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Moving Tips for the New College Student
July 30th, 2009
If it’s your first time moving for college, follow these moving tips to help make this important transition as smooth and successful as possible!
Plan Your Move
Figure out your housing arrangements first. Will you be living in a dorm, other on-campus housing or a non-campus sponsored housing facility (apartments)? Each housing arrangement will dictate what items you will need to bring. Most dorms and on-campus housing facilities will already be furnished with the essentials such as a bed, desk, and closet. Check with your housing management to confirm what furniture will be included.
Next, if you are going to have roommates, try and get their contact information before the move. This will let you coordinate moving times, who is bringing what additional furniture (you bring the microwave and your roommate brings a TV) and discuss any special concerns you might have.
Make a checklist, and write down all the items you will be bringing.
The Packing List
If you are staying at a dorm, your space will be limited, so it is important to plan accordingly. Aside from the basics of clothes and toiletry, some items that might come in handy (if your dorm room does not include these already):
- Microwave
- TV/VCR and/or DVD player
- Small refrigerator
- Phone
- Computer/laptop
- Alarm clock
- Radio/stereo
- Extension cords, power strips, surge protectors
- Laundry items (basket/bag/pop up hamper, detergent, clothes rack, quarters, hangers)
- Shower related items (towels, shower caddy, flip flops, robe)
- Bed linens/sheets
- Desk lamp
- Trash can
- Mounting items (tape, putty, squares) for your decorations
- Space saving items (bed risers, over the door hooks)
- Medication, first aid kit
- Dry-erase board or cork board
- A small set of multifunctional tools
- Plastic plates and utensils
The biggest part of starting your new college life is adjusting to transition- from living at home to being on your own, from hanging out with old friends to meeting new friends, from high school life to college life, and even to living in a new location. Items that you can bring to help with the transition and personalize your dorm room:
- Photos
- Hobbies (guitar, bike, game consoles, music/DVD collection, etc )
- Posters
- Small trinkets from home
- Plants (bamboo or cacti do well in small, indoor spaces and require little maintenance)
Be sure to get a list from your housing department of items you cannotbring. Usually these include space heaters, candles, weapons, pets, air conditioning, etc.
Pack, Label, Move
Tips for the actual move:
- Pack early. Pack the items first that you do not use very often, but are still necessary. As the move date gets closer, pack boxes accordingly.
- Label the boxes by room or content. As you unload, it will be easier to place each box in the corresponding room.
- Ask for moving help from your friends or family in advance.
- Bring a handtruck and bungee cords for easy transportation (especially if you have a lot of ground to cover from the parking lot to your new residence).
- Small boxes should hold heavy items while larger boxes should hold lighter items.
- Don’t forget your tool kit should you need to set up furniture.
Moving away to college can be hectic, but with the right organization tips, it might make it a little less stressful.
link: http://www.suntimes.com
Packing tips for smooth moving
July 30th, 2009
Summer is a peak time for moving. Whether you’re packing your possessions to move across town or across the country, you can save time and money by taking a few tips from the experts.
“Clear the clutter and fill up the empty cabinet spaces,” said Dwayne Kaiser, operations manager for Circle Centre Movers.
If you plan to downsize, do it before the movers arrive. Sell, recycle or donate the excess to make room for loading and unloading.
If you want to help, disconnect appliances, like TVs and DVDs, and fill the console space with non-breakables such as linens. Don’t bother emptying drawers; instead make the most of available space on the moving truck.
Kaiser suggests packing heavier objects (like books) in smaller boxes and reinforcing the box’s seams with packing tape.
Kaiser notes that the beginning of the month and the end of the month are traditionally the busiest times. Call ahead to book a professional mover.
TheFrontDoor.com, an online real estate listing service of HGTV, offers a few more tips:
• Pack like a pro — color-code or identify your boxes by room.
• Disconnect and disassemble your computer and peripherals. Back up your computer files on a disk or flash memory drive. Remember to carry these files with you.
• Pack a moving survival kit — organize medicines and other necessities in a “last-to-go” box.
• Moving plants? Check on their special moving needs.
• Map out the new floor plan — decide how to arrange furniture before moving to the new place.
• Don’t forget to complete the change-of-address cards — prevent lost mail and late bills by sending out early notification of your move.
link:http://www.suntimes.com/lifestyles/1690894,HOF-News-EasyMove30.article
Moving Tips When You’re Moving Your Home
July 30th, 2009
Make a list.
