Preparing for a Downsize During a Move

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residential movers in Lakeland FLIf you’re moving from a house to a condo, from a condo to a smaller apartment, or vacating your bachelor pad and moving in with your partner, downsizing is in order. While it’s easy to say “Throw everything out!” actually doing so proves more challenging. Here, we’ll show you how to downsize before your move and even earn some cash in the process.

Time to Prioritize

Write a list of all the necessary items in your life that you love. This should refocus you on which belongings are actually invaluable to you, since it’s best to avoid sentimentality when decluttering. After this, it’s time to start pruning back. Be sure to begin downsizing way in advance of your moving date. 3 months is a good benchmark. Try to set aside the same window of time every week. It doesn’t have to be much. If you sort through your possessions every Sunday morning for an hour or two, you’ll be amazed by how quickly you progress! Start with the easiest rooms first. This will help you from getting overwhelmed and quitting prematurely.

How to Get Rid of Your Stuff…and Make Money

Selling your unwanted possessions can be a time-consuming annoyance. However, think of the cash you’ll be getting back as incentive. An added benefit of downsizing is making money, and investing it or purchasing things you truly want or need. When deciding how to best sell your belongings, it’s important to be strategic. Craigslist is great for getting rid of heavier, more expensive items, like appliances, electronics, and furniture. Use your writing and photography skills to your advantage when drafting your online listings. Make sure that all for-sale items are clean and presentable, then take photos from flattering angles in natural lighting, and upload these with snappy, informative captions. Your stuff will be selling in no time!

For smaller items, yard sales or pawnshops are decent bets. Or, you can even get creative and throw a downsizing party! Place your unwanted items artistically on your dining room table, along with some wine and snacks, and invite all your friends over. After all, one man’s trash is another man’s treasure.

Are you preparing to move to a smaller place? Call us today and let us assist you in moving your cherished possessions into your new home. We’re Florida’s premier moving company with locations situated in Tallahassee and Lakeland/Tampa.

How to Help Your Senior Family Members Move

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helping senior family members move in FloridaWhen assisting your senior family members with a move, there are definitely some challenges that can arise. Whether they can no longer keep up with their house and have to downsize, or are ready to move in to an assisted living facility, it’s a difficult move. Old homes contain multitudes of both memories and possessions. Giving these up can be difficult for anyone, so it’s necessary for you to proceed with gentleness and patience. Below, we’ll guide you through making the move a smooth transition.

Downsizing a Lifetime of Clutter

We all know that getting rid of old, unwanted possessions is an inevitable part of moving houses. Unfortunately, downsizing can be stressful for senior family members. A lifetime of memories is tied up in the belongings they’ve accumulated. So letting go can seem overwhelming to them.

It’s important to start downsizing well in advance of the move. This will avoid unnecessary stress, give you time to make lists of all their necessary belongings, and help you work together to plan out their new living space. A useful trick is plotting out their new floor plan on graph paper, and then filling it piece-by-piece with the furniture and appliances from their existing home.

Talking To Them About the Move

Often, the children of elderly parents are forced to have a difficult conversation with their parents about downsizing or moving into an assisted living home. This topic is challenging without risking upset and distress. Consequently, you should approach this conversation in stages. Don’t rush your senior family members into immediately beginning the decluttering process. Give them time to absorb the fact. Then, try to make the act of downsizing as painless as possible. A good strategy is to gather your family member’s loved ones together and work through the clutter as a team. You can rally as a support system around them, sorting through the boxes of old mementos and reliving their nostalgic value as a family.

Acknowledge what your family member is giving up by moving from their old, cherished home. Leaving behind a place where they’ve made years of memories is not easy. Anticipate their feelings of loss and try to help in any way you can. Being there for them as a supportive shoulder or a listening ear will facilitate this big transition in their life.

Are you getting ready to help a relative with a move? We understand the planning alone can be quite the endeavor! Call us today and let us assist you in safely transporting their lifetime of precious possessions into a new home. We are Florida’s premier moving company with locations in both Tallahassee and Lakeland/Tampa.

How to Pack Delicate and Fragile Items

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You want your most valuable items to arrive at your new home intact, which is why packing them properly is so important. We are experienced in handling fragile items, including antiques and fine art, and by contacting us today we can help ensure your most precious items are safe and protected during your move. Remember, it is recommended you allow the movers to pack your fragile, delicate, high-value items for liability purposes. Discuss your items with our relocation consultant during your estimate.

Preparation is key

While many items can be packed into boxes fairly quickly, delicate and fragile items take a little more planning and time. The first thing you need to do is ensure you have the right materials for the job. Having the right sized boxes, for example, is extremely important as you don’t want your items shifting around inside. Likewise, you will need bubble wrap, packing tape, scissors, and packing paper. For fragile items it is a good idea to invest in quality packing paper rather than using newspaper. Newspaper is messy and can even leave ink on your valuables.

