Finding Boxes for Your Move

When it comes time to move, you need basic supplies. As strange as it may sound, finding boxes is not as easy as you might first think.

Moving can be a tough time in anyone's life. There seems like there's a million different things to do – from finding a new place to live, selling your old home (or arranging to leave an old rental), renting a truck and finding a way to move your household items from one spot to another. You might need to get friends to help you with the move, or hire movers to get your boxes and furniture to your new home. There is one item that many people might forget when planning out their move: boxes.

Boxes might seem like a small item in the scheme of moving, but actually, it's very important that you find a way to supply yourself with sturdy, good-sized boxes. If you try to move by packing items in many small boxes, or rely on using trash bags and other packing supplies, you might be in for a shock. Without proper packing materials and boxes, your precious household items could potentially break or become otherwise damaged. Too small boxes and other ways of packing can make moving items from place to place difficult as well.

There are a few good places to get boxes for your move. Boxes that are specifically designed as moving boxes and sold for this purpose often tend to be more sturdy and conveniently shaped than other boxes. Many moving companies (professional movers) offer boxes as part of their service, and self-service moving van rental sites usually sell boxes as well. These boxes can be costly, but if you don't want to have to scrounge around for moving supplies – it can be easier to just buy them. Other spots that sell moving boxes are various sites on the Internet, and stores that sell home repair supplies.

Of course, you don't have to purchase your moving boxes. Many stores and businesses have a constant supply of boxes, and they're usually willing to give you those boxes if you ask for them. Businesses with the sturdiest boxes are usually liquor stores, grocery stores and printing or copy shops. All of these places will have boxes that are perfect for your move, but be aware they may not be as clean as purchased boxes, and they will probably not be all the same shape and size.

Depending on your needs, you may want to have a mix of purchased boxes and free boxes to move your home.

Lou Ross is with MovingCompaniesforYou.com - find moving companies with our free directory.

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Checklist For Moving

Using a checklist for moving can keep you from forgetting things. Important things, like turning on the electricity in your new home, or filling the heating oil tank. Of course you have to make your own moving checklist, but you can start with the suggestions here.

Checklist For Moving - A Month Before The Move

- Submit your change of address forms to post office.

- Obtain documents for school transfers, if you have children.

- Find a moving company, and make reservations.

- Give your new address to friends and family.

- Hold a garage sale or otherwise lighten the load.

Checklist For Moving - One Or Two Weeks Before

- Move your banking accounts to the new location.

- Return rented movies, books to library, etc.

- get your prescriptions transferred to the new location.

- Clean your house.

- Call for utility shut-offs and new connections.

- Dispose of things that won't be moved.

- Begin packing and labling boxes.

- Organize and pack an "essentials" box for arrival (toiletries, paper plates, etc.).

- Final moving plans (make hotel reservations, get maps, etc.).

Checklist For Moving Day

- Remember to eat.

- Start early.

- Check every room and storage area.

- Turn off all lights, lock the doors.

- Give the keys to the new owner or real estate agent.

There will be many more items to add to your personal list. Begin writing down anything you think of as soon as you know when you'll be moving. Can you have your new phone ready to use when you arrive at your new home? Will you need to return across the country because you forgot about a safe-deposit box? To avoid problems like these is to start early on your checklist for moving.

Steve Gillman wrote the book: Cheap Homes - How To Save Thousands Buying Your Next House. To learn more, and to see a photo of the beautiful home he and his wife bought for $17,500, visit http://www.YourCheapHome.com

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Moving Guide 6 Methods To Bring Down Moving Costs

There are many reasons why people moved. It could be due to a job transfer, getting married or even due to the upgrading of their home. When moving from one location to another, costs will definitely be incurred but the costs need not be high. We will look at some ways on how to bring the costs down.

1) Seek help from your friends. Instead of engaging a moving company to help you move the stuff, just give a call to ask your friends to help you out. If they have a car, ask them to drive your stuff to your new location and you can treat them to a nice dinner after that.

2) Get free boxes. Go to your supermarket or drug store and look for their designated area where they usually dump their boxes. They would be glad to pass you the boxes because you save them the hassle of bringing it to the rubbish dump. By doing so, you would have easily saved $100 or more when buying new boxes.