Write everything down! You’ll thank yourself later. Before you pack even one box, create a simple record keeping system. Create a computer-printed list of numbers with a space to write the contents. Or have a spiral-bound notebook for the job. You’ll place a number on EVERY box you pack and list the contents on your list.
Utilize wardrobe boxes.
These tall boxes are perfect for bulky, lightweight items such as comforters, pillows, and blankets, as well as clothes that need to remain hanging. Call your mover to ask the width of the wardrobe boxes they’ll be bringing. Then measure the clothes in your closets (including coat closets) to see how many wardrobe boxes you’ll need.
Save Money on Moving Services
July 14th, 2009
- Consider packing yourself. This may have insurance implications, so check with your mover.
- Buy your moving supplies online. Boxes, tape, markers, and bubble-wrap can be much cheaper when bought online.
- Improvise with supplies. Newspaper makes fine packing cushions, as do towels and clothes. Just be prepared to wash everything when it arrives at your new place.
- Ask mover how they’ll be packing your stuff. We’ve found that some movers try to upsell you to fancy packing materials where a plain moving blanket will work just fine.
- Ask yourself if you need extra insurance, or raise the deductible. Remember that all 400N Tariff moving companies must offer 60 cents of insurance per pound per item as part of the basic package.
Moving tip - Book early!
July 14th, 2009
The moving business is a bit like the airline industry: it’s a competitive industry and you can often find deep discounts if you are able to book early, but those discounts disappear if you wait and don’t book until the last minute.
long distance moving - SIT?
July 13th, 2009
STORAGE-IN-TRANSIT (SIT) - The temporary warehouse storage of your shipment pending further transportation, with or without notification to you (this is DIFFERENT than temporary storage). If you (or someone representing you) cannot accept delivery on the agreed-upon date or within the agreed-upon time period (for example, because your home is not quite ready to occupy), your mover may place your shipment into SIT without notifying you. In those circumstances, you will be responsible for the added charges for SIT service, as well as the warehouse handling and final delivery charges.
VALUATION = Moving Insurance
July 13th, 2009
The degree of worth of the shipment. The valuation charge compensates the mover for assuming a greater degree of liability than is provided for in its base transportation charges.
FULL REPLACEMENT VALUE COVERAGE - Insurance coverage that fully covers the entire replacement value of your goods.
This is NOT standard and will cost you extra (generally quoted in dollars per $1,000 of replacement value).
Household Goods Moving Services Contract
July 13th, 2009
DECLARED VALUE - The (usually self-reported) value of all of the items that you are moving. It’s important to be as accurate as possible because the insurance will be based on this amount.
ESTIMATE, BINDING - This is an agreement made in advance with your mover. It guarantees the total cost of the move based upon the quantities and services shown on the estimate. Note: you should ALWAYS try to get a written moving estimate, even if it is non-binding!
ESTIMATE, NON-BINDING - This is what your mover believes the cost will be, based upon the estimated weight of the shipment and the accessorial services requested. A non-binding estimate is not binding on the mover. The final charges will be based upon the actual weight of your shipment, the services provided, and the tariff provisions in effect.
Tips and tricks make moving go smoother
April 6th, 2009
Like any sane person, I hate the process of moving into a new place.
It’s expensive, back-breaking and time-slaying — and in all the times I’ve hauled my stuff to the next place, I don’t feel like I’ve ever taken with me any great nuggets of stress-reducing wisdom. I just continue to fester in my own worthless anxiety each and every time.
But during my latest move (just across town), I was determined to get an education, to make this move my easiest, most serene ever. The end result was neither easy nor serene, but I do feel that I learned a few things.
Spring being the heart of moving season, here are a few tips for making your next move a little smoother.
On stuff
Jack Kerouac said, “If you own a rug, you own too much.” Unless you’re a wandering beatnik, you probably need your rug. But what about the rest of it?
We are clutterers by nature, and for mostly the wrong reasons. We hold onto things for sentimental value or the fear that we MIGHT need them someday.
Try reducing your load of what-have-you to only the things you have immediate use for.
“If you aren’t using something and don’t have immediate need for it, it’s just taking up valuable space,” says Donna Smallin in her book “One-Minute Organizer.”
