How to Pack Your Garage

By Scott Boone

Image courtesy of wikimedia

If you own a home, there is a good chance it came with a garage.  Whether you use it as a place to park your car, a man cave to erect your DIY projects, or as a home-based storage unit, chances are when you’re getting ready to move, this will be one of the most complicated rooms to pack.  Even if you do have a car parked in the garage, there are usually things stored around it and/or shelves next to it, or a washer & dryer sharing the space with it.  American garages are nothing if not adaptable.  With this in mind, I thought I’d share my top-10 tips for packing your garage in this week’s blog. 

Save time & Money When You Move Cross Country

By Scott Boone

Image courtesy of wikipedia

Being a local mover here in Jacksonville doesn’t mean that I don’t help local families move from state to state, because I do.  But whether you’re moving from Florida to Mississippi, or from coast to coast, there are a number of things you need to take into consideration if you want to keep from wasting time and money on a long-distance move.

How to Pack Furniture

By Scott Boone

Image courtesy of wikimedia

During the course of the past year, I have shown you how to pack everything from artwork and breakables to pets and plants.  Whether a possession is large or small, sturdy or fragile, there is a right and wrong way to ready it for moving.  Follow my suggestions and the odds favor you getting most any object from point A to point B in one piece.  Believe it or not, the same principles work just fine when it comes to moving furniture. 

Fall Back to Moving Basics

By Scott Boone

Image courtesy of wikipedia

You wouldn’t know it by looking at the thermometer in Jacksonville, but it’s officially Fall.  With that in mind, I thought I’d get a jump on the season by falling back to the basics of moving.  During the past few blogs I’ve homed in on some specifics designed to make moving simpler.  Today, I’m going to show you the ABC’s that can make the whole process a lot less stressful.

Move It or Lose It

By Scott Boone

Image courtesy of Scott's Discount Movers

When it comes to moving, everyone is interested in finding a few shortcuts.  I mean, they either want to discover a method to make the packing process easier, or they’re desperately searching for a way to save a few bucks.  Well, what if I could show you several ways to accomplish both these tasks without having to sacrifice quality in the process.  Would that make your day?

How to Pack an Essentials Box

By Scott Boone

Image courtesy of flickr

When you’re getting ready for a move, most people focus on packing everything up.  What they fail to realize is that unpacking is going to take even longer than packing.  That’s because it’s far easier to cram your belongings into a hundred boxes than it is to sort out and unpack them. Add to this, if you fail to take into consideration your immediate needs the day after a move, you could wind up scurrying around the garage combing through a pile of boxes looking for your dress shoes or the salt and pepper shakers. To help you avoid a panic attack the day after your move, I thought I’d take the time to show you how to pack a couple of essentials boxes that you can easily stow in the trunk of your car.

Don’t Declare War on your Floor

By Scott Boone

Image courtesy of flickr

If you’ve read any of my other blogs, you know how I stress taking precautions when it comes to packing your possessions.  Whether you need to pack breakables, heirlooms, furniture, or appliances, there’s a right way and a wrong way to go about it.  Get it right and there’s a high probability your belongings will survive the move unharmed.  Get it wrong and chances are you will wind up damaging or destroying something you cherish.  That being said, there is one thing in your home that, while it won’t be moved, needs to be taken care of it isn’t going to get damaged.  I’m talking about your floors. 

Better to Sell or Rent Your Home?

By Scott Boone

Image courtesy Public Domain Pictures

Once you’ve made the decision to move, most folks put their existing house or condo on the market.  While this logic makes sense for many homeowners, it isn’t always the best bet for every homeowner.  Not when the option of renting your home can offer so many advantages.

Sure, if you’re leveraged to the max, selling your existing home might be the only way to afford to move into a new one.  However, if your house has a lot of equity, you’re looking for some tax relief, or there’s even a small chance you could wind up moving back to the area in a few years, considering the rental option could be a win/win.  Here’s why:

How to Make a Mover Smile

By Scott Boone

Courtesy of Scott's Discount Movers

You made the decision to hire a mover.  That undoubtedly meant taking the time to thoroughly investigate and interview several moving companies. It also required you to put your faith in a mover to show up on time and to take care not to damage your belongings while being loaded and unloaded from the truck.  Now that the preliminaries are over, I thought I’d dedicate this week’s blog to helping you get along with your moving crew.

