Moving Guru Blog

Moving Zen

Posted on March 31, 2012 by Devie Lin

Somewhere 250 miles from your old home and 250 miles from your new one:

“Wait, did we remember to bring the photo albums?”  Blank stares and Idunnos.  “I packed them, did you load them?” Blank stares and Idunnos.

Pull over, open the trailer, and a box tumbles out, landing sickly onto the pavement. Sigh. Pick up the box, put it back in place, then dig through the trailer, bashing your toe on a table side. Sonofa…

Yes, someone loaded the photo albums… under the TV. They’re good and smashed. The frustration you feel is fierce. You want to unload more than the U-Haul at that moment.

Bite your lip, though.

Even good moves will go wrong at times.  It’s impossible to avoid all moving problems on moving day.  However, if you keep a level head, you’ll get through them all without much issue. Here are four things to remember to achieve moving zen:

  • Anticipation – expect problems.
  • Humor – if something goes wrong, try to laugh about it… you probably will once it’s all over anyway.
  • Perspective – even if you break a vase or three, you’ll still be moved in to your new home soon.
  • Breathe – before lashing out, gather your thoughts and emotions. Take a deep breath.
Posted in DIY Moves, Moving Safety | Leave a comment

Moving with an Open Criminal Case

Posted on March 28, 2012 by Devie Lin

Moving does not follow the same schedule as the law.  In fact, few things do.  The law is a very slooooow process.  Nevertheless, you have to prioritize any criminal case over your need to relocate.

Moving with open charges against you is a bad idea.  If you skip states, or sometimes even counties, depending on the charge and conditions of your release, then you are opening yourself up to a warrant being issued for your arrest, possible revocation of your release, and a stiffer sentence.

Additionally, though you might say, “well, whatever, I’m in a different state,” some states will cooperate in arresting and returning people with open criminal cases.  Additionally, an outstanding warrant in one state can prevent you from getting a driver’s license and other privileges in another state.

Above all else, that case doesn’t just go away. It will remain on your background check for all employers to see.

In others words, even though it might be a drawn-out process that hampers your move, close your criminal case and pay the punishment before you move.

Posted in Other | Leave a comment

Moving in the Rain, Desperation-Style

Posted on March 26, 2012 by Devie Lin

Moving in bad weather is always difficult. When that bad weather involves rain, it’s even worse.

Rain will soak you, your electronics and your furniture indiscriminately. It doesn’t care that you’re moving.

Moving in the rain will also make your move more dangerous. You’ll be prone to slipping, especially when you step back into you home from being outside, or losing your grip.

You should keep an eye on the weather forecast for your moving day. If you see rain, buy some plastic sheets to cover your furniture and slip mats for your house.

If you’re like most, though, the rain will catch you off guard. Fortunately, there is a lot you can do with what you have:

  • Garbage bags – they can protect your electronics and other smaller possessions.
  • Tarps and tents – if you have a few people to help, have them spread the tarp out over the people moving the big stuff, kind of like a big umbrella.
  • Towels – bath towels will do well to prevent slipping. Sure, they’ll get muddy, but a muddy towel is better than a sprained back, right?

 

Posted in Moving Safety | Leave a comment

Moving Your Foods

Posted on March 23, 2012 by Devie Lin

Moving to a new home does not mean you have to trash everything in your current fridge and pantry.

Of course, trashing some foods is a good idea.  Your pantry and friedge undoubtedly has some expired, mold-pocked goodies, and a head of lettuce and a package of hot dogs will not survive a sizable trip.

However, other foods, spices and condiments will survive the trip and be of immediate use to you in your new home. Plus, you won’t have to buy them again in your new place.

Here is an uncomprehensive list of foods that your should pack up and bring with you:

  • Condiments: mustard, catsup, hot sauce, peanut butter, jams, NOT mayo.
  • Spices: any spices can make the trip. Dried herbs will, too.

    Unfortunately, fresh herbs probably won’t.

  • Canned foods: beans, nuts, soups
  • Pasta/rice

Avoid Bringing:

  • Opened packages of dried food – they can spill about in transit or go stale.
  • Meats – even if frozen, getting meats to your new home will require more work than ideal. Unless you have pounds and pounds of meat, give it away.
  • Dairy and produce
  • Drinks – even if they are unopened, drinks are heavy and take up space that can be better used.
Posted in Difficult Things to Move, Settling into Your New Home | Leave a comment

How to Ask Somebody to Borrow Their Truck

Posted on March 22, 2012 by Devie Lin

You didn’t anticipate this four years ago when you bought your Toyota Corolla. Yet, here you are, on the verge of moving across town with no means to do it.

All signs point towards renting a moving truck, but you have one last shot: Steve from work. You don’t know him well, but you do know he has a pick up truck that will fit your mattress. So, how to make this work…

You can approach Steve in any number of ways, all of which should be based somewhat in your past experiences with each other. However, under the niceties there must exist an offer that motivates him to hand up the keys without digging for an excuse. Because face it, you wouldn’t want to just lend out your Corolla, would you?

