The Moving Planner Blog

A huge number of baby boomers are already inline for their retirements this year. Most of them are definitely going to be relocating this year. Whether you’re an empty nester or are moving to an assisted living or retirement facility, be mentally prepared that moving is quite a stressful and emotionally draining thing. Here are a few moving tips to help you execute your moving and storage activities smoothly and successfully:

Keep an Inventory
Once you make up your mind to move, start taking records immediately – even before you put your house up on the market. Take account of all the things you’ll need to handle before the move. Go through every corner of the house to see what needs to be handed.

Scale Down
It is very likely that you’ll need to scale down the number of things you’re taking with you to your new home. The number of belongings you can take will depend on the space your new place has. You may need to get rid of the things you won’t need. Carefully have a look at all your current possessions and then decide on what you can afford to let go. It is always advisable to move into a new home with the least number of belongings or items. After all, we all know how easy it is to have cluttered home. It is better to avoid that as much as you can. It is even possible that you’ll need to have a change of furniture or appliances if the current ones you own won’t fit into your new home. Be prepared to keep all options open. Read more…

Whether you’re moving from one state to another or from one house to another, you are surely going to need the services of a truck rental to move your belongings. No matter what moving and storage or truck rental services you decide to go for, all moving trucks are essentially the same. Even though moving trucks do not require special licenses, they definitely operate in a slightly different manner as compared to regular passenger vehicles.

Your truck rental service will most likely give you a few tips on how to drive your rented truck carefully, but there are a few things you’ll need to know to have better control over the vehicle. Moving trucks are usually very massive and require a great deal of attention and care during the move. There are some important things you should know on how to drive moving and storage trucks carefully.

-    Make sure you thoroughly examine the truck before you drive it. Ensure that the seats and mirrors are well adjusted. Make sure you are familiarized with all the various functions like the indicators, parking breaks, wipers etc. You wouldn’t want to panic during the moving road trip if you have to scramble to figure out how these things work.

-    Be very careful while backing up. In a regular vehicle, you might be able to park your car parallel to other vehicles or within parking spaces, with just two inches of space on either sides of the vehicle. A moving truck isn’t that simple. Whenever you are backing up, keep in mind that you have an extra foot bumper extending behind. Keep looking into the side mirrors while backing up. It is advisable that you ask a passenger to stand out and direct you safely.   Read more…

There’s no doubt moving is always very hectic. When it comes to the packing up and moving and storage of our belongings, things can get pretty much over-stressful, which is why most of us end up overlooking some important items without realizing. Try to develop an effective game plan early to make the moving process smooth and stress-free. All you need is a well detailed strategic plan to make sure you don’t miss out anything. Some of the most popular items people often overlook include:

-    Cut Backs
While focusing excessively on the moving and storage process, most of us forget to cut back on the belongings that are not worth moving with. Try to donate, throw out or give away the things that are no longer worth the cost and will add to the trouble during the move. Trust me, cutting back on the clutter will ease off a lot of trouble and will give you more room to fill up your moving truck with valuable belongings.

-    Organizing the Boxes
Organizing the moving and storage is commonly overlooked. Organizing the boxes doesn’t only mean arranging them properly, but also means labeling them. Labeling the boxes helps reduce a load of confusion at both your old and new home. All you’ll need to do is ensure that you pack all your items and belonging separately in different boxes and put a label on them to remind you of the contents when its time to unpack. Read more…

Moving from one house to another is understandable. It is not an easy task, but yes people go through it all the same. What when you have to move an entire office? Sounds scary right? It really isn’t all that scary. It is pretty much the same as moving from one house to another, the only difference being that you can have additional hands to help – which in fact makes it a bit easier than changing houses. Moving and storage of office items can get a lot easier when you hire some good moving companies. But if you’d rather go about it the traditional way, you can have extra hands in the form of office colleagues.