Making the First Move

By Scott Boone

Image courtesy of Health.mil

Even though I have helped more than 5,000 people move, I can still remember the first time I moved.  At the time, I was living in a 1-bedroom quad at the shore.  When I moved into the place 3-years before, all I had in the way of furniture was a futon couch that converted into a bed, a coffee table and a 19-inch color TV.  By the time I was ready to move into something a bit more spacious, I had pretty well filled the place up with furniture.  That was the good news.  The bad news was I had to move it all more than 100-miles away to a 2-bedroom townhouse.   Since my live-in girlfriend wasn’t going to be of much help other than to drive our car to the new place, I paid my buddy to help me move. I figured how hard could it be?  It didn’t take me long to find out.

How to Dress for Moving Success

By Scott Boone

Image courtesy of Scott's Discount Movers

You’ve done it.  You’ve packed your belongings, you’ve hired a moving company, and you’ve arranged your busy schedule to be on hand the day of the move.  I suppose you think the task is all but complete, right?  Not so fast, Sparky.   While you can organize and supervise a move, what you can’t control are the ways old Murphy can undermine your best-laid plans.   Murphy’s Law states that anything that can go wrong will, and at the worst possible time.  One of the best ways for Murphy to get his hooks into you is to dress inappropriately come moving day. 

What to do When Your Mover Lets You Down

By Scott Boone

Image courtesy of pixabay

Having done more than 5,000 moves, I always try to make sure that my clients get their money’s worth when they hire my firm.  That being said, any time you move everything you own, there is always the possibility of having one of your possessions damaged, lost or destroyed.  In fact, the farther you move, the more likely this can happen.  That’s because a number of interstate movers use multiple trucks and sometimes even transshipping warehouses to move you across the country. This means if you move cross country, there is a high probability that the truck and crew that packs your stuff up, won’t be the same ones who drop them off.  Either way, if you do have something that gets dinged, dented, dropped or destroyed, you need to know how to proceed to get satisfaction.

Moving Safety Tips

By Scott Boone

Image courtesy JBA

I always talk about the stress involved with packing and moving.  These stresses can come from the angst of having your normal routine curtailed while you pack.  It can come from the cost and expense associated with making a move.  It can be caused by having to deal with the stress imposed on other members of your family.  However, one of the things you shouldn’t have to stress out about are the safety concerns associated with making a move.

How to Perfectly Pack Paintings, Portraits & Pictures

By Scott Boone

Image courtesy of flickr

If you’re like most folks, your walls contain a good deal of framed artwork.  Whether we’re talking framed photographs, fine art prints, portraits of family and friends, or original works of art, everything mounted in a frame can be devilishly difficult to pack.  Not only are few frames precisely the same size, the frames themselves can be quite delicate, and some framed artwork is covered with a sheet of glass.  Talk about an accident waiting for a place to happen. If you want your framed artwork to make it from your current domicile to your new one in one piece, there are a few tricks of the trade you need to learn first.

Does Moving Insurance Keep You Covered?

By Scott Boone

Image courtesy of Scott's Discount Movers

While moving can be a stressful undertaking, one of the things consumers shouldn’t have to stress over is whether their belongings will get where they need to go without being damaged, lost or destroyed.  Murphy’s Law being what it is, sometimes your lucky rabbit’s foot fails to save the day and tragically, something packed in the back of a moving truck gets zapped. While most people point the finger at the movers when such things occur, the bottom line is like all the king’s horses and all the king’s men. Playing the blame game will not put Humpty Dumpty back together again.  That’s when you’ll find out about the ins and outs of moving insurance.

House Hunting at a Distance

By Scott Boone

Image courtesy of pexels

While moving presents its own challenges, so does house hunting at a distance.  Whether you decided to move for a change of scene, or because you have accepted a job in another city, the art of locating a residence that is hundreds or even thousands of miles from home can be a daunting task.  Before you double the stress associated with moving, let me give you my short list of helpful hints designed to find you a home no matter how far from home you need to look.