If you can’t let go of the sentimental or might-use-someday stuff, Smallin says, pack it up in a box and tuck it away in some dark corner. If you haven’t opened that box in six months to a year, and you can’t even remember what’s in there, take it to the Goodwill. Don’t even open it.
You need to ask yourself, Smallin says, “what’s the worst thing that could possibly happen if I decided to let this go?”
Another good clutter-killer, when moving into a new place, is to find an apartment that offers less storage space. Living in a home with gigantor closets just makes you feel like you’ve got to fill them with things.
Posting items you no longer need in the classified ads or on Craigslist.org. can score you a little extra cash. But if you have a lot of stuff, selling items individually can be an awful time-suck. A garage sale is a nice consolidation of tasks but still a lot of work.
Sell the stuff you can actually get money for. But for the rest of it: chuck it, recycle it or donate it. Purge your clothes, purge your Crockpot, purge your third TV.
On one of the last days of moving, I had a few remaining pieces of furniture I knew I couldn’t sell for much. I certainly didn’t want to move them across town, so, I dumped them in my frontyard and posted an ad on Craigslist that said, “Hey everybody, free stuff on the corner of 33rd and R!” It was all gone within half an hour. Saved me a truckload of pain.
On moving stuff
Moving always brings to light the necessity of having a friend with a big truck. Anytime you move to a new city, make that one of your goals: Must find friend with truck. Or, better yet, a friend with a big truck and trailer.
That’s the cheapest way to move, but if you shop around on the Web, you can find good deals on moving vehicles and services as well as a couple of moving alternatives.
I have a few friends who’ve saved money in long-distance moves by having their bigger stuff shipped through UPS.
On food
Food is one of the forgotten aspects of moving. You’ve done all this other vile work, and then you realize, “Zoinks, I’ve got to clean my nasty fridge and uproot the mold-deli-meat zombie that’s developed self-awareness and begun to create its own society in my bottom drawer.” (Hint: The only way to kill a mold-deli-meat zombie is to remove its head from its body).
Moving your food to a new place is good reason to cleanse and simplify your supply. Wondering why you ever bought that can of cream of mushroom and chicken soup? Take it, and all other questionables, to the Food Bank.
Anything that’s far beyond its expiration you want to toss. But what about stuff that’s borderline?
I stumbled upon StillTasty.com, an insanely helpful site that tracks the shelf life of thousands of different items of food. On the site, you simply type in the food in question, and StillTasty will tell you how long something can stay in the pantry, fridge or freezer before it starts to taste funky.
Full story
link: journalstar.com
Police Catch Movers In Sting
April 4th, 2009
FAIRVIEW, Ore. — Police cracked down on movers who are operating without valid licenses in a sting operation on Wednesday.
The Multnomah County Sheriff’s Office teamed up with Oregon Department of Transportation workers to catch illegal movers who are trying to work without having the proper certification.
Police and ODOT have teamed up for similar sting operations a few times before and each time they find more people trying to conduct moving business illegally.In most cases, the crews advertised their services on Craigslist. A quick records check shows officials whether the business is legit and licensed.
Multnomah County deputies watched from a decoy house in Fairview as they waited for movers to show up.
But ODOT officials already know they don’t have the proper certification and right away, they are confronted by police.
Two men who arrived claimed they have all the right paper work, but ODOT workers said they’ve only applied for certification and have not received it.
In the state of Oregon, moving services are regulated by the Department of Transportation.
Every mover must be registered to pack and load, plus have certification to carry if they drive as well.
ODOT official Norm Cooper said it’s all to keep citizens safe.”If you were aware that they were drug users or if they were on parole or they already had criminal records. You might not want to have them in your home,” Cooper said.
After the movers are caught, deputies and ODOT workers inspect their rigs. Some of the trucks exceed weight limits and that will lead to even more fines.
Darrin Gilbert and his partner use their Jeep to drive around and pack people up, but they haven’t been doing it legally.
“It’s a wasted day, a loss of business and a loss of extra cash for the fines I have to pay and stuff,” Gilbert said.
He will have to pay a $427 penalty, but he said he admits he is wrong, and even though he learned the hard way he knows he can turn things around.
“I need to go down and fill out the application packets I just received,” Gilbert said.
During Wednesday’s sting operation, the sheriff’s office and ODOT gave 26 tickets to illegal movers. Some of those people had been caught in previous stings.
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