you. This is a cheap way to cut down on labor you have to do yourself. The last thing anyone wants to do after they have moved all their stuff into a truck is clean their whole house, but it is usually necessary.

6. Make sure you have moving insurance before you move. This can save you a lot of trouble if anything gets damaged.

7. Buy, save and search for all the boxes you will need to move long before moving day. It is better to have more than enough boxes than too few.

8. If you are doing a long-distance move, make sure to stop to rest. Try your best to budget for a motel or hotel that you can get a good night sleep in. Sleeping in the moving truck may save you some money, but you won't save money if you end up renting the truck longer because you were too tired to unload when you got there.

9. When you get there try to unload everything into the room it goes in. If you put everything in one place, you are just creating more work for later.

10. Before you arrive, plan for what you will eat at your new place. Either have the number of a delivery place or have food set aside for yourself.

De-Stressing from Moving During the Holiday Season

We would like to wish you a happy and safe Thanksgiving! Moving during the holiday season can be especially stressful, so it is good to take a break to laugh now and again. We decided to list some comics about moving that will hopefully put a smile on your face. One of our deals may put a smile on your face as well. 

What Not To Do When Using Moving Insurance

Investing in moving insurance is a wise precaution to take when using movers. Whether you get full value protection or just go with the included released value option, there are steps you can take to ensure that your moving insurance will work if items are broken, stolen, lost, etc. Your mover's liability is limited or eliminated if you act in what is considered to be an irresponsible and/or questionable fashion. Here are some steps to take to ensure your mover's insurance will be in full effect if need be.

Packing 

While packing our own boxes can save us money, in the event of a dispute it will cause difficulties within our claim. If the movers do not pack your items, they do not know if items are already damaged. You may be accused of committing insurance fraud if an item gets broken or lost while moving, and the movers did not pack the item in question
We recommend that you check-in with the movers to see exactly how much extra it costs for them to pack your items. If the cost is not that extra, you may want to consider saving yourself the work of packing and potential insurance nightmare later.

What Not to Pack 

You would be surprised at the silly thing people try to pack without thinking about the danger that could be caused by these items. Cleaning supplies, motor oil, gasoline and paint are notorious items that are accidentally packed. Most of the time movers will not move them, but there is always the chance these items may be packed either by you or by a careless mover.

Before a move make sure that you pack these types of items separately to take with you. You will probably want to use the cleaning supplies right away in your new home anyways. If you do not want to bother taking along paint or other items, take them to the dump before you move or ask your buyer if they want the supplies for future use. 

Is Your Stuff Worth More than 60 Cents Per Pound? 

If you choose released value coverage when your items are obviously worth a lot more than 60 cents per pound, you may be held liable for choosing this option. You really need to consider the value of your furniture, electronics, appliances before you move. If they are worth a lot, you need to consider upgrading the insurance to get more effective coverage. 

Notify Your Movers of Valuable Items

If you have items that are worth a lot, let the moving company know. We recommend documenting the notification, not just relying on verbal exchanges. This way if there are problems down the road you have paper to back-up the existence of items you may need to make a claim on. If at all possible, with smaller electronics and jewelry, we recommend just keeping them with you on the long move if at all possible. It is one less thing to worry about during this stressful process. 

5 Ways to Make Friends After A Move

Dealing with the stress of just physically moving a long-distance can be strenuous at best. Once you finally get all your stuff organized (or at least as good at is going to get for now) we may have tested every last nerve there is, and will be glad just to have some time to relax.
Thanks to social media and cell phones we do have better support systems even when have moved to an area where we know everybody. Phone time and computer time can only do so much, and you may find yourself wanting to make new friends after a while. This is not an easy task, so we have put together some tips to help you make new friends after a move.

1) Meet Your Neighbors- Some people may feel like they are acting grossly out of a sitcom by approaching their neighbors, but building relationships with your neighbors is important. Go knock on their door to go say hi, if they haven't already done so for you. Even if you do not find anyone in the same age range or gender, at least if something happens to your home they have a face and a name to make it more likely that they will act in case of an emergency.

2) Volunteer- Volunteering with local charities can be a great way to meet people while helping out your community. Think of a cause that you care about, and Google around to see if an organization that matches what you want to do for the community. If you fail to make friends while doing charity, at least your time wasn't completely wasted.

3) Bar Friends- Going to the local watering hole can be a good way to meet people in the area. Just be weary of some friends that may have too much of a drinking habit, and don't let drinking be your only social outlet.

4) Amateur Sports- Signing up for a rec league is a fun way to get exercise while meeting people with similar interests. Even if you aren't that great at a sport, most leagues are always looking for people just to show up so they can play.

5) Yard Sale- This is a great way to get rid of some stuff you don't need while meeting some people in your area. You can even think of things to say if people show interest in certain items to help start a conversation. For example, if you are selling an old CD collection maybe recommend one of the CD's to the person, and who there favorite groups are. If you hit it off with someone ask them to hang-out sometime since you are new to the area. If you can't sell all your extra stuff at the yard-sale you can hire a junk removal team to get it out of your new home.

10 Tips on How to Save on Long-Distance Moves

Moving long-distances is not only very draining physically and emotionally, it can be very expensive. There are ways to save some money here and there that can really make a difference. These tips will also help ease the burden of the move beyond cost. Here are the 10 cost saving tips that will save you a bunch on long-distance moves. 