Moving a Multi-Generational Family

By Scott Boone

Image courtesy of flickr

In centuries past, it was common for families to be comprised of three or more generations, not to mention livestock.  While most modern humans limit livestock to a few prized pets, until recently it was unusual for multi-generational families to be the norm in the US.  The reason this was so was that lifespans were quite limited.  The average life expectancy in 1900 was only 49.  By 1950, it had risen to 68.  By 2000, it had risen again to 78.  Since parents are living longer, many families today routinely find themselves with three or even four generations under one roof.  This means when it comes time to move a multi-generational family, it can present some unique issues.

Packing the Powder Room

By Scott Boone

Image courtesy of Public Domain Pictures

When it comes to packing for a move, some rooms are easy, and some are hard.  Some are like Rodney Dangerfield in that they get no respect at all.  Such is the karma of the lowly powder room.  The term actually got its start in the 18^th Century, when it was a closet into which people went to add powder their wigs.  During the Victorian Era, the term was changed to allow guests to discreetly excuse themselves to answer natures call.  To this day, some women still excuse themselves from polite company by informing one and all that they need to “Powder their noses.”

While it’s all well and good from a historical context, today’s powder room can be historically difficult to pack properly.  That's largely due to three factors, which I will enumerate below.

Do You Need to Downsize?

By Scott Boone

Image courtesy of Wikimedia

Lately, I’ve been seeing a lot of media coverage for what is known as the Tiny House Movement.  This fad has been picking up steam for the past couple of years.  Where in years past, Americans have been hog wild about moving into ever larger houses, the trend lately has turned this concept on its head.  In fact, some people are now taking tiny houses to an extreme, by moving into dwellings that would have been considered backyard sheds in years past.  We’re talking houses with less than 500 square feet of living space.  Sometimes significantly less.  I’ve seen tiny homes as small as 300 square feet.  I have owned garages with more space than that.

The ABCs of Corporate Relocation

By Scott Boone

Image courtesy of Wikimedia

Congratulations on that new promotion.  Working your way up the corporate ladder is considered a rite of passage for many ambitious executives.  Unfortunately, before many busy executives can assume the mantle of responsibility that a new position entails, some are required to relocate themselves and their family.  This can add a tremendous amount of stress to dealing with a new title.  Many times, the anxiety involved in making a move can be far greater than that involved with learning the ins and outs of a new job.  To make the task less difficult, I have come up with a short list of items that are designed to grease the skids of transition for everyone involved.

The Day After a Move

By Scott Boone

Image courtesy of Scott's Discount Movers

You’ve finally done it.  You have successfully moved into your new home.  After taking a month or more to organize, pack and ship everything you own from one place to another, you probably feel like you need somebody to give you a high five.  Either that or you feel like you need to take a 2-day nap.  Either way, the worst is behind you right?  That depends on how much you moved and how well you organized the sea of boxes that now awaits you.  I hate to break it to you, but you’re not out of the woods yet.

The Party Has Only Just Begun

Moving During Summer Break

By Scott Boone

Image courtesy of Max Pixel

School’s out for the summer.  That usually entails keeping the kids entertained, going to the beach, or perhaps packing up the car to take the family on a road trip to an exotic destination. For a number of families, summer is also the perfect time to move.  I should know, since summer always coincides with the height of the moving business. 

When you think about it, it makes perfect sense for families to move during the summer.  With the end of the school year also comes a cessation in having to take the kids to after school activities.  It also means you parents don’t have to worry about helping Johnny and Suzie with their homework for the next couple of months.  In short, it frees a family up to get on with the chore of packing for a move.

Going Green When You Move

By Scott Boone

Image courtesy of wikimedia

For those of you who have read my blog before, you know that I endeavor to provide my readers with all the tricks of the trade when it comes to managing a move.  After all, there is a hard way and an easy way to perform most moving tasks, right?  Today I am going to tackle a moving topic that while a bit complicated, could prove to be the most environmentally beneficial bit of advice I can give.  That’s right, today I’m going to show you how to go green when you move.

Making it Great When You Move Out of State

By Scott Boone

Image courtesy Pixabay

As stressful as even the simplest of local moves can be, your blood pressure tends to rise even faster the farther the distance.  To keep you from stressing out, I’ve put together a short list of items to take into consideration when you are thinking about moving out of state.

