5 Ways to Make Moving Fun!

Moving can be a real drag. Luckily, somehow millions of people get through the arduous process every year. I've never heard of someone who started to move than gave up, so I'm confident you'll get through this move. One way to make the process a little easier is to try to add a dash of fun whenever you can. Let us know any tricks you may use to making moving a little less painful by leaving a comment below. 

Listen to Music

Turn on some music while you are working hard on your move!  Although be careful, you don't want to waste too much energy dancing to your favorite tunes. Upbeat music can even motivate you to go faster while you listen to fast and fun rhythms. Even consider making a special playlist that you can use just for moving. Below I'll list some of my favorite moving tunes: 

'Papa Don't Take No Mess' by James Brown   

'Born to Run' by Bruce Springsteen 

'Movin' on Up' The Jefferson's Theme Song 

'Gimme Shelter' by The Rolling Stones 

'On My Mind, In My Heart' by Jesse Dee 

'I Will Survive' by Cake 

Have a Competition

If you have multiple people in your household consider adding a little competition into the mix. Race to see who can complete their moving to-do list first. This can be a great strategy if you are looking for ways to motivate your kids, might as well put that sibling rivalry to good use.    

Hire Movers

There is nothing like the joy of hiring movers to do the heavy lifting for you. Make sure to take the time to be thankful you are not doing all that hard work yourself! I'm not sure how professional mover do it everyday, but I'm sure appreciative that people out there willing to do it! 

Have an Adult Beverage

Having a beer, a glass of wine or a cocktail can make packing feel a bit more fuzzy. I do not recommend getting hammered on or before moving day, but enjoying alcohol in moderation can help ease the pain of moving. 

Plan a Reward 

Whether it is a big slice of cheese cake or a tropical vacation, make sure that you reward yourself for working so hard on your move. If we don't take time to pat ourselves on the back for all the hard work we've done, we'll never get the credit we deserve. Planning a reward also gives you something to look forward to when you are starting to fill the misery and stress of a move weighing down on you. 

Happy Moving!

Tips for Loading a Moving Truck

Moving is no fun! 

Doing all the labor for a move yourself is hard, I commend your efforts. I definitely know what it is like to not be able to splurge on movers, and it is definitely a lot of tough work. Between boxing all your stuff, hiring a moving truck, and moving all all of the boxes and furniture, you definitely have your work cut out for you. The following are some tips to make moving all your boxes and furniture into a moving truck just a little bit easier.

1. Get the right size truck. There is nothing worse than realizing you don't have enough room in your moving truck to fit everything. It is extremely important to go with the right size moving truck. Either calculate how much space you need yourself, or get an estimate from where your renting from the place you rare renting the moving truck. To avoid too small of a van, I always err on the side of caution by renting a moving truck that is slightly bigger than what I actually need.

2. Think about how everything will fit. Before you even start packing, consider how you want to organize all the items in the truck. A moving truck is like a puzzle, and every piece will need to go in its place.

3. Put one person in charge. Have one person that actually organizes and places everything inside of the van. When you have a bunch of people just throwing stuff in the van there is a tendency for chaos to ensue.An unorganized moving van is also a lot harder to unpack.

4. Load heavy items first. Put all of the heavy and large items in first. These will obviously need to be on the floor of the van.

5. Lighter items last. Items that can just be squeezed in or thrown on top, save for last.

6. Padding. For items you don't want scratched put a sheet over or some other form padding. Couch cushions, blankets and mattresses are a good way to put cushion in between large items. It is also smart to not put heavy items next to or on top of each other to avoid scratching on the road.

7. Put stuff inside of appliances. If you are moving appliances, you can put items inside of the appliances to save space. Small boxes, towels, pots and pans can fit inside of the appliance.

8. Mattresses. If you have multiple mattresses, you can use the cushion of the mattresses to protects things like pictures and mirrors.

9. Pack everything tightly. You should try to pack everything as tightly in as possible to avoid shifting during the move.

10. Bungee cords. If you have excessive space inside of your van, it is a good idea to strap down bigger items to avoid sliding.