Wrap and pack

Items like plates should be wrapped in bubble wrap and placed in boxes that are further lined with packing paper. Glasses, on the other hand, should be wrapped using packing paper. Be sure to crumble packing paper inside the empty space of each glass so as to reduce the possibility of them being crushed. When packing plates and glasses the most important rule to remember is to wrap each item individually. Allowing items to touch directly leads to damage.

Antiques and furniture

Not all delicate and fragile items, of course, can fit inside a normal packing box. Large antiques, fine art, and old furniture, for example, need very special and unique care. For extremely valuable items, you may want to consider hiring a professional packer to ensure your valuables are kept safe. If you choose to pack your larger items yourself then the Smithsonian Museum Conservation Institute recommends wrapping them in three layers. The first layer should provide a protective wrap, such as natural or synthetic papers, cloth, or plastic sheets. The second layer should protect the item from shocks and vibrations. This second layer, such as foam or rubber, should provide a cushion for your items. Finally, the last layer should provide your item with a protective shell, such as plywood, to prevent damage that can occur during handling or from other objects striking it.

How to Explain Moving to Your Child

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Moving can be a difficult experience for people of any age, but for children the change can be especially tough. Whether your children are young or in their teenage years, moving to a new home is likely to leave them with plenty of questions. Moving, however, can be made easy and even exciting for children if it is explained to them properly. In preparation for your family’s move, take the time to follow some of these tips for explaining moving to your child.

Focus on the positive

The American Academy of Pediatricians notes that during a move, children have a tendency to focus almost exclusively on the negative aspects of the move. They may, for example, worry about losing the friends they already have, about not fitting in at their new school, or about falling behind academically. As a parent your job should be to help your children focus on the positive aspects of moving. Reassure your children that the new school is likely to be similar to their old one and that they will have no trouble making new friends. In some cases, moving could even be an opportunity for children who are already struggling academically or socially to make a new start in a new environment. Remember, also, that children love adventure, so making your family’s upcoming move sound like an exciting adventure is one way of helping them to look forward to the big change.

Make your children feel included

Children need time to adjust to big changes in their environment, so make sure you let them know about the move well in advance. Keeping children informed about what is going to happen and why also helps them feel included in the process. On that note, it is also important to understand your children’s anxieties about moving. Don’t assume that just because they haven’t said anything about moving that they have no worries or questions. Take the time to sit and talk with them about how they’re feeling and what they are expecting. So long as they have someone sympathetic to their concerns then they will feel much better prepared to handle the big move when it finally arrives.

Moving can be an exciting opportunity for the whole family, but some children may have worries about what such a change will bring to their lives. By being a reassuring and loving parent you will have already taken the most important step to helping your child adjust to his or her life in a new city.

No matter where life is taking you and your family, let us help you get there. Contact us today for an estimate to see how we can make your upcoming move as stress-free as possible.

Packing Tips from the Professionals

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So moving day is fast approaching and it will soon be time to move every single thing you own from one place to another. No big deal, right? Not so fast. Moving may sound pretty straight forward, but successful, stress-free moves require a little bit of planning, regardless of whether you are moving down the street, a few states over, or internationally. Throwing everything you own haphazardly into boxes is just going to cause you a lot of frustration later on. Furthermore, that could risk damaging the items you value most or even end up hurting yourself. Keep these tips in mind to maximizing space before your next move and discuss the packing options with your mover. You may find you only want to pack some non-breakable items and save the rest for the movers to handle. Options can be discussed with the relocation consultant at the time of your estimate.

Start early

Do not begin preparing at the last minute. The earlier you begin, the better. Things that you need daily should be packed as late as possible, but many items can be taken care of long in advance of the move. Seasonal clothes, dress attire, holiday decorations and other things can be packed days or weeks in advance. You may also want to take this opportunity to throw away anything you don’t use or need so as to maximize space.

How to pack boxes

Packing boxes is an art. As the Better Business Bureau points out, the most important rule to remember when packing is to always use large boxes for light items and small boxes for heavy items. Doing so will not only ensure that light items don’t get damaged by being placed in the same boxes as heavy items, but it will also help prevent injuries caused by trying to lift large boxes that are simply too heavy. Keep an inventory of what is in each box or, at the very least, have a system so that similar items, such as kitchen products, are all kept together. By keeping track of what is in each box you will be able to find what you need more easily when you’re unpacking. Also, don’t waste the storage space provided by your own furniture. In some instances, clothes can be left in your dresser, for example, if storage will not be required. The movers will secure the drawers during wrapping and prepping.

How-To Videos

We have videos available to assist you as you begin to plan your packing process. Watch them to be even more prepared to begin packing!

By maximizing space as you pack, your moving day will be much less stressful than you ever thought it could be. Whether you’re planning a move across town or a move across the country, get in touch with us today and we will be able to help you with all your moving needs.