Yearly Archives: 2016

Most elderly individuals start to need help with daily living as they age. To get help with daily tasks, seniors often move in with a family member or into an assisted living center.

When your elderly family member needs to move, the process involves more than simply setting a moving date. Many seniors need help handling the physical and mental stress that moving often causes. If you are helping a senior move, you can make the process easier by helping your loved one settle into his or her new home.

Here are some ways family members can help seniors adjust to life after moving.

Make Unpacking as Easy as Possible

You might put unnecessary stress on your loved one if you rush through the unpacking process. Your older family member may have decades’ worth of possessions to sort through. Take time to help your senior family member sort through his or her possessions as he or she unpacks.

As you sort, focus more on helping with the physical needs of moving rather than advising on what to keep and throw away. Your loved one may have placed sentimental value on items that may not make sense to you. If you pressure him or her to throw away these sentimental items, your loved one may become anxious or upset.

You’ll also benefit from hiring a moving company to handle the packing and moving. This way, you and your loved one can take the necessary time to unpack and sort through items.

Acknowledge Their Feelings of Loss

Many seniors live in the same home for many years before moving. Even if moving was your loved one’s idea, he or she may still deal with feelings of loss.

Acknowledge your loved one’s sadness after the move. Do your best to help your loved one cope with these feelings and try to help him or her focus on the positive reasons for moving.

Help Decorate

A great way to help your loved one feel at home is by helping unpack and decorate. When family members are involved in the decorating process, they can help their senior family members feel more excited about the change. On the other hand, seniors who are left alone to unpack in their new space may feel lonely right out of the gate.

Encourage your elderly family member to decorate with personal items that have significant meaning, such as pictures or medals. Some items may bring back memories for your family member, and he or she may want to share stories with you. Be kind and listen to your family member’s stories as you unpack and set up various items.

As you decorate, be simple and specific with decorating choices to avoid overwhelming your family member. For instance, present decorating options with questions like, “Would you like the red curtains or blue?” rather than “Should we put up curtains?”

Encourage Your Loved One to Socialize and Get Involved

One of the most frightening parts of moving for seniors is feeling unfamiliar with new surroundings. You can help you loved one overcome unfamiliarity by helping him or her feel welcome and involved in the new home.

If you are helping your senior family member move into an assisted living center, help him or her talk and make friends with other residents while he or she is with you. Your loved one will have more people to socialize with if you help him or her make friends. If your loved one is moving in with you, encourage him or her to get involved in local senior activities.

Avoid getting pushy with your loved one if he or she seems uninterested in socializing or making new friends. He or she may need time to adjust before becoming social in a new setting.

Stay in Touch

If your loved one is moving into an assisted living center, make sure you visit often, especially in the first week after the move. When you visit your loved one, you can help him or her feel less alone.

Talk to your loved one and go with your instincts on how frequently you should visit. Your loved one may also enjoy visits from other people, like friends, siblings, and children, so encourage other family members to visit often.

Use these tips to help your senior family member adjust after moving. You can also check out our other blogs for more ways to make the moving process easier on your loved one.

Tagged in: Downsizing, moving, Seniors

Maybe you’ve finally landed your dream job, or perhaps you just want a change of scenery. Whatever the reason, you’re packing up and moving to a new place.

To save yourself some cash, you may be thinking of taking on the move by yourself with the help of a few trusted friends. But without the proper equipment or experience, handling your own move can be problematic.

Below, we’ll discuss some of the issues involved in a DIY move.

Damaged Property

If your belongings aren’t packed with enough padding or protective blankets, you may find yourself with scratched, dented, or otherwise damaged items. While you can restore some of those items with a little refinishing, you may need to replace others entirely, which can be both a nuisance and a financial burden.

And when you’re moving items in or out of the house, you could easily scratch up the woodwork, walls, and floors if you’re not careful.

To keep the living area and your possessions safe from damage, professional movers will wrap furniture in blankets and put floor runners down. Because they’ve been handling relocations for years, they can easily maneuver bulky furniture and keep the wall corners and banisters from getting nicked and scratched.