Though I’ve never coordinated an office move personally, I’ve seen one and heard of it many times. There is always one thing that determines the success of an office move and that is building alliances. This helps to coordinate and motivate the rest of the colleagues and office staff to help out as well. When moving an office, there are a number of things you should know on how to move an office. Here are some basic things you should do:

Create a Timeline for the Move
Plan your office move well ahead of time. Make all moving and storage arrangements before time so that you don’t get stranded at the dying moment. All moves or relocations have stages which must be handled accordingly. The only thing you need to make sure of is to thoroughly discuss all the details with your moving team, supervisors and managers in order to ensure that everything is moving orderly in the right way. If your office is small one, you’ll need to prepare for the move at least 3 months before the moving day. In the case of a large or medium office, 6 to 8 months will do. The earlier you start the better. Read more…

When it comes to moving, there are many unavoidable realities that we must all face. The toughest part is when we are dealing with the moving and storage aspect. That’s when depression usually starts setting in and if we don’t control our nerves well, things can get pretty more difficult. Presently, around a million people relocate every year throughout the United States. Moving is generally looked at in only one way – as a very stressful activity. There are so many different factors that force people to relocate, such as business opportunities, school concerns, career advancements, etc.  All that maters is how well you are able to keep your emotions under control, because that’s what leads to depression if not handled properly.

There is no doubt that moving kind of ends up leaving a significant impact on our lives. Aside from the environmental change, our thoughts are also greatly impacted. I have a friend who had to move to another state some time back. While she and her husband handled the move pretty well, sadly and surprisingly enough, her husband fell victim to depression. He had to undergo a series of therapy sessions and treatment for depression, which affected the whole family in many ways. Many people undergo relocation/moving depression without even being aware of what they are suffering from. In fact, most of us just look at depression as a passing phase which we think we’ll eventually overcome as time goes on. Most of us fail to realize that it is actually a psychological problem which has the tendency of getting out of control if not paid attention to at the right time.

However, despite how low your feeling may get, the good new is, there are many tested and proven techniques that can help anyone get through the entire moving and storage process without being affected in a serious way. In order to overcome depression, you must first be aware of it. Here, try these few coping tips to help overcome moving depression: Read more…

If you’re moving and are in the need for some help with the packing, storage and moving of your belongings, I’d advice you to hire a moving and storage company right away. Whether you’re moving into a well furnished apartment, an unfurnished one or are renovating and need some self storage space for your belongings, you will need to select the perfect storage unit to suit your needs.

Now, to begin with, what is a storage unit? A storage unit is a storage entity or a container-like thing that a moving and storage company will offer you if you wish to store away your belongings somewhere safe. Depending on the things you need to store, you can have as many storage units. Storage units are generally temporary storage elements which you can use for specific periods of time. There are many reasons why one may want to store away belongings. For instance, you might be renovating your apartment and need some place safe to keep your things secure. You may have to look for some place to keep some of your old furniture or things that you are not using for the time being. That is when you’ll need storage units, and the best way of going about getting them is by hiring the services of a moving and storage company to get the perfect storage units to secure your belongings.

Selecting a Storage Unit
Moving and storage companies offer safe, dry and clean storage units to customers. However, as a customer, it will be your duty to make sure that you explore all your options before selecting the perfect storage units. The most important thing is for you to know exactly what you’re looking for. First of all, you’ll need to know what you’re looking for in a storage unit solution provider. Look through as many options in order to find the best provider. Read more…

We are all aware of the fact that whatever we eat has a direct impact on our health and overall energy. Have you ever stopped to think about the foods you consume everyday? Have you taken the time to get to know the nutritional contents of what you eat? Eating for energy is basically about choosing the right kind of foods and consuming them at the right time.

