Decorating Efficiency

When I go about decorating my home for any big event, holiday, or season in general, I like to take it one room at a time if at all possible. For me, this allows a sense of progression to happen, and I can feel encouraged to see an entire room complete without feeling overwhelmed as if nothing is done yet despite all the hours I’ve poured into decorating.

Think about it. If you tried tackling your entire house when decorating for the fall or winter holidays, you’d be exhausted after 6 or 7 hours, and you may not have everything done in any particular room. I find this to be discouraging more often than not, and when I get to feeling that way, it makes me want to stop for the day. And when I try to begin again, it feels like a chore and you don’t know where to begin.

So, this is one of the first things I account for when decorating my home. Another big one that happens to be underrated, though, is planning out a schedule for when I’ll actually be decorating. My mom has always gone with a spur of the moment style of putting decor up, but one thing I’ve learned from her is that she takes time off work to make an extended weekend. This directly puts it all on her schedule, meaning there’s no room for “getting out of it” on those days off. Rather than working, she’s decorating, but she views it as a job that should be focused on. Once you’ve scheduled that PTO, you’re far less likely to say “I’ll do it a different day”.

It can’t be understated how beneficial planning things out like this really is. When something is on your calendar, you see it every day and start to internalize it as a definite and concrete plan. This is the natural way of things. But if you let your whimsy guide you and say you’ll decorate eventually, the truth is you may not ever decorate as much as you wanted to.

Another thing that’s absolutely essential is the right packaging supplies. Without the proper packing tape, twine, cardboard boxes for storage, and other materials you may need that go unseen and remain behind the scenes, you’re going to be far less efficient with your time and money spent. So, I encourage you to get quality packaging supplies, even if they only serve to up your storage game in the off season between holidays.

Getting Your Life on Track

It’s always a great idea to get your house in order if you’re looking to right the track of your life. What I mean by this, mostly, is that it’s tough to stay on track regarding health, fitness, diet, good habits, and other things like hygiene if you have a messy home littered with all kinds of stuff.

Oftentimes, I’ve found that the two parallel each other in my life. When I’m letting my diet slip, drinking more, working out less, and being lazy when it comes to washing my clothes, well, my apartment reflects that. And in a way, it should. Why would someone have a spotless home if the rest of their life was falling apart or pretty lazy?

Recently, I’ve begun getting everything back on track. I’ve changed up my diet drastically (much for the better). I’ve started to run long distance at least 3 days a week. And my mental health and sleeping schedule has been realigned to fit the rest of my daily routines.

However, I’ve noticed that our apartment is still somewhat messy at times. I’d of course far rather have everything in my life to be healthier than have a spotless apartment, so I’m glad that the former is on track. But I feel if I don’t clean up my home some, I’ll start to slip back into those bad tendencies that can foster unhealthy habits.

So, my solution is to get things in order around the house. That can mean a lot of things, really, but cleanliness is a big one, and so is organization.

Luckily, I’ve got some old packaging supplies from my wife’s dad, meaning it’s easy for us to pack up the things that are strewn about and can be thrown in the basement as storage. Just as well, it’ll help to put to rest a lot of the clothes we don’t wear that still happen to find themselves laying around our room upstairs.

All it takes to enact this sort of change is a will, some time, and the right materials. Thankfully, we’ve got all the time in the world, a drive to change everything for the better, and packaging supplies suited for the job. Not much else is needed except for a little effort during the evenings to get the place cleaned up.

Just remember: it’s good to have both your home and your life on track if you want each of the two to be in good shape. Let one slip, and the other probably will too.

Moving Should Be a Time of Joy; Eliminate Stress with a Proper Moving Plan

Planning a relocation budget can be rather daunting. First, there is the task of crunching numbers. This can be timely due to the consideration of a variety of factors. Secondly, an individual is often left with stress due to inaccurately advertised services and overlooked expenses. In attempt to alleviate stress we have gotten accurate estimated from real movers to aid you in the moving process.

How We Did It…

In attempt to find the most accurate estimates we asked around. We based our estimates on an average move from a one bedroom with no stairs moving 390 cubic feet of furniture. We estimated rates from different areas in the nation. We asked for estimates for the move ranging from a studio to a four bedroom. Rates did not include addition services such as packing or packaging supplies.

This is what we found.

Hourly Rate

When calculating cost by hourly rate we discovered that typically local movers charge $25 per hour for each mover. Typically it takes 3 movers around 6 hours to move a two bedroom. Prices are higher for a cross country move. $3500 is an average for around 5,000 pounds.

Tips

It is polite to tip movers. Movers extend much effort properly relocating your beloved items. It is really only socially acceptable to not include a tip when you are dissatisfied with the work of a mover. On average individuals tip between 5%-15%. It is suggested that you tip evenly between movers.

Insurance

Insurance for moving is not necessary, but it is certainly suggested. When you consider the difference between the cost of insurance and the cost of a damaged item often insurance is much more affordable. Default coverage offers 60cents per pound. Independent insurance is typically $10 per $1,000 of valued goods. The deductible is between $250-$500 on average.

Average Estimates by City

We took our time to research average moving costs by city. This is what we found.

The estimates are New York, New York: $272; Denver, Colorado: @280; Phoenix, Arizona: $ 328; Atlanta, Georgia; $ 348; Miami, Florida: $348; Washington DC: $ 388; Los Angeles, California; $ 395; Houston, Texas: $ 415; Dallas, Texas: $ 420; Chicago, Illinois; $ 429; Boston, Massachusetts: $ 555; San Francisco, California: $ 576.

Average by Room

According to New York City movers average price typically depends on number of rooms. The following are price estimates: a studio room: $176; a small one bedroom: $ 270; a large one bedroom: $ 346; a two bedroom: $ 578; a three bedroom: $ 578; a three bedroom: $774; a four bedroom: $ 1,148.

Moving can be a stressful process; this is especially the case if you are having a difficult time budgeting your move. Hopefully the information about has helped in the process of finding a price for the process of relocation. When you are preparing to move do not forget to include the price of packaging supplies and fuel. These are important factors to include in a budget. The cost of fuel can make a large difference in a budget if you are moving far from your current residence. Budgeting can help alleviate a degree of your moving stress.

Try to have a happy and stress free move!