Failed Plans

Reserving a rental truck for moving day may seem simple enough, but even with a reservation, the rental truck may not be there when you need it. A less trustworthy company could arrive late or double-book a truck during your scheduled time. If everything hinges on the rental truck being there that morning, you may find yourself in hot water.

If you can’t find a replacement truck, you’ll have to reschedule the moving day and coordinate with your buddies all over again, adding undue stress to an already difficult situation.

And if you’re unlucky, some of your friends may have to cancel last minute, leaving you with a ton of boxes and few hands to carry them.

However, moving companies can provide their own trucks with handy features for keeping your items safe. If something happens to one of the movers, another can easily step in to pick up the slack.

Injuries

Experienced movers use a series of techniques and tools to reduce strain on the body. They’ve also developed the strength necessary to move heavy furniture past awkward obstacles.

If you don’t have the know-how, equipment, or strength, it can be easy to pull a muscle in your back, legs, or arms. When there’s enough strain on your body while lifting, you can even develop a hernia, which would cost you a pretty penny to repair. And if you lose your footing, you might have a bit of bruising or other injuries to deal with.

While injuring yourself is already an unpleasant possibility, the situation could be even worse if a friend hurts himself or herself during a move. If he or she was injured on your property, you may be held responsible for the medical bills.

Unnecessary Stress and Lost Time

Thinking about a move, a new life, and a new job can make you nervous. But handling a move all on your own can add an unnecessary burden, creating a highly stressful situation and negatively affecting your health, your mood, and your focus.

You’ll also have to sacrifice a lot of time preparing for your move and committing to the relocation itself. Without experience and an extra set of hands or two, it can take you hours or days to pack up all your belongings, and it may take you a little extra time to figure out how to get the couch through the front door.

With the help of moving specialists, your move can go quickly and efficiently, so you can focus on more important things and dedicate your time to other matters.

Extra Expenses

Most people handle their own moves to save money, but in actuality, hiring a professional moving service will actually cost the same, if not less. When you’re moving, you have to take into consideration the cost of gas, lodging, packing supplies, and a rental truck. And if the rental truck is damaged during the move, you may find yourself facing extra costs.

You may also want to consider what you’ll have to pay for damaged possessions and property and also the risk of having to pay a friend’s medical bill if something goes wrong.

When you pay for a moving service, the movers brings their own equipment with them. They also instantly reduce the risk of scratched, dented, or crushed belongings, meaning you won’t have to worry about repainting the walls or repairing a bit of drywall.

No matter how many belongings you have, moving can be a real hardship, but it doesn’t have to be. Call on of our professional moving agents. We can help you pack, load, and move your possessions swiftly and carefully. Just give us a call, and we’ll get to work.

Tagged in: DIY, Moving on your own, Problems

When you plan for a move, you already feel a lot of stress and tension as you clean, downsize, organize, and pack up your home. In most cases, hiring a moving company can help you put aside those feelings of frustration.

Unfortunately, many moving companies can be dishonest when they interact with their customers. Their only goal is to make as much money as possible in the easiest way they can. As a result, many people going through a move have been the victims of moving scams that have left them with a drained bank account or missing belongings.

To help you make smart moving decisions, we’ve listed the five most common moving scams. We’ve also provided information on how to avoid these scams so you can go through your move with one less concern.

1. Inaccurate Estimates

When a moving company provides you with a moving estimate, that quote is what you plan on paying these professionals after the move. Some movers, though, will give you an over-the-phone estimate in an attempt to scam you. The final bill will be significantly higher than the original estimate because they just guessed at how big your belongings are and how much everything weighs.

Since moving costs are based on how much space your belongings use in the moving truck, how much everything weighs, and how far you have to travel, you need as precise an estimate as possible. Look for a mover who can perform an in-home inspection and provide you with a more accurate quote.

In addition to in-home estimates, look for a moving company that offers a “Guaranteed Not to Exceed” option for estimates. Essentially, this contract guarantees that your final bill is guaranteed not to exceed 10% of the original estimate, not including additional costs like unpacking fees.

If you sign a contract with this clause in it, carefully read the fine print of the document. The fine print can contain other clauses that say the guarantee doesn’t apply if the weight of your items is more than the original quote. Find a moving company that provides you with an accurate estimate without hidden caveats in the contract.

