Five Clever Tips on How to Make Your Move Eco-Friendly

By moveu2 – Posted on

Moving under the best of circumstances can be expensive, exhausting and time-consuming, but you may not realize the impact it can also have on the environment. One person or family moving may not create a huge environmental impact, but millions of people move every year, which creates a pretty significant impact. While no one person can completely reduce the environmental impact of moving, if millions of people reduced their individual impact by just a fraction, it will have a major cumulative effect. Here are five ways Kip’s Cross Country Movers suggests making your move more eco-friendly.

1. Gather recycled boxes

There is no doubt that simply ordering or buying boxes and other moving supplies is significantly easier than tracking down used moving materials. That being said, just a single household move can generate hundreds of pounds of waste in the form of boxes and packing materials. Not only can you make your move more eco-friendly, but you can also save a great deal of money by gathering boxes from stores. Liquor stores in particular generally have a large supply of boxes on hand, and if you need bigger boxes, big box stores are the best places to look.

2. Use packing materials you already have

Instead of buying packing paper or other materials, use linens and clothing to pack fragile items instead. Not only does this cut down on the number of materials you need to gather (and eventually throw away), but it will also significantly reduce the number of boxes you need to use to move. You can also use suitcases, trunks, and laundry hampers to pack items in, which will even further reduce the number of boxes you will need to move.

3. Offer your materials up to someone else when you are done with them

Using materials that were already recycled once can significantly reduce your environmental impact, but you can reduce it even further by letting someone else use the same materials again. The Freecycle Network is not only a great place to find used boxes, but it’s also a great way to pass them on to someone else once you have used them.

4. Make the fewest number of trips possible

If you are moving someplace close by, always make it a point to never make a trip without also taking a car packed full of belongings. If you need to rent a truck, try and rent the smallest truck available. In fact, taking one truckload of belongings will create a great deal less environmental impact than taking several trips back and forth in a car. Conversely, if you need to drive to your new home for other reasons, taking a car full of belongings can help cut down on the size of the truck you need to rent.

5. Downsize before you move

The longer you live in one place, the more things you tend to accumulate. Simply packing everything and taking it with you may seem like the most expedient choice, but it can actually make moving much more stressful in the long run. Ultimately, the more you take with you, the more stressful your move will be, so downsizing will actually help you reduce stress long-term. It may even be actually cheaper to simply sell all of your largest furniture and purchase new furniture for your new home once you arrive. That way, you not only save all the expense and hassle of moving, but you can be assured you will get pieces that fit perfectly in your new home.

5 Strategies for Talking to Your Kids About Moving to a New City

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Major changes are difficult for the best of us, so it’s easy to understand why preparing a child for a big move can be a scary proposition. It is possible, however, to help your children smoothly relocate to a new city.

Here are five strategies for talking to your kids that can assist you in getting ready for the big move.

1. Cultivate Open Communication

Communication is crucial to a successful move. Informing your children early on in the moving process allows them to become fully accustomed to the idea of a move. To communicate the initial news of a move, find a calm, unrushed time to share. Be open to any questions your child may have. Keep your answers honest, but age appropriate. Simple explanations are best for younger children. Remember that open communication is vital to every step of the moving process.

2. Allow for Honest Emotions

A change as significant as a move will surely evoke a large range of emotions in your child. As a parent, you have the opportunity to assist them in navigating those emotions healthily and productively. Don’t be afraid of emotions your children will have, instead invite them to express them by asking them how they are doing. Be patient with your child and the many emotions they might express. Grant them permission to own all of their feelings and help them find ways to express those feelings in productive ways. Books are an effective tool for younger children to express emotions they may otherwise be unable to identify.

3. Be Purposeful in Packing

When boxing up the house, involve your children as much as possible. This grants them ownership in the process. Cheap Movers New York City says to consider packing up your child’s room last. Keeping their familiar belongings accessible as long as possible can provide some needed security.

4. Plan Thoughtful Goodbyes

Saying goodbye can be the most difficult part of moving. Give thought to intentional ways your children can make significant memories with family and friends. You and your children could create a “Bucket List” of important people and places they’d like to see before moving. Allow your children to use their creativity and make a journal for friends to write special messages and contact information so they can keep in touch. You can also host a going-away party for them to say goodbye to all their friends and loved ones.