Simple tips to Start a Make Over for Your Home Office

Is the state of your small home office starting to drive you crazy? Maybe you are even considering getting a dumpster or hiring out self storage? One of the best ways to avoid needing to throw things away or hiring out self storage is by utilizing all the space that our homes has to offer. A fun way to approach this method of interior decor is by giving your home office a face lift! 

The following are some ways for normal people to approach a new home office set up to make the office pretty and useful at the same time. Not all of us are natural born Martha Stewarts, but that doesn't mean that we can't get professional home decorating results for our home offices with just a little bit of effort. 

Choose a Theme Color 

Choose one color to add stylish and attractive accents to your new home office design. Make sure not to overdo it, because a little bit of color goes a long way. Keep this color in mind when you are selecting home office furniture, paintings or anything else. You can even add an orange cat to the family if that happens to be your theme color, but that may just be the crazy cat lady in me coming out.  

Set a Budget 

Know how much time and money you are willing to spend to re-decorate your home office. This will give you guidelines to go by as you proceed through the marvelous/painful process of re-decorating. 

Brainstorm

One of my favorite places to brainstorm for any home decoration is at IKEA. There displays give viewers great idea on how to best make use of a space. Write down or draw out what you are envisioning your office to look like when you finish. Don't be afraid to alter course along the way. 

Paint Things Yourself 

Painting a Home Office Can Be a Fun Headache! 

Office storage, office furniture and even the walls can all benefit from a splash of color. Keep in mind if you plan to paint, how much time you are willing to dedicate to renovating your home office. Painting office shelves is a lot easier than painting an entire room!

Self Storage for Your Home Office 

One of the best ways to re-organize and expand the space of a room is by adding storage shelves, storage racks or storage cabinets. You can hunt for cheap versions of these at Ikea or even yard sales. Consider getting office storage in fun shapes or various sizes to give the room a simple touch of creativity and style. If you are feeling industrious, you can add a splash of color by buying color storage shelves. Or even paint the storage shelves yourself!

New Home Office Furniture 

If you need it, getting new home office furniture can amp up the style of your room. For those on a budget, you can search craigslist, Ikea or yard sales to get great deals. Make sure that every piece of home office furniture has a purpose, because too much furniture can add unnecessary clutter to a room.

Give Away, Sell or Donate Extra Stuff in Your Home Office 

If you have any excess junk in your office, it is time to let that stuff go. Many of us are closet hoarders, so it is time to make like a Buddhist monk and minimize the worthless junk in our lives. If you are not going to use an item in the foreseeable future, it is probably time to toss it. 

Take Your Time Re-Decorating Your Home Office 

As we speak, I am in the process of re-organizing and re-decorating my own home office. It has been one month now, but I still can't say that it is completely finished due to lack of budget and time. Be kind to yourself by allowing yourself plenty of time to complete the project. Beating yourself up for not instantly changing your home office around in one day like some version of Mary Poppins is not helpful. Even with a spoon full of sugar cough syrup tastes bad anyways Mary Poppins, so what does she know anyways!     

Funny Moving Memes

If you are lucky, you can hire movers to smooth over the difficult process that is relocating. For the rest of us there are at least moving memes, so that we can laugh at our unfortunate circumstances. If you find yourself feeling tired, stressed or sad about moving, it can help take a minute to laugh, because moving is definitely not the end of the world.  

Do I need self storage insurance?

Many customers store their belongings thinking that the storage facility or their homeowners/renter policies cover their items, but both assumptions are usually wrong. You can find out yourself by asking the storage facility or insurance provider whether they provide self storage insurance. Nine time out of ten the answer is going to be "no", just to warn you, so be prepared to purchase additional self storage insurance when you decide to use self storage.  

I personally think if an item is worth storing then it probably is worth insuring unless you are a self-admitted hoarder just utilizing extra space by using self storage. If it is worth paying the money to store than you probably should consider getting a self storage insurance policy. Some self storage facilities make self storage insurance policies available with your self storage bill, but other times you may need to seek out a provider yourself. I recommend pricing around self storage insurance policies to make sure you get the best value for your self storage coverage. 