2. Requested Deposits

When you work with a reputable moving company, you will only be required to pay for the moving truck and services after your belongings have been delivered to your new home. If a mover tells you that you have to pay a large deposit or a cash deposit, don’t pay or sign for their services. These individuals could take the prepayment and never show up on your moving day.

Instead, work with a company that doesn’t require you to put down cash or a large amount of money to reserve their services. Also, check with the moving company at least once after you reserve the truck and book the services to ensure the movers will arrive at your home on time.

3. Multiple Names

Often when people have horrid experiences with certain companies or they are scammed, they report the moving company to the Better Business Bureau. This entity then gives the moving company poor ratings that affect its reputability.

Some sneaky moving companies change the names of their company to get around these poor ratings. When you do choose a moving company to work with, make sure they have a local address and are licensed and insured to do business.

When you call, they should answer their phones with the full name of the company, and they should be able to provide you with a few references if you ask for them. You can contact these consumers and ask them about their experiences with the moving company.

4. Hidden Fees

To make extra money, some companies will charge you additional fees you didn’t know you would encounter. When you receive the final bill, it should detail every individual charge that adds up to the total fee.

Examine the bill carefully, and keep an eye out for odd charges. For example, some scammers could charge you a fee if the moving van won’t fit on a narrow street. They’ll say they have to move your belongings to a smaller truck, and they’ll charge you for this transfer.

5. Blank Contracts

In addition to providing inaccurate estimates, some scammers will ask you to sign a blank contract, claiming that they’re busy now but that they’ll fill in the empty spaces later. They essentially ask you to take their word that they’ll fill in the contract with the correct information.

If you’re asked to sign a blank contract, refuse to endorse it, and find another moving company. When you do sign a filled-out contract, review it carefully. Make sure all the information matches what you and the movers have discussed. Once you sign the contract, it’s a legally binding document that will be hard to refute later on.

Turn to Wheaton, a Moving Company You Can Trust

Use the tips in this blog to recognize and avoid moving scams. When you’re ready to begin your next move, get in touch with Wheaton World Wide moving to request professional, reliable, and beneficial moving services.

We’ll be as accurate as possible if we provide you with an estimate, and we’ll keep you updated and informed about every aspect of your move including costs-every step of the way.

Tagged in: Moving company, moving scams, reputable moving company

As you pack your kitchen, you may carefully wrap each plate in tissue paper and cover each glass in bubble wrap. As you continue, you may throw out old, mismatched Tupperware containers or donate some of your worn hand towels. Next, you may pack a few of your small appliances in their original boxes and sort through the remaining items in your pantry.

Yet after you’ve finished packing the smaller items, what should you do about your larger ones?

Your refrigerator, your stove, and your dishwasher cost you hundreds, if not thousands, of dollars when you first purchased them, and you absolutely adore their sleek stainless steel style or their colorful country charm. Naturally, you feel reluctant to part with them.

But before you unplug your refrigerator or slide your dishwasher away from the sink, take a few moments to consider the possibility of leaving them behind.  The following reasons could help you make a smart, economical moving decision.

1. Large Appliances Require Extra Care When Packing

Your stove, dishwasher, and refrigerator may seem strong enough to withstand the typical bumps associated with moving, but they actually rely on complex electronics that can easily suffer damage when you don’t exercise care:

• To properly move your dishwasher, you’ll need to disconnect all the hoses, drain them, and allow the dishwasher to dry fully; otherwise, you may see mold and mildew buildup when you arrive at your new home.
• To pack your gas stove, you need to hire a certified technician to disconnect it from the gas line and seal any openings, or you increase the risk of house fire.
• To ship your refrigerator or freezer, you have to remove any loose parts (such as drawers and shelves) and pack them separately. And like the dishwasher, your refrigerator needs to dry fully or you’ll see mold in the water reservoir.

These extra steps and precautions can be a hassle when you have to move in a hurry.

2. Large Appliances Cost More to Ship

Moving comes with a lot of expenses, from packing supplies to hiring a moving crew. Though you may carefully plan your budget and anticipate every expenditure, your bank account may struggle to accommodate the trip.