5. Welcoming New Adventures

After the goodbyes, there will be hellos to brand new adventures that await you and your children. Remind your children that the coming move will bring excitement as you explore a new city. Take time with the kids before the move and use the internet to investigate your new city. Make a list of the places you’d like to visit together once you arrive. Once you are in your new home, get to know your new neighbors. Walk next door as a family and introduce yourselves.

Moving is hard. You will put a lot of effort into making sure your belongings arrive safely in your new city. Take the time and effort required to ensure your children make the transition successfully too. You can ease the transition for your children as you move to a new city, it just requires some intentional preparation.

7 Great Reasons to Hire Professional Movers for Your Relocation

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Moving can be a stressful event for you and your family or even for your employees and coworkers, if planning commercial moving. While you might be someone who is looking for every way to cut costs, one key expense that you should always budget for is professional movers. Here are seven reasons why you should use professional movers for your next relocation.

1. Saving time and money with packing!

Packing alone accounts for almost one quarter of moving expenses. If you pack yourself, it takes time, and you might use the wrong kind of boxes, too many boxes, or not pack in a way that protects your belongings. Save yourself the cost of boxes, wrap, tape, and time by using professional movers.

2. Safe and Insured.

When you hire moving professionals, you are hiring people who are more experienced than you are in moving. With professional movers, says Cheap Movers Las Vegas, your personal belongings are insured, and they are focused on the safety of your items (packing and transport). They will use a heavy-duty wrap for furniture and will cover other items, protecting them from being damaged in transport! Don’t let your precious belongings be damaged because you tried to fit one more thing in that box or didn’t wrap something properly!

3. Upfront costs.

When hiring licensed professionals to handle your move, there shouldn’t be any hidden costs associated with the relocation. Licensed movers publish a tariff detailing the costs of various services. Most moving companies start by giving a quote over-the-phone, then follow up with a full cost breakdown in a bill of lading based on the tariff rates.

4. You can shop around.

With so many professional moving companies, you can use Angie’s List, YELP, word of mouth, or other reviews to get the best company for your move. Angie’s list gives some helpful guidelines and things to consider. Moers who work in a specific area can often give you suggestions on specific dates/times and will have great estimates on how long a move will take.

5. Efficiency

Your time is valuable and so if the time of professional movers. They will be quick (but won’t rush) to get your move ready to be packed and headed out. Save yourself the time that you can spend on other key moving tasks (setting up utilities, getting a new driver’s license, or one of the many other “moving tasks“).

6. Safety

Don’t hurt your back (or a friendship!) moving heavy items like boxes of books and your beloved pool table. You are less likely to get injured if you use professional movers. Your friends won’t have to come through “in a pinch,” and you won’t be worried if someone cancels on helping you! Buy yourself some peace of mind and plan to use professionals.

7. Tax Deductions

Moving expenses can be tax deductions. If you move for work, and the distance is far enough, you may be able to claim moving expenses on your taxes. The IRS provides helpful information here on how to claim this tax credit.

For your next move, spend some time looking into using professional movers. Your back, your friends, and your wallet will thank you!

How to Move a Pool Table Across the Country

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A pool table is an important and expensive piece of furniture in one’s house. If you are looking to move a pool table across the country, some steps should be followed. If care is not taken, the table can be easily damaged. People can get hurt in the process of moving, and the structure of the house can be damaged as well. You can avoid all of these things with a few pointers from a top-rate pool table mover.

Disassembly

A pool table should not be moved without first removing some pieces. You may think it might be easy to maneuver a complete table around doorways, but that is certainly not the case. Legs felt, and the slate should all be removed before moving the table. With all of these items, taking lots of pictures and labeling things is key. Don’t think that you will remember how all of the parts go together.

The felt can be tricky to remove without damage. If it is time for new felt, simply rip off the old felt. Otherwise, carefully take out staples so that the felt does not get ripped in the process.

The slate is one of the heaviest parts of the table. Make sure that you remove it carefully and with help. Great Guys Moving emphasizes the importance of wrapping and protecting the slate during transport. Even a small chip out of the slate could affect the surface of the table and how balls roll on it. They can also help you find a reputable cross-country moving company for the job.

