Declutter the Garage: Garage Floor Edition

Even the most clean and stylish homeowners often view garages as storage spaces. Considering it is a part of the house most people visit every time they leave their home in their vehicle, it shouldn't be left as an eye sore. Even if you don't mind the clutter, a cluttered garage can result in a lot of time wasted sifting through everything to find a certain item.

If you really want to give your garage an effective makeover- the best way to go is from the bottom up. Most junk and clutter will be addressed when you start on the floor. If you are looking for a quick fix, this may may not be a great place to start. Without further ado here is how you can get started giving your garage a much needed face lift.

Paint the Garage Floor 

Oil spills, dirt, mouse droppings and lord knows what else, all cake on a garage floor over the years making the garage look like scenes from a horror movie rather than an integral part of your home. One way to really spruce up your garage, as well as ensure the long-term integrity of the garage floor, is to treat and paint the floor of your garage. Here is a website from DIY Network that takes you through the process of re-painting a garage floor.

To upgrade your floor even further when you do this, I recommend going for a more non-traditional color. We are all too familiar with the ugly grey of garages, and it has a negative connotation in our minds. Instead browse for colors like rose, sunset or any number of tan-hued garage floor paint colors to give your garage a more warm look. Here is one option for garage floor paint from Home Depot.

Clean the Garage Floor 

If re-painting the garage floor is just not in the household budget right now, considering using a pressure washer or hosing out your garage floor. This will get out oil, dust, nests and all the other gunk that accumulates on the garage floor. Even just a quick sweep will make all the difference in the appearance of your garage. You'll be surprised how much your garage will shine after preforming any of these relatively low budget steps.

Remove Junk off the Floor 

Like any room in a house, all items should have a place in your garage. Items that sit on the floor take up more space than they need to. It also makes things appear a lot more cluttered than they actually are in reality. Invest in shelves, organizers, hangers, bins, buckets or whatever else you need to get all the random items off of the floor. Make sure after you or a family member uses an item, that the item goes back where it belongs afterwards.

Avoid Using Cardboard Boxes as Storage in Garages 

Cardboard boxes are cheap, versatile and great for moving, but when it comes to permanent storage they are not ideal. Cardboard can absorb moisture, smells, dust and can attract mice, so it is best to avoid them as storage items in your home. Not to mention that ugly shade of brown reminds many of us of the horrible process of moving, so it makes look as if you are transit rather than trying to settle in your home.

Instead of cardboard boxes opt for plastic, metal or just about any other material, because these material will last longer than most cardboard boxes will in the elements. You can find great sales on storage shelves and plastic bins a couple weeks after holidays (mainly Christmas and Halloween) when stores are trying to sell off extra bins they have on stock. Also, IKEA often has bargains on these type of items, as well as plenty of attractive options.

Handy Moving Infographic: 7 Insane Stats about Moving in 2013

The two main things a person who is in the process of moving should take away from this infographic:

1. You are just one of 40 million people in the United States whom decide to move every year, so you aren't completely bonkers for wanting/needing to re-locate.
2. When you can schedule your move, so you movers are not overly busy/tired when they move all your precious belongings. Scheduling moves during the winter and early in the week is is a great way to ensure your movers are not harried, but it also gives you some bargaining power when you are negotiating with movers.

Moving Industry Infographic by MyMovingReviews.

9 Movies about Moving!

Want to get into the spirit of moving with movies about moving? You've come to the right place! Here are some of my all time favorite movies about moving. 

The Amityville Horror (2005) 

The Amityville Horror may not make you in the mood to move into a new house, but it is still a fun movie. In this film a family moves into a home to discover it is haunted by the ghosts of those killed in a mass-murder in the house. I like the 2005 version with Ryan Reynolds (who is incidentally easy on the eyes ladies) starring as the main character, but there are about a dozen different versions of this movie from different time periods. 

Homeward Bound 

This is a really fun movie where a cat and two dogs are left behind at an aunt's rancher by a family who move to the city. The family promises to come back and get the pets once the family can find a big enough space for three pets in San Francisco. The three pets escape the rancher to find their family in San Francisco making an incredible journey. The animals do talk to one another in the movie, but their mouths do not move with any creepy high-tech effects. 

Footloose 

A young Kevin Bacon moves to a town where dancing is illegal! He soon has the whole town dancing to realize that a little bit of harmless fun never hurt anyone. This fun film is filled with a fun 80's soundtrack, lots of dancing and love story to boot.

Moving 

This is a classic Richard Pryor film that is filled with great laughs. As you can imagine Pryor is up to his typical shenanigans, and he hires a terrible moving company. This may make you afraid to hire any movers to help you with your move, but remember it is just a movie. Not all moving companies are that bad. This is a great film maybe to watch after the move, so you can remind yourself the move could have been worse! 

Beetlejuice 

A young couple moves into a home, but they don't realize they are dead! They try to haunt the house to make the current owners move out, but the new residents are not impressed by this young couple's spookiness. The couple decides to employ the haunting specialist Beetlejuice to scare the residents away. Michael Keaton plays a very memorable Beetlejuice. Also, young Winona Ryder plays a goth teenager. This is a cult classic film that you will never forget. 