Large appliances take up a lot of space in your moving truck, and your refrigerator’s or stove’s weight makes loading and unloading difficult and stressful. Since many moving companies determine your bill based on weight and volume, those large appliances may take up a large portion of your moving budget.

When you compare the cost of unhooking, loading, shipping, and re-installing your appliances to the cost of new units, you may discover that purchasing a new dishwasher may cost you less than holding on to the old one.

3. Your Appliances May Land You a Better Sale

As a general rule, any part of your home that isn’t considered a fixture is usually considered a personal item you can take with you. Since the refrigerator, stove, and dishwasher are easy to remove and they are not permanently mounted to the walls, you have no obligation to leave them behind for the next homeowner.

However, first-time homebuyers tend to look for fully loaded homes, since they often don’t have their own appliances. When potential buyers view your home and see the latest appliances in great condition, they may be more willing to give your property a priority over similar homes for lower prices.

Consequently, you can use your beautiful stainless steel refrigerator or country-style gas stove as a bargaining chip when you create your listing. Your realtor can assess your home’s value based on the condition of your appliances, and with a little negotiation, you can earn a little more on the sale of your home.

Enjoy a Simpler Move Without Your Appliances

Although you may feel some attachment to your larger appliances, you may be better off leaving a few of them behind during your move. Without a heavy stove or dishwasher to load and unload, you can save time on moving, save money on transportation, and enjoy a greater return on your home investment.

Tagged in: Appliances, moving, packing, selling

Once the hustle and bustle of moving has settled, and you have unpacked all your belongings, you might find that you’re left with a bunch of empty boxes. For many people, the last step of moving is often clearing away these empty boxes. While you can always throw away the boxes in the garbage can, there are more environmentally friendly ways to use or dispose of your cardboard boxes.

Here are some ways you can dispose of-or use-your moving boxes.

Donate the Boxes to a Charity

Local libraries or schools may need heavy-duty boxes to store books. Call around your neighborhood to see if there are any organizations in need of some extra boxes. This may take some extra time to find an organization in need; however, if you find one, you can feel good about donating your boxes to a worthy cause.

Recycle the Boxes

If your moving boxes were damaged during the moving process, consider recycling them. You can recycle worn out and dirty boxes by breaking them down and taking them to a local recycling bin.

Some cities also pick up recyclable materials upon request. Check with your local recycling center to see if they provide similar services. Ask the recycling center about any stipulations they have about acceptable boxes for recycling. For instance, they may require that boxes be flattened or shaped into a certain size, or they may even require a certain number of boxes to qualify for pick-up services.

Use the Boxes at Home

You may want to use some of your sturdier boxes to store certain items in your home. You can organize items that are rarely used into boxes according to type or value.

Consider breaking down the cardboard boxes and storing them for future use. For instance, if you plan to move in a year, you may want to keep some of your moving boxes on hand. Boxes may also come in handy for wrapping presents during holidays or birthdays.

If you have small children, you may want to use the boxes for creative art projects down the road as well. For instance, you can make a playhouse or dollhouse from large boxes. You might also use the boxes to make creative Halloween costumes.

Sell the Boxes

Many cities have companies who buy and sell moving boxes. You can find such companies by doing a quick Google search of cardboard box companies in your area. Some moving companies may also know of cardboard box companies in your area. Once you have found a company, they will likely pick up the boxes from your home and pay you a small amount for each box.

You might also want to try selling your boxes on websites like BoxCycle.com or ContainerExchanger.com. These websites allow people to buy and sell used boxes for free. Most often, people can sell their used boxes for $.50 to $1.50 per box. You might also consider selling your boxes on a general classifieds website, such as Craigslist.com.

Give the Boxes Away

If you’re not interested in making a profit off of your moving boxes, you can give them away. Keep an eye out for someone in your neighborhood that might need the boxes. You can also post the free boxes on your local classifieds. Consider posting flyers around your neighborhood as well.

If you moved into an apartment complex, talk with the rental office to notify other tenants that may need moving boxes. Apartment managers may also know of tenants who are planning to move soon that could use your boxes.

