Bonding with your Family During your Move
Written by Moveforfree on November 30, 2009 – 4:36 pm -As I have said many many times before moving is one of the most stressful events in a person lifetime. All the packing, extra expenses, the actual moving day, the list goes on and on.
The stress level only increases when it’s more than just yourself that is moving. What if you have a whole family to move? The stress level is sure to increase, especially with children.
Some might find it difficult to not let your stress get the better of you and take you frustrations out on your family… the ones you care about the most.
But! There are ways that a family can still bond throughout their moving process.
On of the main things to remember is try not to let your stress overpower your emotions. Just remember to not let the move overpower your life. Start early. Do a little at a time.
Children may react to the move differently then you. If you are moving far, allow them to say goodbye to the old place, friends, and neighbors. Recognize they may need more time then you. You might consider telling them as soon as you know for sure that you are moving, so they have time to adjust to the idea.
If your children are older (pre- teens/ teenagers) they might want to have a goodbye party or spend a lot of time with their friends. While, you may want them to pack and help with the moving chores, this process of saying goodbye can be very important to them.
Try putting on music during a long day of packing that you can all enjoy. Music always helps stressful situations.
As far as packing goes, give your children a checklist of tasks that they can accomplish on their own. This will make them feel that they are an important part of the move.
Checklist for younger children….
Have them sort their stuff they want to move into three piles.
Keep
Throw out
Give awayHave them mark their boxes/ belongings with their own personal logo/ seal that they designed.
Have them pack a first night backpack with some stuff they will need during their first night in their new place. Things like a special blanket/ stuffed animal, favorite pair of PJ’s and favorite book will help them feel more “at home” when they get to the new place.
Checklist for pre-teens/ teenagers
When you tell your teen that you are moving, remember to tell them that this is a very stressful process for everyone and you would really appreciate lots of help. They can help in many ways.
They can take care of the younger children. They can be there to comfort them if they are anxious about the move. And especially be there to take care of them on the moving day. When people are moving big heavy furniture and boxes it is especially important to have the little ones out of the way.
Assure them that you are open for ideas on how to develop a strategic packing and moving plan. Children sometimes just like to feel included in big events! They like to feel like they can help.
Show/ tell them how to pack tactfully by packing the stuff that you don’t use very often first and the stuff you use daily last.
Have them write their own name on their boxes. Let them decorate them, so they no which one’s are theirs.
Make sure you don’t shadow over them to much. Teens like to prove to their parents they can do stuff on their own.
Hopefully these tips will help you turn a stressful event into a…. well a less stressful event. Use your family to your benefit. Use it as a bonding process instead of a fighting, anxiety filled incident.
GOOD LUCK!
*ideas adapted from http://www.moversdirectory.com
Tags: bonding, checklist, childreen, Family, Moving, teens
Posted in Children, Family, Moving | No Comments »
Boxes, boxes, boxes, etc…
Written by Moveforfree on November 25, 2009 – 2:34 pm -I think Jerry Seinfeld said it best….
“When You’re moving your whole world becomes boxes. That’s all you think about is boxes. Boxes, where are there boxes? You just wander down the street going in and out of stores. Are there boxes here? Have you seen any boxes? I mean it’s all you think about. You can’t even talk to people because you can’t concentrate… Just after a while you become like really into it you can smell them. You walk into a store. There’s boxes here. Don’t tell me you don’t have boxes… I can SMELL them…”*
Isn’t that the truth. Nobody likes to actually pay for boxes. So your life becomes consumed with trying to find boxes. I used to work in childcare and always had access to a lot of great boxes. But what if you don’t work somewhere like that. What if there are NEVER any boxes at your job?
Well… I have a couple of great suggestions for you then!
Two great places to get boxes are grocery stores or liquor stores. Liquor stores usually have pretty good quality boxes since their products are mostly glass. And usually if you just ask the store clerk or managers they will just give it to you without having to pay anything. Boxes are a pain for store employees to break down and throw away so they usually are pretty happy to get rid of them.
http://www.moversdirectory.com/ warns you to totally inspect any boxes you get from the grocery store. Insect eggs and insects such as roaches can travel in food boxes.