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone 

Harry Potter gets a whole new life when he moves from under the stairs of his mean aunt and uncle's to the school of Hogwarts. A great movie to inspire kids that moving can in fact improve life by giving everyone new opportunities in a new home. The book is even better than the movie for all my book worms out there. 

Karate Kid

This a movie that focuses on how difficult moving can be for a teenager. The main character, Daniel, moves in his senior year to a whole different state. He finds it difficult to fit in, but he soon meets new friends that will change his life forever including the famous Mr. Miyagi. Spoiler alert: You will be practicing a lot of wax-ons and wax-offs yourself with all the cleaning and painting that is usually involved in moving.

The Beverly Hillbillies (The Movie) 

This old television series was made into a hilarious movie in the 1990's that is just hilarious, but it also has its tear-jerker moments.In this film a family of hillbillies strikes it rich than moves to the big city, and you get to laugh at the expense of the hill billies as they learn the ropes of urban living. Jim Varney (the actor that played Ernest P. Worrel in so many movies) does a fantastic job playing the job Jed Clampett.

Twilight 

A great movie for tweens who just love romantic movies. In this movie a teenage girl moves to Washington where she meets a cute vampire and major troublemaker. Adventures, romance and such ensue. Teenage girls (and some of their moms) just can't seem to get enough of these books and movies.

5 Tips on Moving your Stuff from the Suburbs to the City

Moving to the city from the suburbs can be really exciting. Unfortunately, it can also be a lot of work. Here are 6 basic things you'll need to get done before moving to the city.

1. Condense

Moving to the city almost always means down-sizing. You are going to need to sell, donate and throw away a lot of your stuff that just won't fit into an urban living space. For those not ready to depart with some of their belongings, self storage units are a great way to keep some of that extra stuff you own. Fortunately, self storage unit ares very common even in cities, so you can get a self storage unit close by if you need to.

2. Car or No Car?

Depending on the public transportation of the city, you may just decide to just get rid of car. It is also a great way to save money to help pay for the higher cost of living that runs rampant in most cities. And with companies like Zip Car that let you rent a car for a small amount of money, so you can access a car when you really need it.

3. Closet Space

The worst thing about moving to a smaller space is the lack of closet space. You don't realize how much you enjoy the extra closets in your home until they are gone. You may want to consider a trip to Ikea or ordering a wardrobe or clothing storage device of some sort to help deal with the loss of closet space.

4. Divide up Space in Apartment

If you are moving into a an apartment or smaller home with your partner and/or family, it is a good idea to set some boundaries before you move in. Setting up dividers to separate his or her office spaces can be one way to create the illusion of privacy. How you are going to manage living in such a small space together is definitely a topic that deserves a discussion among all members of the household. It will still be a bumpy adjustment for most at first, but a little communication will help smooth the transition along.

5. Pets

Don't forget to consider the feelings of your furry friends. Moving to the city is a huge adjustment for all critters. Planning on giving them space to play and run around is important. Also, considering practical things like where the litter box, kennel, food bowls, etc. will help your pet adjust to being a city critter.

Find Self Storage Rates Online

Are you curious about the price of self storage, but you don't have the time to call all the different self storage services in your area? Many people run into this problem when they are considering whether to invest in self storage or not. Unlike most goods, the average person just does not know the cost of self storage units.

Luckily, we have an easy solution for you that requires absolutely no tiresome phone calls. At this self storage website, you can browse through most of the self storage units available in your area. All you have to do is enter your city, state or zip code to see a ton of different self storage options. What is even better is that the self storage cost is listed on the website. Also, you can even reserve the self storage unit without having to make phone call! Although for the record, we do recommend seeing the unit in person before reserving it, but we understand that not everyone has the time to spend on such precautions- especially when you are in the midst of a move.

We preferred the above site, because many of the popular self storage websites similar to this one, like Public Storage, for example, promote their chain of self storage locations instead of offering viewers all the available options. This does not allow for you to see the local competition, so it prevents many people from shopping around for the best self storage unit for their particular budget. However, if you had a particular brand of self storage recommended to you by a friend, the chances are you can find out how much it costs by Googling that brand. Don't you just love Google?

Anyways, one of the easiest tips I can ever give you as far as finding cheap self storage goes, is just research the variety of self storage units that are available in your area. Spending just 15 minutes looking at the different options can save you a lot of money, especially if you plan on using the self storage unit for any significant amount of time.

Good luck finding cheap self storage that works for you!    

10 Things to Do When You Move Into Your New Home

I was inspired by a recent post from houzz.com that asked readers "what do you wish you knew when you moved into your first home?" Loving all the comments from the readers, I decided to create a post based on top things to do when you move into your first home, or third, fourth or fifth for that matter.

1. Consider hiring move in cleaners. These miracle workers will come in and clean your house before you move everything in it. This is especially a good idea if you are buying a used home that may have had a messy owner. It will save you a lot of time and trouble, so that you can focus on moving instead of cleaning right off the bat.