If you’re getting ready for a move, you will need to be extra cautious when it comes to your pre-moving meals during the moving and storage process. A fast food meal that’s greasy is likely to leave you feeling sluggish and tired during. On the other hand, a meal that’s full of carbohydrates, fats, healthy proteins, vegetables and fresh fruits will leave you feeling very energized and satisfied. Here are some tips on how to eat healthy to remain energized when you’re going through the tiring moving and storage process:

•    Cut short on white flour and sugar. Things like cookies, muffins, white pasta and fruit juices consist of refined sugars that wreak havoc on blood sugar levels, which is particularly hazardous for the health. Aside from other health crisis, it also leads to reduced energy in the body, which can get you tired quite quickly. Try replacing them with complex carbs and proteins.

•    Try eating more proteins for breakfast and lunch. Foods like nuts, poultry, fish, seeds, eggs, and meat give more energy. Completely avoid only-pasta foods as much as possible. For breakfast, try taking oat meals with butter and walnuts, not raisins and maple syrup. To keep your afternoon energy restored, eat low carbohydrate and high protein meals for lunch. Another good idea is to fry some chicken with broccoli or chicken breast cooked with green beans. Read more…

Yep, we all know moving isn’t an easy thing and when it comes to the moving and storage of our personal belongings, packing with care is all that matters. Yes, you may have to invest in some quality moving and storage supplies, but rest assured its going to be well worth it – especially if you consider the cost of replacing and packing damaged or broken belongings.

Once you’ve packed away the important belongings in moving boxes and containers, you then have to consider securing your drawers and all other moving parts. When securing drawers, not only do you have to think of securing them against any damages but also to keep them safe during the moving trip. The question is how do you secure drawers? There are four easy things you should ensure:

1.    Make sure you lock all the cabinets and drawers. Install latches and locks if there aren’t any.

2.    Use bungee cords to secure the drawers and cabinets.

3.    Make sure you safely wrap all breakable items with plastic or paper wrappers before placing them in the drawers and cabinets.

4.    If the drawers and cabinets have large voids, make sure you fill them up with towels, blankets or pillows to keep the items from tossing around. Read more…

Moving out of state is difficult, and buying a home out of state can be even more stressful. How do you find a great home, and trust that it is a great home, when you live hundreds of miles away? The unknowing can be unnerving, but that doesn’t mean that buying a new home in a new location has to be an overwhelmingly nightmare. In fact, the following tips can make the whole process relatively easy and stress free when searching for moving and storage:

Find a Universal or Close Lender

If you are looking to get a mortgage loan for a home, it is probably for the best that you choose a lender that will be easily accessible from your new location. Either choose a lender that has branches all over the country or choose one established in the state in which you are planning on moving. This way asking questions about the duration of your loan or refinancing to take advantage of lower mortgage interest rates will be easier.

Before giving a lender your business, however, be sure to shop around, read reviews, and ask any locals for great recommendations so that you are getting the best service possible. Read more…

Are you and your family moving? Are you relocating to start a new job or a new business? Do you know that you may be eligible to have the cost of your moving expenses deducted from your income? The expenses that are qualified include the costs of the packing, shipping, moving and storage of your personal belongings and household goods. The costs of the lodging and traveling are also inclusive; however, meals are not part of the deductible moving expenses. The following are some key things you should know:

The Set Limits
You can have the cost of your moving expenses deducted if they exceed the reimbursements being offered by your employer. You must qualify for the tax deduction in order to claim it.

Qualification
Your move has to be because of a new job for you qualify. You must also meet the criteria for the distance and time tests in order to be eligible. For instance, if you are moving from or within Canada, you will be eligible for a deduction in your moving costs if your distance is above 40km. However, if you are moving to the United States as a retiree from another country, your moving costs can be deducted without the need for you to start a new job in the USA. This means that retirees moving into the US from abroad will not need to be eligible for the test time.

Time Test
You must be a full-time worker for at least 39 weeks for the period of 12 months after you’ve moved. If you own a business or are self employed, you will need to work for at least 78 weeks for the period of 24 months after you’ve moved. Read more…