Another place I HIGHLY recommend is http://www.freecycle.org/. This is a AWESOME site. Their mission “is to build a worldwide gifting movement that reduces waste, saves precious resources & eases the burden on our landfills while enabling our members to benefit from the strength of a larger community.” All you have to do is type in your city and do a search for moving boxes. People are always wanting to give away their moving boxes. Then when you all done with your move you can put up a post about wanting to give away your boxes. It’s a GREAT way to recycle, get, and give your moving boxes.
And of course there is always craigslist. People always giving away free boxes on there.
Use your imagination on where to find boxes. Once you start looking for them… they start appearing everywhere!
Good luck!
*Quote credit from http://www.seinfeldscripts.com/TheBoyfriend2.htm
Tags: Boxes, Jerry, Moving, Seinfeld
Posted in Boxes, Money, Moving | 2 Comments »
Average Money Spent Moving on Your Own
Written by Moveforfree on November 23, 2009 – 4:02 pm -Moving can be one of the most stressful things in a persons lifetime. Plus the stress level goes up depending on how far you are moving, how much stuff you have to move, and how much money you are able to spend on the move.
I asked our MoveforFREE Facebook fans how much they have spent in the past moving on their own.
20% said they have spent $50- $100
60% said they have spent $100- $300
20% said they have spent $300- $500
Considering everything that goes into moving… these results aren’t that surprising.
Take for example this typical average moving situation….
Say you and your spouse are moving into a new apartment waaaaaaaaaay across town. You moving from a two bedroom third story apartment into another two bedroom apartment on the third floor.
In this situation you have several different options.
You could do it completely on your own; by using your own truck or a friends and moving EVERYTHING on your own. ($50- $100)
Pros
- Saving some money
Cons
- Making countless trips across town
- Going up and down the apartment stairs at BOTH apartments
- Throwing your back out from carrying all the furniture and boxes
- Dealing with traffic from driving back and forth across town
- Filling up your gas tank several times from driving back and forth across town
You could do it partially on your own; by renting a moving truck and moving EVERYTHING on your own. ($100- $300)
Pros
- Can save the countless trips across town by just making one big one
Cons
- Depending on how much furniture and boxes you have the rental truck can still cost over $50 and that is just for the truck
- If you are renting a truck then you will also need to purchase insurance for the truck as well as all those extra fees
- And don’t forget that you need to make sure the gas tank is full before you return the truck. And considering you are moving way across town you will probably need to fill the tank mostly up. Which will cost you another $50 or so.
- You STILL need to carry EVERYTHING up and down the stairs and load it into your truck on your own. This could possibly still lead to throwing your back out.
OR you could hire movers to EVERYTHING for you
Pros
- You won’t have to rent a truck yourself
- You won’t have to lift or carry anything
- You won’t have to drive back and forth across town
Cons
- You WILL have to shell out over $300 for someone to move you
So what exactly is this typical average couple suppose to do. It seems like they will have to give somewhere.
Drum roll please
MoveforFREE.com is here to cure all that ails you!
Or you could use MoveforFREE.com!
Pros
- Find a great apartment online
- You don’t have to lift one finger. Even from your old third floor apartment to your new third floor apartment
- No renting a truck needed
- No need to pay for gas or truck insurance
- No need to drive back and forth across town
- You pay Nothing, nada, zilch, not a thing, nil, zero!
Cons
- Ummm…. well theres…. that one…. ahhh…. hmmm?
- If you can think of any cons to this scenario… please let me know
I think the right choice is pretty clear….
Tags: apartment, DIY, free, Money, Moving, saving
Posted in Money, Moving | No Comments »
How to Host a Great Thanksgiving in a Small Space or an Apartment
Written by Moveforfree on November 20, 2009 – 2:25 pm -Can you believe Thanksgiving is less than a week away?!! It seemed to sneak up on us again this year.
Thanksgiving is a time for family, friends, and good food. It’s a time to gather together with the ones you care about and give thanks. It’s such a wonderful time to sit around a big table with everyone.
But… what if you don’t have a big table or even a table for that matter? Don’t think that you can’t have people gather at your home for Thanksgiving if you live in a small space or apartment. Because you certainly can! You just have to be a little bit more creative about it.
Here are some tips to help you throw the best Thanksgiving an apartment has ever seen!
- To make the room less crowded move your furniture to the walls or out of the room completely.
- Also make sure all your surfaces are clean and not full of clutter so your guests will have a place to set down plates and drinks.