3) Use clothing to pack fragile items. Buying special materials to pack fragile and expensive items can be expensive. A cost saving tip is to wrap all these fragile items into your blankets, unwanted clothes, bathroom towels and even bed sheets. After you have moved to the new location, you can put them into the washing machine to wash.

4) Go shopping for a moving company. Log on to the web and check for moving company that are in your area. Compare rates between them and be sure to call them to ask for any hidden charges that might not be shown on their web page.

5) Check for insurance coverage. Check with your insurance agent if your homeowner's insurance will cover any damage to your stuff while moving. If the stuff is covered, you do not need to purchase additional insurance from the moving company.

6) Check gas rates in truck rental. If you are renting a truck to move your stuff, be sure to ask the rental company for the average mile-per-gallon of the truck. With the current exorbitant cost of gas prices, estimating the cost will help you to ensure that you won't go out of budget since you are responsible for paying for the gas in the truck.

Justin Koh is a freelance writer whose articles have appear in most major ezines. You can find his latest moving news and articles at http://www.movingcentral.info

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Dealing with Stemware When Moving

When moving, certain items require special care to survive the trip. Stemware is expensive, delicate and very fragile.

When you've decided to move from one home to another, you've got many things to think about. You need to wonder if you're going to be happy in your new home, whether it's a house or apartment. Also important to think about is whether you're going to like your new neighborhood, or if you are going to miss where you lived before. Among all of these thoughts, you also have to decide how you're going to move all of your household goods from one place to another. Should you hire professional movers to do the job, or are you going to rent a van and do it on your own?

Another item that's important in your quest to move from one home to another is how you pack your items for shipping or moving. Your household things are important – you don't want to get to your new house and find out that your favorite china was broken, or that an important piece of your electronic equipment has been dented or scratched. Just as necessary as doing research into how you're going to move your items from one place to another is deciding how you're going to get them there safely.

Luckily, many moving companies and moving van/truck rental companies offer items that can make your job of packing a lot easier. One of these items is specialized boxes. For instance, obtaining special moving boxes for stemware can make it so that you don't have to worry that your goblets, flutes and other stemware are going to make it to your new home in one piece. These special boxes are designed so that you can place your glasses into them with a minimum of padding and wrapping, and they'll stay cushioned and away from each other in transit.

If your moving company doesn't offer specialized shipping options, it's entirely possible that you can order these boxes online. Several different large packing material companies, such as ULINE make specialized boxes, and different Internet retailers offer these for sale. Be sure to order your boxes well in advance, so that you have them available when you start packing.

Avoiding breakage when you're moving is an important part of your moving experience. If you can get all of your items to your new home in one piece, it will make the transition between your old house and your new home much easier.

Lou Ross is with MovingCompaniesforYou.com - find moving companies with our free directory.
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Moving You Need A Car Transport Service

If you're planning a relocation, you probably don't want to worry about the bother of hitching up and pulling an extra car or truck with you, especially if it's going to be a far move like across several states, for example. A car transport service is a great way to move your vehicles without the hassle of having to rent a tow-train or other type of auto trailer. If you are relocating and have one or several cars you are taking with you, or even own an old classic car or truck that needs to be moved and want the peace of mind of knowing it will be taken care of safely and correctly, a car transport service might be the answer you are looking for.

Another reason for hiring a car transport service would be if you were starting a used car lot and had to relocate multiple vehicles at one time. You probably have enough to deal with by getting the business ready for its opening, and letting a car transport service take care of getting the vehicles there for you would be a big time saver and load off your mind.

There are many car transport services readily available to assist you. One such company is United Road. They are one of the largest nationally-owned car transporting groups and offer services for moving multiple new and off-lease automobiles in addition to personally-owned vehicles. They provide a discount for volume shipments and promise the lowest rates in that area. United Road is an MDOT and MC licensed carrier with insurance provided to you at no additional cost. They also offer door-to-door pick-up and delivery service. They have a 'daily specials' link on their home page and you and you can get a free quote for moving your single or multiple vehicles by clicking on their Free Quote link and filling out the electronic form. After you have received your quote, you can place an order via their website and even track your vehicle once they've picked it up which is a very nice feature. United Road car transport service's website address is www.vehicletransportusa.com.