Here are a few examples of offers that are perfect for the can-I-borrow-your-truck-Sunday-morning? requests.

1. Money – Hey Steve, can I borrow your truck on Sunday to move my bed? I know it’s kind of annoying, but I’ll give you [some amount of money substantially less than a rental].

2. Social offering – Hey Steve, can I borrow your truck on Sunday to move? I’ll cover your happy hours for the next month. (This method is recommended as it encourages bonding while getting you the truck).

3. Work-related benefits – Hey Steve, can I borrow your truck on Sunday to move? I’ll cover a shift of yours whenever you need it.

4. Something you know he really wants – Hey Steve, can I borrow your truck on Sunday to move? I’ll let you play left field once softball starts up again.

Posted in DIY Moves, Money-Saving Tips | Leave a comment

How to Tell Your Child You're Moving *gulp*

Posted on March 19, 2012 by Devie Lin

We all remember vividly certain special places and people from our childhood. I had a best friend, Mike. I used to spend a lot of time fishing in a small stream near our home. There was a large hill perfect for sledding behind my friend’s house.

Your child has certainly formed intimate bonds with their environment as well, and moving will rip them away from those bonds. Knowing this, it will be especially difficult to inform your child that you’re moving.

However, you’re going to have to do it, and when you do it you’re going to have to be honest. So, take a deep breath, sit your child down and tell them. When you do, make sure to discuss the three things laid out in our article detailing how to explain moving to your child:

  • Details of the move – where are you going and when?
  • Why you are moving – be honest
  • What moving will be like – be positive
Posted in Children & Pets | Leave a comment

Moving a Liquor Collection

Posted on March 16, 2012 by Devie Lin

Building a good liquor collection requires dedication and creativity. One can’t simply go to the store and buy a fully-stocked bar like they might buy a TV. Additionally, though a person can go to a store to buy all the components of a bar at once, creating an evolving bar, one that is built from pieces acquired from different places and people over the course of many years, is the best way to build an impressively eclectic bar.

In either case, the investment of time, money, effort and uniqueness makes needing to move your liquor collection an important process. It’s not something you want to mess up. Here’s what to do:

  • Take all bottles out of the bar – transport them separately.
  • Wrap all glass bottles in cloth so as to protect them during transit.
  • Place all bottles in boxes. Line the boxes’ bottom and sides with extra cushioning.
  • Do not stack the bottle more than two deep so as to avoid breaking the box in transit.
  • Wrap all glassware in cloth and place them in separate boxes.
Posted in Difficult Things to Move, DIY Moves | Leave a comment

Choosing a New School

Posted on March 14, 2012 by Devie Lin

Picking a school for your kids can be easy or hard. If you’re doing it right, then it should be hard; it should take some research, some number crunching, some question asking.

There are a lot of different schools out there, and choosing the right school for your child requires weighing different factors and needs. One major thing to consider are schools’ statistics, such as population, teacher-to-student ration and demographics. Fortunately, much of this information is compiled by the National Center for Education Statistics. Check here for maps and other statistics regarding the school district(s) you’re looking into.

Posted in Apartment and House Hunting, Children & Pets, Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Moving Your Small Business

Posted on March 12, 2012 by Devie Lin

Like the Sioux followed the roaming bison herds, it’s often necessary to move an office to best serve a customer base.

In essence, moving a business is not unlike moving to a new apartment.  You pack, move, unpack.  However, if something goes wrong, the consequences are a lot worse than sleeping without heat for a night or two.  One particular problem to watch out for involves frustrating the very people you are moving to serve: your customers.

If you are moving, you’ll need a couple days of down time.  Here’s how to make sure that your customers are aware of it and don’t count on you being open:

  • Website – post the moving dates on the front page of your website a couple weeks in advance.
  • Email – if you have a newsletter or email list, send out an email with the move dates a week prior and then the day before your move.
  • Voicemail – change your voicemail to notify customers of the impending move a couple days in advance, and have it explain that you are closed while you are in the process of moving.
  • Door notices – put up a good ol’ fashioned note on the office doors a couple days prior to the move and during it.
Posted in Difficult Things to Move, Types of Moves | Leave a comment

Roommates Save You Money

Posted on March 9, 2012 by Devie Lin

Having a roommate can save you up to $500 a month.  Most single bedroom leases are upwards of 30% more expensive than their two-bedroom counterparts.

For example, in my old apartment complex in downtown Oakland, California, I paid $1,095 per month for a one bedroom.  In the same complex, two bedrooms ran $1,450.  If you factor in the division of rent, people in the two bedroom were paying $725 per month, which was 34% less expensive than my rent.

Then there’s the division of utilities, including cable, Internet and electricity.

Finding a good roommate is not easy, and living with a bad roommate can be rough.  However, if you can’t afford to live on your own, or if you need some extra cash, getting a roommate is definitely an option to consider.

Posted in Apartment and House Hunting, Money-Saving Tips | Leave a comment