More than likely you will never actually need self storage insurance. In the event of unexpected destruction or thievery, you'll be extremely happy to get some monetary compensation for your items. Remember to always be careful considering what you actually put in self storage, because as we know all know there are some items that money cannot replace. 

Be Safe: Invest in Self Storage Insurance!

Dorms Vs. Renting for College Students

Every college student eventually considers whether staying on school dorms or renting an apartment/house is a better option. This is a complex question that requires careful consideration from the student to make the best decision for their particular set of circumstance. Here are the major issues that come up when a student is considering their living options.

Cost

To compare the costs you'll need to financial research to figure out exactly what the cost different between dorms vs. renting is in reality. Get ready to get out a pen and paper to calculate the different cost of dorm vs. renting. Most students may be surprised that their assumptions about what it actually costs to live on or off campus may be slightly off base.

A big part of the cost will be determined by the housing market around your campus, because obviously it is cheaper to rent in some areas than others. To get a feel for the cost of rent research on craigslist, word-of-mouth and other students to figure out what housing is going for around your campus. Also, consider living with roommates to reduce the cost of rent.

Next you will need to calculate cost of living for dorms vs. renting. For dorms you will need to pay for meal plans and parking, but all utilities and laundry services may be included. For living off campus you need to estimate how much you would spend on food a month to figure out how much you'll be spending on food versus a meal plan. You'll also need to include utility costs like water, electricity and internet.

There are also some additional moving-related costs some students may need to consider. For dorms you may need to rent self storage to store your stuff while you live on campus. There is also the potential additional cost of hiring movers to help move heavy things into and out of your apartment when the time comes.  

Privacy and Restrictions 

When most students embark on their higher education journey they assume they are adults, but by the time they arrive in the dorm they learn this is not exactly the case. All dorms have strict rules, inspections and guidelines for residents, and for some students this may seem to stifling in their new supposed adult lifestyle. Not to mention living in dorms with other students usually means you have no privacy, because dorms seem to form their own new families on campus.

These things may seem trivial to some students, but for others are ready to pursue a more independent lifestyle. Finding independence through where you live is a very important step in life, and some students will be ready for this step sooner rather than later.

Location 

Living on campus can be huge convenience for full-time students, because they have the obvious benefit of just walking to class. What a lot of students forget to consider when renting is the additional cost of transportation via bus, car, bike or whatever means you will use to get to campus.

For other students living on campus is not a viable option because all of the additional grown-up responsibilities they need to deal with on top school. Jobs and family are two factors that make some students live off of campus, because separating themselves from the additional facets of their lives is not an option.

Security 

No where you go is 100% safe, not even dorms. Although dorms do have the benefit of security through staff, locks and policing they do have a host of crime-related problems that are not necessarily found off of campus. Even though dorms are marketed as a safe option, students soon learn the reality is that these are not pristine environments. It is good to be careful and mindful no matter where you live, even in dorms.

That being said, finding cheap off-campus housing may land you in a bad part of town. Make sure to check out the neighborhood before you sign a lease. If you don't feel safe, it is probably a good idea to look somewhere else.

Where to Find Free Moving Quotes

Never Ever pay for a Moving Quote! 

Moving is one of the most daunting tasks that anyone will ever need to deal with in their personal lives. To ensure that this process goes smoothly, I always recommend for customers to get a moving company to help haul stuff from the old residence to the new home.

Understandably people hesitate when it comes time to think about the cost of moving companies. One major way to save hundreds on hiring a moving company is to get a free moving quote. Reputable moving companies will not charge for moving quotes 99% of the time, so if someone is asking to charge you should consider further researching the reputation of that company.

Here is a link to some of our top reviewed moving companies that all offer free moving quotes. With these companies you can compare their current rates through their free moving quotes to choose from some of top ranked moving companies in the moving industry. Here is another link that tells you about a helpful moving site that will instantly give you six free online moving quotes.

It is important to not always go with the cheapest moving company without consideration. If a moving company offers significantly lower prices on a moving quote there is the potential issue that they also offer inferior services or are a complete fraud. To investigate the reputation of a moving company look them up on the BBB.