Another car transport service you might want to check out is United Auto Transport. They are a fully licensed and bonded company with services all over the United States, Canada and even offer international transport. On their website, you can request a free quote and place your order online or by faxing it to them. United Auto Transport promises expertise in on-time delivery which they also back with a guarantee. For more information, visit them at www.unitedautotransport.com.

With numerous articles and mulitple resources you can't go wrong with auto tranport services.
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Do Professional Movers Provide the Boxes

When it comes time to move, nothing beats hiring a moving service to do the heavy lifting. While this makes sense, many wonder do they provide the boxes needed?

Do Professional Movers Provide the Boxes?

Moving your home by yourself may seem like a good idea when you're first planning your move. Looking around your house, you may think that it will be easy enough to pack up all of your belongings, dismantle all of your furniture and household goods, and just put them all in a rental moving truck. Then, you begin this momentous task, and you realize – moving is far too tough for you! This is a good time to decide to call on some professional movers, because they'll know just what to do and how to make your move go more smoothly.

One question you might have about hiring a moving service is, do they provide the boxes? The simple answer is yes, but it depends. Large professional movers, like Bekins, American Van Lines and other regional companies, often offer packing services along with their moving services. When they offer to pack your items as well as putting them on the truck and moving them from one home to another, they will usually supply the boxes needed. These boxes will cost extra, but they are generally brand new so they're clean and sturdy.

If you want to have the help of professional movers but not spend quite as much money, you can pack up your home yourself and just have the movers load and unload the moving van. This will save you the cost (which can be hourly or added into the moving rate) of having professionals pack your home. You will need to come up with your own boxes however – which can mean either hunting around for sturdy boxes from places like liquor stores and grocery stores, or purchasing moving boxes. Some movers will sell you the boxes so you can pack them yourself.

A good way to figure out what you can get is to look at the mover’s website They will often post their rates or give you a contact phone number or email, so that you can make sure that you'll be able to afford professional movers. Sometimes, even though hiring the pros may seem expensive, it's worth it to get rid of some of the stress and physical exhaustion that comes from moving your own items.

Selecting movers can be tough as well, but there are also moving service referral sites to help you with this task. Another good way to find the right services is to ask around – find out who friends and family have used in the past. Moving is stressful, but with the right professional help, you can make it far less painful.

Lou Ross is with MovingCompaniesforYou.com - find moving companies with our free directory.
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Advice on Moving Pianos To Your New Home

Tickling the ivory keys is a passion with many, but moving a piano is not nearly as fun. When it comes to moving pianos, a little advice can go a long way.

Advice on Moving Pianos To Your New Home

There comes a time in every piano owner's life when the unthinkable must happen – the moving of your piano. Whether you've just purchased a piano from someone and need to get it into your home, or you're moving from one house to another, moving your piano can be a very difficult problem. Pianos are some of the heaviest pieces that are in residential houses, and getting them from place to place can be costly, or even dangerous.

This bit of advice assumes that you are going to be moving an upright piano – not a baby grand or grand piano, which are much larger and require special equipment to move. If you are moving a horizontal piano, get professional movers. Upright pianos can be made in several styles, including cabinet and spinet styles. These pianos can have thin front legs (which is a good way to distinguish them from other upright styles), and these legs may break if they are not carefully guarded. Make sure to tip these styles of piano slightly backwards while rolling (moving) the piano.

Your first step in moving a piano is to make sure that there is room on all sides of the piano, so that the people who are going to move it have room to surround the piece. Lower the piano's lid and lock it so it can't come open while the piano is being moved. You will need at least two people to move an upright piano (three people will make the move easier) – one person for each side of the piano. Another thing to consider is that you should always move a piano endways, not sideways (one person will be walking backwards in this moving procedure).

Make sure that there are no obstacles in the path of the piano movers. That way, there is less of a chance that someone will trip or hurt themselves. Move the piano very slowly, just a few inches at a time. This may seem like slow going, but it's definitely the safest way. If you are moving your piano over different flooring (such as from a hardwood floor to a carpeted one) be careful to watch where the casters (wheels) are going and consider laying protective covers on the floor to keep the wheels from leaving marks.

Moving a piano is always hard work – but if you have a few strong movers, along with a bit of planning, it can be accomplished by anyone. Of course, you can always hire some piano movers if you don't want to risk this procedure yourself.

Lou Ross is with MovingCompaniesforYou.com - a directory of moving companies with helpful advice on moving issues.

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