How to Avoid Bad News Neighbors

By Scott Boone

Image courtesy of pinterest

Many of you who have been reading my blogs know, there are 101 reasons to move.  Today I will cover something you need to be aware of before you make your next move.  I call them Bad News Neighbors.  If you have moved more than once, you know what I am talking about.  These are the neighbors from hell who make living next to them like something out of a Stephen King novel.  While the exception rather than the rule in neighborhoods from coast to coast, what you want to avoid is living right next to these unpleasant folks.

Moving to Florida

By Scott Boone

Image courtesy of flickr

They don’t call Florida the Sunshine State for nothing.  That’s because the state averages more than 2/3 of the year where the sun shines.  It’s the sunshine that draws a lot of people down here, both to visit as well as to live either part or full time.  While some states such as New Mexico, have more sunny days on average, the average temperature in Jacksonville is 69-degrees, as opposed to 44-degrees for Santa Fe.  This means if you decide to move to Jacksonville, you can break your ice scraper over your knee.  The last time North Florida even got a dusting of snow was way back in 1989.

If the Shoe Fits, Move It

By Scott Boone

Image courtesy of flickr

If you’re like most folks, when it comes time to move you will focus on the BIG things.  Stuff like furniture, major appliances and kitchenware are the first things to pop onto your radar when you start packing.  While handling these items is key to moving efficiency, it’s the little things that tend to get overlooked until the last minute.  One such forgotten subject are shoes.  Now I know that most men have 10 pairs of shoes or less.  As a result, the topic is something of a nonstarter.  However, when it comes to women, shoes are a big deal.  More importantly guys, if you live with a woman and you damage, destroy or lose your gal’s shoes during a move, you are cruising for a bruising. Take it from the man who has been there and done that.

Making the Most of a Minimal Move

By Scott Boone

Image courtesy Scott's Discount Movers

When most families move, it’s something of a military maneuver.  By that, I mean that packing up all the belongings of a family of four takes a certain amount of planning to break down, move out and transport everything that has been accumulated over the years.  However, there are single guys and gals, not to mention newly separated or divorced individuals who also need to move their stuff from Point A to Point B.  On top of that, there are also retirees and business-people galore who only need to move a minimum of material.  If you fall into any of those categories, then today’s blog is for you.

Handle with Care – Packing Fragile Items

By Scott Boone

Image courtesy of Pixabay

When it comes to moving, the last thing you want to find when you unpack are items that were

broken in transit.  While some people blame the movers, 99% of breakage happens because homeowners don’t know how to pack fragile items properly.  To keep you from experiencing heartbreak during your next move, I will devote this week’s blog to helping you properly pack breakables.

How Spring Cleaning Can Help Save $$ On Your Next Move

By Scott Boone

Image courtesy of Pixabay

You wouldn’t know it if you live in the Northeast right now, but Spring has sprung. If you’re like most people, the Vernal Equinox triggers a primal urge to get out of the cave and shake off the cabin fever that the long, cold winter has brought.  It has also been known to elicit the time-tested tradition known as spring cleaning.

Unless you are something of a hoarder, spring cleaning is the time of year to begin sprucing up the place and lightening the load.  It usually starts by bringing out the rake to tidy up the yard the broom to sweep out the garage and the mop and bucket to begin the task of sponging off the patio.

Moving With a Dog Doesn't Have to Be a Doggy Downer

By Scott Boone

Image courtesy of Maxpixel

A few weeks ago, I devoted an entire blog to helping people with cats learn how to deal with their feline friends during a move.  This week I thought I’d look at the other side of the equation.  Did you know that there are more than 90 million dogs in the US?  Unlike cats, which are more independent and less likely to heed your every wish, dogs are more than happy to follow your commands, provided they are properly trained.  That being said, dogs, as opposed to cats, are pack animals.  This means that they have a well-defined concept of territory, not to mention who is the top dog.  When you pack up and move your family from one location to another, this has a tendency to throw your dog’s sense of self out of whack.

The Right Way to Pack Jewelry

By Scott Boone

Image courtesy of flickr

Being a professional mover means not only helping clients move their most precious possessions, but it also means helping them protect these possessions as well.  As I have pointed out in previous blogs, the secrets to getting your stuff from Point A to Point B without mishap boils down to how well they were packed.  In the past, I have shown you how to pack everything from glassware and art objects to fish tanks and electronics.  When it comes to value, nothing is worth more by the pound than jewelry.  That being said, you would be amazed at how little most people know about packing these precious possessions for a move.