2. Invest in Window Coverings. Before you even move into your new home, purchase or create the window covering you need for your home. Even being prepared to hang up just a sheet over a window for privacy is better than scrounging around for whatever you can find to cover that window.

3. Know Your New Terrain. It is a lot easier now with Google maps available, but it can be helpful to know where all the basic stores and restaurants are in your new area. Do a little research before moving day via Google maps, or even drive around the area yourself if at all possible.

4. Create an Emergency List. The address and phone number of the hospital, police, emergency service, pizza delivery, whatever may be needed, you never know. Create a contact list online or offline to make sure you can easily access these numbers in your new area.

5. Re-Do Things. If you plan on redoing the floors, painting or any of that jazz, it is a lot easier to do it before you've moved all your stuff in the house. You can even consider temporarily moving most of your stuff into self storage while these projects are underway.

6. Set Aside Emergency Funds. You never know when an emergency is going to pop up, so if at all possible it is imperative to set aside at least a little money. This can be really hard to do after a down payment, but try to tighten the belt to make it happen.

7. Be Prepared for Buyer's Remorse. It is not uncommon to move into a place and regret the decision. It is a little too late now to back out of your decision, so don't spend time dwelling on all the negatives of your home. Instead start making plans on all the cool things you are going to fix and renovate in your home to make it really nice.

8. Groceries. Get some basic groceries that do not need much preparation. It can be tempting to just eat out the first couple weeks of unpacking and organizing, but this bill will quickly add up. Keeping around simple food supplies will supply you with meals and snacks that won't cost too much.

9. Set up somewhere to sleep. Have sheets, blankets, pillows, bedding all easily available. You are going to need a good nights rest after moving day.

10. Celebrate. Moving into a new home allows a new beginning. Make sure to celebrate your new home with wine, pizza or whatever it is that makes you happy. Moving is a big pain in the butt, so you definitely deserve a treat after all that hard work.

Is it Worth It to Relocate for a New Job?

New employment opportunities uproot countless people to new homes all of the time, but do you ever wonder what exactly makes it worth it to do so? The New York Times recently chimed in on the topic of how to decide whether to relocate or not, and we thought they came up with some interesting points in their article. This blog is a summary of the main points in the article, plus a couple additional ones that'll help you deliberate on whether to make the move for that new job or not.

Salary

In order for a job to be worth the move financially, it should preferably offer more pay or more future opportunities. Ideally, it will offer enough compensation to pay to enhance your style of life and the mental and financial stresses of a move. Calculating how hard and how much it costs to move can be a bit tricky. This isn't the same as moving out of your dorm room into a new apartment, it is moving your adult self and perhaps a family to a new location. If you haven't moved recently, it may be a good idea to get a bid on how much it will cost to hire a mover. If you plan to do a move yourself, you will need to consider the cost of a moving van, storage, time, etc. will add up. Moving is a complicated and expensive process that should not be taken lightly.

Cost of Living at the New Location 

You may find your dream job with a great salary! Fantastic! What you may not know is that most of your new income may end up just being an adjustment for the expensive cost of living in that location. When you are considering a relocation, you are going to need to research the cost of living of the new area. How much is rent? How much are groceries and utilities? Will you need to consider sending your kids to private schools? Will there be a commute? How much will you spend visiting friends and relatives? All these considerations will help you decide if this new opportunity will actually bring you financial prosperity, because (financially speaking) there is no point in just moving if you do not gain anything out of it.

Contract for New Job 

Find out if your new employer would be willing to compensate for your move. If it hasn't been message, adding moving costs is a good thing to throw in at the negotiating table.  Certain employers will pay a certain amount for people to move. If this is the case, it is important to find out actually how much the  moving package includes, because sometimes companies will give you not nearly enough compensation to actually be able to afford to move. Instead you end up paying the excess yourself, or doing a large part of the move yourself to stay on the limited budget.

Employment for Spouse/Partner

If your partner or spouse cannot find a job in the new location, this can prove to be a huge financial loss for many couples. Every couple has a different financial and personal situation, but this is an issue that must be considered and discussed thoroughly before jumping ship to a new job. Without actually looking it is hard to scope out job opportunities in a new area, so do some research with job listings in the new area. Find out the general employment rate. The transition is sometimes a lot more difficult than one partner than the other, so be prepared for the fact they may be job hunting for a significant amount of time.

Intangible Considerations 

Not everything of course is about money. You will need to consider the pros and cons of moving that go beyond the pocket book. Have you also dreamed of moving to this location perhaps? What will it be like to be away from friends and family? How will this effect your children? There are lots of different factors that you can only consider for yourself. Taking the time to contemplate these and be honest with yourself will help you decide if it is time to move on or not. Many people avoid these topics until it is too late, and they end up regretting the big move. On the other hand, some people begin to think of their new home as the place they always belonged. Everyone is different. Just make sure you give yourself time to think about making such a huge change.