- No table? No problem! Set your dinner up buffet style and have everyone sit where they can. While this isn’t very formal it does give a relaxed feel to the holiday.
- If you are determined to have a sit down meal and you don’t have enough tables, consider renting some tables and chairs. If you want to be super fancy, you can always rent linens as well.
- To make the dinner a little more formal without a dinning room table, use nice plates, glasses, and silverware. If you don’t have enough of your own think about borrowing from someone you know that is going out of town or who won’t be home on that day.
- Consider placing appetizers and desserts around the room. This will give you more room on the buffet line and will also encourage your guests to move and mingle around the room.
Hopefully these tips will help you throw a fantastic Thanksgiving dinner. Now all you need to do is cook a fantastic meal and your guests will be knocking at your door for Thanksgivings to come!
Tags: entertainging, small, spaces, Thanksgiving
Posted in Apartment Living, Entertaining | No Comments »
Come on really… how can I move for free?
Written by Moveforfree on November 16, 2009 – 4:18 pm -
If I had a dollar for every time someone asked me, “Now how exactly can I move for free.” I would have… ummm…. well… I would have a lot a money.
It is actually simpler than you might think.
All you have to do is…
- Find an apartment on moveforfree.com
- Visit the properties you found on the website and list moveforFREE.com as the referring source
- Once your lease is signed, schedule your FREE move
Now, you say well that’s all well and good, but I want to know how I can move without paying anything?
In simple terms….
The apartment properties pay us a commission for referring you, the renter, to their property. That commission covers the cost of the move. Thus in turn you get this really wickedly awesome deal where you will move for free!
It really is that easy! Now… what are you waiting for??? Move your mouse on over to moveforFREE.com! We also have a great FAQ page. Check it out if you have any other questions. And as always don’t hesitate to post a question or comment on our Facebook page. I will get back to ASAP!
Tags: apartment, free, locating, move, movers
Posted in Apartment Locating, Moving | No Comments »
Testimonial Tuesday
Written by Moveforfree on November 10, 2009 – 3:56 pm -This was my second move with Moveforfree, and I am thoroughly pleased with the service you delivered. I am always sure to recommend you to anyone I know who are moving!!!
Rebecca M., Houston TX
We love to hear that customers are recommending us to their friends, family, or other people they know. Word of mouth is the best kind of marketing.
I’ve had professional movers before, and have never had anyone be so careful with my belongings. My crew was excellent! Good job!
Cathy R., Carrollton TX
We always respect other peoples belongings like they were our own. I’m glad to hear that the move went SO well!
The movers were especially courteous. Being early was to my advantage and they coordinated being early with my schedule.
Thomas B., Houston TX
We like to help our customers in any way we can. Thank you so much for your kind words.
Tags: apartments, locating, Moving, testimonial, Tuesday
Posted in Apartment Locating, Moving, Testimonials | No Comments »
What is the Worst Thing About Moving?
Written by Moveforfree on November 9, 2009 – 3:57 pm -
Seriously? Do you really expect me to choose just ONE?? I’m not sure there is just one worst thing about the moving process.
From finding a new place to hiring or paying for a moving truck to asking friends and family to help you move to carrying boxes and furniture it’s hard to choose the very worst thing about moving.
Is there any good thing about the actual moving process? Hmmm…. well I guess other then finally being done with it… no not really.
From our Facebook Poll our fans thought finding a new apartment and asking friends to help you move were equally as painful.
I would say so too. Finding the perfect place is a huge pain. There are very specific things/ amenities that are important to have in your new apartment and complex. And finding the right combination of these things can be very strenuous. For example, finding a one bedroom apartment in a certain neighborhood, for a certain amount a month, by a good school, on the second floor and a washer and dryer in the unit can be very difficult. It’s like finding the perfect man or woman. You have a list of “must- haves” that the apartment must have in order for you to move in. You basically have to kiss a lot of frogs before finding your prince. But unlike finding your soul mate where you have unlimited time you may only have one to two months to find your perfect apartment. So you need all the help you can get finding one.
That’s where moveforFREE.com can help. We have a HUGE database of thousands of apartments, condos, and town homes from the Dallas/ Fort Worth, Houston, Austin, San Antonio, and Atlanta areas. You can limit you choices by exact location, number of bedrooms, and rent ranges. There are even floor plans and pictures of the apartment communities. We will also assign you an apartment locator who will work with you to find the property that is the right fit for you.
