So You Are Moving into Something Smaller – Good Grief! Where will you put everything?

There is nothing that can done about it. Demographics in America are such that the bulk of the Baby Boomer Generation is nearing retirement. The kids have grown and have families of their own. That big house with all those stairs is no longer your dream home. You find you live in only a quarter of the house. Your bedroom/bathroom, living room, kitchen and breakfast area. Oh! And you use the laundry room and garage….But the rest? Not necessary anymore and pain to keep clean. What’s more, the house seems to have grown more stairs that are steeper than they seemed a few years ago when you were running up and down keeping up with the little ones. So it is finally time to downsize. I found a great 12-Step Guide that I want to share with you. No reason for me to draft something new when someone else has covered the topic so well.

But what they don’t cover is the emotional dynamics of downsizing. I just want you to be prepared.

Mom, Dad, as you know, starting about the time they become teenagers, your children start finding their friends more interesting to spend time with than you. You start to see them less and less. Then they grow up, get married and have children of their own. You have kept all their old memoirs in safekeeping for the day they have their own home and can come get everything. But they don’t. Their first home is either too small, or their jobs have forced them to move away or move often. The day comes that you want to sell and move into something smaller.

One of two things will happen with regards to those memoirs. They will either come get them or they will tell you that they really don’t want all that junk from their childhood. They have moved past that….. It saddens you and as you go through things you must make tough decisions of what to keep and what to get rid of. My advice? Sell it all and set the funds aside for your grandchildren – or spend it on your next vacation.

The next emotional dynamic? Half the kids want you to sell and move into a ranch style home in a nice 55+ Community where you will be able to enjoy friends your own age. The other half doesn’t want you to sell the home they grew up in and hoped to raise their own children in someday. (Well, not really, but for some reason they feel impelled to say so.) Don’t let them make you feel guilty. Take lots of pictures and give them to them. Don’t forget to include pictures of all their old memoirs they didn’t bother to come get and you subsequently sold at the yard sale.

Don’t let the past hold you up. Even though you may now be considered a Senior Citizen, you are vibrant, have a whole lot of living to do and not quite as much time ahead of you as behind you to do everything, so you better get crackin’!  Sell the old place, move into the newer, smaller, less cluttered and easier to keep clean homestead and invite the kids over for dinner. And order pizza so you don’t have to cook!

Oh! And those of you who are downsizing and don’t have children to deal with? Here’s that link again for the 12-Steps to downsizing.

That’s it for this blog. Hope you found entertaining as well as helpful.

 

Moving? Here are some things to think about

Moving day is looming in your near future. The stress is mounting. Well, if you plan well, your stress level will go down and the better you plan the smoother things will run. What are some things you should concern yourself with?

Should you pack yourself or use a professional?

While this may seem simple at first, there are pros and cons to take into consideration.

For many families hoping to save money on moving expenses, do-it-yourself home packing is the logical option.

Successful DIY house packing requires extensive preparation to take inventory of all your belongings and carefully pack and load the moving truck yourself. You will also be responsible for purchasing your own packaging materials for the move.

Self packing and moving will allow you to save a significant amount on your total moving budget. One disadvantage to this method of moving is that you will probably need to ask friends and family members to help move your boxes and load your furniture into the moving vehicle. You also need to find and rent an appropriate sized vehicle. Although you can pack at a leisurely pace, normally there is a last minute rush to get everything on the truck and get moving. And don’t forget to have help lined up to off-load the truck at the other end.

Using professional packers costs more than doing yourself.  But if you’re looking to relieve stress on your moving day, hiring professional movers is the way to go.

You will be able to turn over all of your boxes, furniture, and belongings to a moving service, who will pack, transport, and unload it for you.

And here is something to think about. You can save money by booking movers on weekdays instead of weekends and by moving in the middle of the month instead of at the end when most leases are up.

There is a middle of the road options out there that you can consider. You can rent a PODS Container and take your time packing and loading your belongings into it. The POD is delivered to your home, you pack it up, they come get it. And they will either store it for you or move it to your new home.

How soon should you start your move?

At a minimum, you should organize your belongings 6-8 weeks in advance. This gives you time to sort through your storage spaces and throw out or donate any items that you no longer need. The rest of your belongings should be packed into boxes and clearly labelled.

Start purchasing and gathering packing supplies at least 6 weeks in advance. There’s nothing worse than running out of boxes on the day of a move. You can purchase all of your packing materials from a moving supply company, or you can save money by gathering boxes from supermarkets, liquor stores, and retail shops.

If you’re moving across country, you may need to book temporary accommodation, flight and possibly even car rental as early as possible. Again, try to book your travel arrangements 6 weeks in advance. But even if you are moving from one neighbourhood to another, take the time to book your moving service far in advance to secure a lower rate. If at all possible, keep your travel arrangements flexible to account for any delays or cancellations.

In the month leading up to your big move, it is the perfect time to inform your change of address to organizations such as credit card companies, utility companies, insurance companies, banks and especially to friends and family. You should also notify the US Postal Service of your pending  move and provide them with the date you want them to start redirecting your mail.

Other Considerations

That will get your started. I’ll be giving your some tips on How best to pack boxes for moving, how to downsize if you are moving from a large to a smaller home or an apartment, how to reduce your moving costs, and provide a couple handy checklists. So watch for my nest posts.

And if you have any questions, please ask them in the comments section and I will do my very best to answer them!

Have a great week!

 

 

So You Are Moving… Make sure you keep these important documents with you!

One of the worse things that can happen to you is to watch the moving truck pull away from your house and realize they packed all your important documents you meant to pull together before they arrived, and forgot!

Here is a short list of items you should set aside before the movers arrive. And don’t let them pack them!!

Passports and Visas (even if you aren’t moving out of the country)

Driver’s Licenses

Professional licenses, skill qualifications,  and work permits

Birth certificates (originals or copies)

Marriage or Divorce Certificates

Vaccination Records

If moving with a pet, take their vaccination records as well. (It wouldn’t hurt to get a copy of the pet’s veterinary records to provide to their new doctor)

Veteran Records (DD214, Health, Retirement, etc.)

Social Security Numbers/Cards

Car Title(s) (If you are moving your vehicle to another state, you will need it for registration or ownership transfer)

Insurance Policies (health, auto and home)

An up-to-date Address Book (it is important to notify all relevant service providers, persons and institutions that you are changing address – post office, cable and internet provider, insurance company, bank, school, local authorities, magazines, newspapers, club memberships, electric/water/gas/phone company and other utility companies.)

School Records (if you are enrolling children in a new school – or college transcripts if you or a child are transferring to a new one)

Financial records, to include bank statements, receipts, account information, credit cards, saving statements, tax documents, and loan documents

Manuals, contracts and warranties for any household appliances you may be moving with you. If some of the items are dismantled, manuals may be needed when you try to reassemble them. Also, without a warranty you cannot obtain any kind of service in case any of household items get broken.

A list of all your current service providers, persons and institutions that you will need to send a change of address to. Also, having those account numbers handy may save you money when setting up service at your new address.

Take your moving-related documents with you, such as the moving estimate and quote (binding or non-binding estimate), bill of lading – a contract between the moving company, your customer receipts (that might be used for tax deductions when the move is completed), moving insurance, and inventory list.

Remember as moving day draws near, there are going to be dozens of things you will need to do and a lot of unplanned for activities (friends and colleagues wanting to take you out for coffees, lunches, dinners and such), so plan as far ahead as possible and get your special box together with all the documents listed above. Shred any documents with personal information on them that you are not keeping. Clear out your home office as much as possible.