Try these methods to get rid of your boxes after you move. If you plan to hire a moving company, ask them before the move if they provide box removal services.

Tagged in: Boxes, green, moving, packing, Recycle, reuse

If you’re not a fan of moving, or if you’re particularly attached to your current home, you may balk at the idea of making a local move. However, sometimes relocating within your state is inevitable. You may need a larger home for your growing family, your older home may be posing safety hazards, or you may want to shorten your commute to work.

When considering whether to move to a new location in the same city or state, you need to remember that any move requires planning and work. A local move may seem simple since you aren’t carting your belongings across the country, but a poorly planned and executed local move can cause serious stress and frustration.

Weigh the following challenges and benefits to decide whether a local move is right for you.

Challenges

Any move requires the individual or family to significantly alter their current life. You’ve likely established a familiar rhythm in your home and community, and it will take some time to set that up again in a new place.

Local moves, in particular, can be hectic because you may not consider the scope of the project. If you’re moving across town, you may not think you need to pack up all your possessions or hire professional movers. However, trying to fill your car with loose items and make multiple trips each day to get everything moved over can quickly turn into a nightmare.

In order to avoid such problems, you need to take your local move as seriously as you would a long-distance move. Plan out the process, including figuring out what needs to be packed together, where each item will go in the new home, and what your timetable will be.

Another challenge you might face is finding a way to fit your old life into your new home. Since you aren’t moving far, it may make more sense to simply relocate everything you own into the new space. However, keep in mind that your current organizational setup was designed specifically for your current home. If your new house is larger or smaller than the original, your belongings may not fit how you like.

Benefits

Choosing to move to a new home opens up many opportunities for you and your family. You’ll have a home that probably better suits your needs and a chance to start fresh.

If you’ve put off cleaning out your attic, garage, or junk room for years, moving is the perfect excuse to finally get rid of the possessions you no longer want or need. Instead of creating a new junk room in your next home, get rid of everything you don’t have a use for. Decluttering will ease the moving process and provide a more simplified new life.

Moving into a new home also gives you a blank slate. Perhaps you’re financially better off than you were when you moved into your current home, so you can afford to upgrade your furniture and décor. On the other hand, maybe you want to move into a smaller space and have fewer possessions, so you can enjoy a simpler minimalist lifestyle.

Whatever your reasons for moving, when you walk into your empty new home, you have a blank canvas to work with. And since your current home isn’t too far away, you could feasibly perform any design changes or decorating before actually moving out. This reduces stress and makes the process easier since you won’t need to navigate around half-unpacked moving boxes as you paint or plan a design scheme.

Another benefit is close proximity to friends who will likely be willing to help you move. Instead of having to find a babysitter in a strange new city as you unpack, ask your friends or neighbors. Even if you hire movers, you may want to have your friends help pack and move since they already know how you like the house arranged. Your friends will likely still be close by and more than willing to offer assistance.

Decided to Move Locally? Some Tips

If you’ve decided the benefits of moving within your city or state outweigh the challenges, there are a few things to keep in mind to make things easier for you. As mentioned above, one of the challenges of moving locally is overcoming the mindset that you can handle everything in a few quick trips. You’ll likely find yourself dumping mismatched objects on the living room floor as you rush back and forth.

Instead, try a few of these tips:

• Hire a local moving company – Professionals can get your possessions transferred quickly and efficiently, saving you the hassle and preventing possible injury or damage.
• Don’t pack everything. You likely won’t need to pack every little thing. For instance, your hung clothes can stay on their hangers and easily fit in your car. Keep the things you will need right away, such as toiletries or electronics, readily available as well so you won’t need to dig through boxes for your toothbrush.
• Organize before you pack. Don’t just throw all the things you need to pack randomly into boxes. Pack all the kitchen items in one box, the bathroom items in another, etc. When you get to your new home, you’ll know exactly where to find what you need. Remember to label every box as well.

Local moves offer many benefits and can feel freeing, but handling one alone can create unnecessary stress. If you’re ready to relocate, contact the local moving experts at Wheaton for advice and assistance.

Tagged in: Local Moving, moving, Moving Tips