Transport

Protection is extremely important during this phase. All sections of the table need to be equally protected. A few blankets will not suffice. Use plenty of moving blankets and ensure everything is adequately protected. Everything should be secure in the moving truck that is moving the table; this is the best way to move heavy furniture like a pool table long distance. This should be periodically checked throughout the journey.

Reassembly

Once at the new location, take care to get the table and all parts into place. Reassembly should be done slowly and methodically. The time you spend doing this right will ensure a table that is level and playable for years.

Once the legs are installed, and the table is upright, the put the slate on. Most any floor will not be level, so take care to get the slate and table perfectly level before proceeding. Once this is done, seams and screw holes should be filled in with melted wax.

Finally, the felt and rails get installed. Again, take your time and do this right. You do not want to have any bumps in your new felt.

A pool table can be difficult to move. If doing it yourself, take time to research and prepare. Get the right tools for the job and solicit help from several people. If looking to have it moved professionally, get several quotes and hire the most reputable mover you can find. Don’t assume any moving company can move your pool table properly.

In no time at all, you will be enjoying a game of pool in the new location.

Wine Collection Relocation | How to Pack and Move with Ease

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Relocating your wine collection comes with its own set of challenges and legalities. Moving wine means more than just packing it up in some heavy wooden boxes filled with confetti shreds. Because it’s alcohol, which makes it a highly regulated commodity, your moving plan also needs to address that issue. That being the case, you should start planning weeks, if not months in advance for this portion of your move. Here are some tips for moving your wine collection.

Getting Started

Before you even pack up your wine, Moving.Tips suggest that you have an appraisal done. Your wine collection is valuable, and knowing how much it’s worth helps you to determine how to proceed. If you don’t already know a professional wine appraiser, you’ll find a qualified one by either:

  1. Contacting your insurance company
  2. Talking to a local wine distributor or wine store
  3. Or by getting in touch with the American Society of Appraisers.

Once this is done, you’ll then want to take an inventory of your wine. Do this by photographing each bottle, writing a description of it, and then making a master list of all your wines. Keep this in a notebook or in some sort of electronic filing system. You’re going to need this information when you move into the later stages of moving your collection. You’ll want to have a list handy for your movers as well, so be sure to make two copies.

Transportation Concerns: Fragility and Legalities

Wine is fragile for a number of reasons. Aside from the danger of bottle breakage, temperature control can be a problem. More specifically, moving your wines at the wrong temperature can destroy your collection. The Wine Inspector reminds wine collectors that moving wine, like moving pianos, is considered a niche business. A large collection – think 1,500 to 3,500 bottles of wine – can cost up to $5,000 to move on a refrigerated truck if it’s being moved across the country. Air freight costs even more.

Understandably, this notion causes some collectors to consider moving the wine themselves, rather than having wine-specialty movers take care of it. If you have a small collection, it is possible to move it yourself in your car.

Movers Dallas says you’ll want to hire professional movers if you have a large collection. Wine is actually considered a hazardous material, which complicates things once your wine goes across state lines. If you do have a large collection, find a mover that specializes in this sort of move and do so weeks in advance of your move. Professional wine movers have refrigerated trucks and are knowledgeable about the rules concerning the transport of wine. (See the Wine Spectator for a list of specialty movers.)

Packing Concerns

If you go with a professional moving company, that company will help you pack up your wine for transport. These companies have all the necessary equipment to get the job done. However, if you’ve opted to transport it yourself, you’ll want to take these steps, according to Angie’s List:

  1. Store corked wine upside down to keep the corks moist.
  2. Pack the wine in boxes that are specially designed to handle wine. These types of boxes have Styrofoam dividers to protect the wine. You can go with boxes that you get from wine stores or specialty movers. Wooden boxes are even sturdier, though they do cost more.
  3. Never pack up wine that has already been uncorked.
  4. Allow for bottle shock after the move: The bottles should rest for about a week after you’ve settled into your new place.

Final Thoughts

Moving wine comes with more considerations than most other types of fragile items. Aside from being breakable, wine is also considered a hazardous material and must be moved with care. This is especially true if you’re moving wine across state lines. Although it can cost you a good deal of money to have your wine professionally transported, it may be worth the cost and the trouble in the end. That said, no matter how you decide to move your wine, do be sure to start this process well in advance of your move.