Avoiding Big Trouble with Short Moves

By Scott Boone

Image courtesy of wikipedia

In past blogs, I have told you how to prepare for a long-distance move.  Today I thought I would cover what you need to know about making a local move.  Whether you are moving a home or an office a few miles or even a few feet from your present location, if you want to save time and money, there are a few things you need to be made aware.

How to Move Your Office Without Losing Your Mind

By Scott Boone

Image courtesy of flickr

If you are a business owner like me, then you know from time to time you need to consider moving to a new location.  Whether this is due to expansion of your business, or taking advantage of increased foot traffic, sooner or later most businesses evolve to the point where relocation is a must.  That being said, uprooting a functioning, profitable business doesn’t come without a few warts.  Especially if your business interfaces with customers on a daily basis, moving your business has to be planned carefully if it isn’t going to affect the bottom line.

The Purrfect Move for You & Your Cat

By Scott Boone

Image courtesy of flickr

Cats are like people in that they have their likes, their dislikes and no two are exactly alike.  Unlike dogs, that are more subservient to people’s wants and desires, every cat owner knows that when it comes to getting your way with them, your feline friend isn’t going to fetch, roll over or lie down on command.  Cat’s do pretty much what they want when they want.  What they don’t want is to have their routine interrupted.  When it comes to moving with cats, this can present a few issues, which I will cover this week.

If You Can't Make It, Fake It

By Scott Boone

Image courtesy of flickr

When it comes to moving, everybody wants to get the best deal.  That’s a given.  The problem is there’s a big difference between getting a good deal and getting taken to the cleaners.  To help you weed out the chaff from the wheat, I have put together a few things you need to be aware of before you sign on the dotted line.

Too Good to Be True

Moving Your Elderly Parents

By Scott Boone

Image courtesy of Kandela.com

While moving can be a stressful process under the best of circumstances, when it comes to moving kids or aging parents, it can make your blood pressure ring the bell.  Face it, Americans are living on average 20 years longer today than they did 50 years ago.  That being said, as people age, they tend to become less and less independent.  When it comes to elderly parents, this can mean one of several options:

How to Get More When You Self-Store

By Scott Boone

Image courtesy of Wikimedia

When it comes to moving the accumulated possessions that you have amassed over a lifetime, sometimes it makes sense to store some items.  Self-storage is no longer the 1-sizes-fits-all industry it used to be.  Today there are a number of self-storage options that are available to consumers.  Just as you want to make sure you get the best deal on a moving company, making sure you get more when you self-store takes a bit of knowledge as well. 

The Do's and Don'ts of Letting a Mover Pack for You

By Scott Boone

Image courtesy of Pixabay

Let’s be honest, nobody has too much time on their hands nowadays.  Whether you’re working full time, taking care of the family or are retired, your life is always a case of too many tasks and too little time.  That being said, one of the biggest sinkholes for time is packing everything you own when you need to move.  Unless you live in an efficiency apartment, we’re talking weeks, not days to organize, protect and pack your possessions.  What’s even worse is that the packing zone can be a danger zone as well.  You don’t know how many people I’ve met who were seriously injured when something they packed came tumbling down on them.  Back strain is another danger that can cause you to wind up in the doctor’s office. 

Who needs that, especially when movers like me are only too happy to pack and unpack your belongings for you.  Not only is this a terrific time saver, it can also eliminate the aches and pains that most people wind up with after loading and lifting a mountain of boxes.

How to Move Your Electronics

By Scott Boone

Image courtesy of Pexels

If you’re like most Americans, your home bristles with electronics.  A typical family of 4 owns 5 flat screen TVs, 3 computers, 5 smartphones, 2 tablets, not to mention assorted audio components and web-enabled appliances galore.  Unlike other major appliances, these devices tend to be both fragile and temperature-sensitive.  This means you need to take care when prepping all your gizmos for shipping come moving day.  With that in mind, I have come up with a short list of the do’s and don’ts that will help you properly pack electronics.