I can’t even begin to tell you how much of a pain it is to get your friends and family to come help you move. The last time I moved I had to buy $20 worth of breakfast tacos for my friends and promised each and every one of them my I would help them when they moved next.
The free move is the BEST thing about moveforfree.com. No more promising your friends a lifetime of free moving services from you. Pack all your stuff and you will move for FREE! Watch the professionals do the work for you!*
It really truly is a win win situation. List moveforFREE.com as your referral source and you will move for FREE!* Trust me. You will not regret it.
As for those promises you made your friends in the past… just tell them about moveforFREE.com and hopefully they will let you off the hook.
*conditions apply
Tags: apartment, finding, free, Moving, worst
Posted in Moving | No Comments »
Our First Testimonial Tuesday!
Written by Moveforfree on November 3, 2009 – 2:08 pm -Every Tuesday I will be adding new testimonials to our page. Here are a couple of really great ones.
The two movers that I had were two of the nicest people that I’ve met, I’ll definitely recommed your services to others
Dawnyell B., Houston TX
Excellent service, great help. We had a very pleasant experience. I wouldn’t change a thing.
Anuradha S., Arlington TX
I want my movers to be recognized for what a great job they did. I was so pleased with everything. I just can’t say enough good things about Mark and Brandon. They were so polite and very careful with my things. If I move again I want them to move me. I have told everyone I know how awesome they were. Please make sure they get recognized for what wonderful people they are.
Jennifer G., Sugar Land TX
Tags: good, movers, service, testimonial, Tuesday
Posted in Moving, Testimonials | No Comments »
Have No Fear… MoveforFREE.com is Here!
Written by Moveforfree on November 2, 2009 – 3:45 pm -
When you are young and in college or right out of college you often find yourself moving around quite a bit. Sometimes from city to city, but most often from apartment to apartment in the same city. It could be for a any number of reasons. You and your roommate don’t get along anymore, you aren’t satisfied with the apartment complex, the property raised your rent, or you need to move closer to your new job/ school.
So, you go through the same stressful series of events almost every year. Most times you drive around town going in every complex you think looks nice or half way decent only to find that they are not at all like you would have hoped or the rent is way more than you can afford. Raise your hand if this has ever happened to you?? Yeah… that’s what I thought.At the end of the long day visiting different complexes you finally find one that you are happy with. It’s in your budget and it even has a pool! Great… now all you have to do is move….. cue scary/ slasher music
How many times have you said these words?… “I’d rather…. get a route canal or drive in rush hour traffic in Boston or watch Waterworld 10 times in a row… than go through the process of moving.” That’s because it is one of the top five most stressful events in a person’s lifetime. When moving you really only have a couple of options.
- You could hire movers costing you over $100
- Rent a moving truck with insurance, dolly, and furniture pads costing you over $50
- Borrow a friend’s or use your own pickup truck- this may not cost you anything but you definitely can’t fit all your belongings into one truck. You will need to make several trips. And depending on how far you are moving this could take a while.
While lugging a big sofa down from your third floor apartment and then up again to your new third floor apartment you mumble to yourself… “I wish there was some how I could get movers for free.” *sigh*
cue game show music
WELL… mumble no longer! Your wish has come true! There is a company that will make all your dreams a reality.
moveforFREE.com
No need to drive around all day looking for you perfect place. MoveforFREE.com provides online property information including prices/ rates, floor plans, pictures, amenities, and policies. You can narrow your search by zip code, number of bedrooms, and your price range. You will even get assigned a locator who will assist you in your search.
I bet you are wondering how moveforFREE.com is different then those other apartment locating companies you see all over huh? Once you are registered with moveforFREE and you have leased with a property stating that moveforFREE referred you to that property we will schedule your FREE MOVE! Hallelujah Hallelujah!
No more driving all around town. No longer will have to buy insurance for a rental truck. No longer will you have to promise unknown favors to friends to help you move. No longer will you throw your back out from having to move your full capacity washer and dryer. And no longer will you have to worry about moving.
Have no fear! MoveforFREE.com is here!
Tags: apartment, college, free, Moving, relocation, rent
Posted in Apartment Locating, Moving | No Comments »