1. Decluttering before a move can save your sanity and some money. This step is essential if you are moving into a smaller space. By getting rid of junk, you won't need to figure out where to put the junk in your new place. It also will save you time with hourly and weight costs if you hiring movers. You can either try donating items or selling items to get rid of the stuff you just don't need anymore. You can also try recycling or chucking items that do not have any use.  

2. Shop around for your movers, moving van, storage or any other services that you may be using for you long-distance move. Do not be afraid to call around and ask for quotes from as many places as you can. If a service is significantly cheaper, you may want to be cautious about using them. Moving scams are an unfortunately common occurrence in the moving industry, so it is better to err on the side of caution.   

3. Pick the right time to move! Most people move during the summer, the end of the month, holidays and on weekends. All of these times you are not going to get the best price on any moving services you may be using. The slowest time for moving companies is in the middle month, and you usually can save considerable money if you move during the time. If your moving dates are flexible, consider moving in an off-peak time. 

4. Choose your boxes appropriately. Some things we don't mind just throwing in any old box we found behind the grocery store, dumpster, etc., but some delicate items need special packaging. If you have items that are delicate make sure to use boxes that will not break, and add extra padding with newspapers and styrofoam. Also, if you are moving in extremely hot or cold weather, you may want to consider special packaging for electronics and other items that are sensitive to temperature.

5. Hire professional movers. Sometimes getting neighbors, friends, college students or whoever is cheap to pack our stuff up is great. In a long distance move to save your stuff from any serious damage, you may want to consider hiring professionals. With the right company any damage done to your items will be insured. Also, good movers know how to pack stuff so it won't get damaged.

6. Make sure you are insured or at least know what you are covered for. If you are using a moving company or moving van, make sure that you are insured in all ways possible. Specifics will be in your contract with the moving company and your homeowner's insurance. Now is the best time to figure out what you are or are not covered for. Even if you are not covered, it is good to know what you need to be extra careful with.

7. Read mover reviews! Moving scams are a problem in the moving industry. Fortunately, the internet has made reviews of movers readily available. Check individual reviews and reports on moving companies from the Better Business Bureau (BBB). More than likely you and your stuff will be fine, but it is good to try to avoid problems when you are moving.

8. Make sure the company is accredited by the BBB. Companies that are will be the least likely to give you any trouble during your long--distance move.

9. Look-up gas prices beforehand. With the high cost of gas, long-distance moves are expensive as ever. With the internet, you can look-up cheap stops to get gas. If you have a smart phone, you can look-up the cheapest gas to your location using GPS. If you do not have a smart phone you can plan gas stops in advance.

10. Get a tax write-off for you move. If you are moving for your job, moving is considered a business expense. In order to qualify you have to work for the same place for a year after a move, and move what is qualified to be a long-distance.

Moving Coupons That Actually Work

Moving coupons seem to be absolutely everywhere. If you have recently sold your home, expect to find a set of shiny new moving coupons in the mail. Your local newspaper will probably have them in the real estate section and you may even find them in the moving package received at the post office once you submit the change of address form. Most people believe that moving coupons are a waste of time and toss them in the garbage without a second thought.

However, this could be a tremendous mistake as the moving process is extremely difficult and expensive. Moving coupons which save you money could help make the process of choosing a company easy. It’s assumed that only low grade moving companies offer coupons. This is completely false. The industry is one of the most competitive in the United States with thousands of companies to choose from. With such stiff competition, moving coupons are used as a way to entice customers into using a company’s services.

Why Moving Coupons Are Worth Using

Simply put, they save you money. Some coupons offer 20% off the move while others actually give you FREE truck rental. What’s the catch? A customer usually needs to use another service offered by the company to get the free truck rental deal but if you’re already going to use the services offered, why not do so for free?

Moving Coupons worth Using

Uncle Bob’s Self-Storage offers free truck rental when you rent out one of their self-storage units. Caveats of this deal include the fact that truck availability dictates whether you receive the offer immediately and it must be redeemed within 14 days of renting out the storage space. You must also pay for the truck’s gas. Uncle Bob’s is the fifth largest self-storage company in the United States and has an excellent reputation. Their free truck rental moving coupon is well worth using.

Space Mart Self Storage also offers a moving coupon offer with free truck rental. Like with Uncle Bob’s, you receive the truck for free when you rent a storage space for the first time. There are fewer restrictions than with Uncle Bob’s as all you need is a driving license, credit card and insurance. You also need to be 21 years old to use this moving coupon.

If you just need a truck rental and not self storage, Budget Truck has a promo code to save you 20% off the cost of one of their rental trucks.

Portable storage units are a relatively new way to store and move your belongings. They have become quite popular because of the convenience they offer. A portable unit is dropped off at your house and you load it at your convenience. The company then picks up the unit and stores it or moves it and delivers it to your new home when you’re ready.  Pods and 1-800-Pack-Rat are the two biggest portable storage companies and both offer a coupon code to save 5% off storage costs.

Let’s face it, if you’re moving you’ll likely need either a self-storage space, truck rental, or a portable storage unit. Use the coupons mentioned here and the savings can be substantial.