As they say, when you do things often, you become an expert.  Since 2000, I have moved across Canada 3 times, moved within the same City six times, moved from Vancouver to Vancouver Island via BC Ferries to the little town of Ladysmith and back to Vancouver….all within 11 years.  Now, that’s a lot of moving.  Did everything go smoothly?  No.  Did I have challenges in my moves?  Yes.  Do these experiences help me to learn lessons and do things more efficiently for the next move – absolutely and I want to share this information with you.

Let’s face it.  Moving can be stressful.  For some people, even the thought of it sends shivers down the spine and thoughts of selling off everything and starting over.

But, at the end of the day, moving is a process.  It starts with the excitement of change to a new location – new opportunities – perhaps a larger home – perhaps a home which is better suited to your needs.  It all starts with ‘intention’….an intention to be somewhere else.  Once that decision is made, keep that picture in your head of your loved items in your new location.  This makes it worth the experience of moving.  Even the excitement of a new job will make it all worth while.  Whatever the circumstances, your intention is to relocate your home.

Now that the decision is made, the next step in the process is to get over the fear and treat your move like a mini-project.  It has a start and an end.   There are logical steps to take in between which will make your move easier.  Like anything else, some thought is required in planning your move and this website is designed to give you lots of resources to help you plan and execute that plan to move your home efficiently and with as little stress as possible.

So, let’s get started on this moving adventure and keep the end picture in mind as you work through the ‘moving process’ to successful completion.  Always celebrate at the end – you’ve earned it!

Thanks for visiting the website.  I hope you find the information helpful and I welcome your thoughts, ideas and feedback.

Sincerely, Shirley J Tripp

Move yourself, or hire the professionals is a decision based on cost, time and coordination abilities.

Now, let’s weigh the advantages against the disadvantages.

Moving Yourself:

To move yourself you should think about the advantages of potentially lower costs, total control over the schedule and also control over the details of the move.

However, it means that you manage driving a potentially large truck through busy streets or long distances. There is heavy lifting involved and you will need friends/family at each site to help you with packing, loading the truck and unloading your home articles at your new residence.

You will have to decide on how many boxes to use, what sizes, and how to load them.  Moving Tip: A way to save costs is to contact moving companies and ask for their used boxes at much lower rates than buying them new. The advantage of using moving company boxes is that the sizes are standard and will be easier to place into the truck. Advise the moving company how large your home is and they will give you an estimated number of boxes for each of the three standard sizes they carry.

The second decision is what size of truck to rent. Once you’ve completed most of the packing, you can give an estimate of number of large items PLUS the number of boxes to any truck rental company and they can help you in choosing the right moving truck for you. Don’t forget to estimate the fuel, insurance, one way drop off cost if you’re not moving within the same city, renting packing blankets and dolly rental.  Moving Tip: Check out another article on this Blog which gives guidelines for # of boxes you may need based on the size of your home.

Other considerations are food and potentially motels for helpers and meals on the road if it’s a long distance move as well as the cost of the time off of work if you move on a work day.

Hiring Professionals:

Should you decide not to move yourself, you will have to select a mover whom you trust.  Get references and call them.   Ensure a few movers come to the home to build a proper estimate. They will be able to provide you with boxes and packing materials.

The advantages are that the movers know how to lift heavy articles and pack the truck. The fuel and other costs are embedded in the overall cost. They know how to drive the truck through busy streets and for long distances, including potentially backing it into tight spots for unloading.

Still Undecided?  Here are the 5 moving tips to help you with the decision:

Tip 1: Consider the ‘big’ picture of how large your home is, what articles you have which might be problematic, i.e., a piano, and whether you have friends and family at both ends of your move who are available and physically able to help you.

Tip 2: In choosing a truck, make sure it is a moving truck with a ramp, ties on the side walls to tie down heavy objects and a clean floor to place your articles onto. Consider whether you can drive the truck and back it up in tight quarters without hitting anything.

Tip 3: You must consider the shape you are in as well as the shape your friends and family are in to help you. Can you lift without hurting your back? Do you know the techniques to lift heavy boxes or furniture?

Tip 4: Do you know how to load the truck properly to ensure your treasures are protected? Heavy articles go at the bottom of the truck and lighter objects are placed on top. Larger articles are tied down so they don’t move during the trip. All furniture and especially electronics must be wrapped so they don’t chafe against each other and get damaged or scratched.

Tip 5: Take into consideration what has to happen at your destination after the boxes are unloaded. Does someone have to drive the truck back to its original destination? Do you have to start a new job the next day? Do you have to get the children and pets, then help them with the transition to their new home? Moving is stressful for everyone involved and it may be best to have a few days to get used to the new surroundings.

So, you decide – move yourself, or hire the professionals.  It will be an informed decision.  Good luck with your decision!

This article touches on the considerations given to home moving for our elders.  There are times when they must leave their traditional residences and it is very stressful.  I found this very helpful information.



Most of the families have to move once or twice in their life and many people experience their first move when they are senior citizen. Maybe they are living alone in a huge house and need to move to a small condo or apartment that will be easier to maintain and also easier on their health. Maybe they are moving in with their grown up children after the partner has passed away, or due to an unexpected illness. The reasons can be quite varied, but it is a fact that people, even as senior citizen, are moving regularly across cities and states.

So here are a few senior citizen moving tips that you should know in case you come across such a situation – or you might have to move as well.

* Take the time to adjust to the change. Living for many years in the same house means that any move can be a big shock and news to digest. People get attached to their homes where they’ve been living their entire lives, or spending their life with their partners. Nobody moves to another place with an easy heart and this is even more relevant for elderly. Take time off and learn first to adjust to the idea before you take the big step ahead in your life.

* If your parents are moving, even if they are quite old, don’t forget to involve them in the moving process. No person likes to be left outside of things, particularly if it involves them directly. And elderly are a bit more helpless than others, but that doesn’t mean they have to like it. They still feel and think just like the rest of us, even if their bodies don’t cooperate the way they would like to.

* Plan and research ahead so you know how much the senior citizen will have to pay for the move. It is known that they are usually on a fixed income which is not all that big, so planning ahead and finding the best deal (without sacrificing quality) is well worth it for them. Some companies have actually discounts and offers when elderly are involved, so it might pay off to shop a bit around before settling for the next moving company. People don’t like to be out of control so they need to know at all times all the steps of the way, so don’t forget to involve them even when you are searching for companies. And if you have to go to rentals offices to discuss deals, the senior citizen will be grateful if they can tag along and feel that they are fully involved in the entire process.

Using truck rentals for moving is a necessity when moving seniors to another location, but finding good quality yet inexpensive pick up ruck rentals is well worth the initial search locally or on the net.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Nancy_Davies

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/4592030

Shirley’s Comments:

I think this article is very relevant given the number of our elders who are looking at living in apartments which provide them with services to make their life easier.  If you have comments regarding moving for our elders, please feel free to comment or share them on this blog.  Thanks.

Here is a video showing helpful home moving tips when you are ready to pack and label your boxes.  This will make it easy for the movers to decide where to place the boxes at the new home destination.

I found this video to be very helpful, especially the colored tape idea and would love to hear from you as well, so please comment below to share your experiences and opinions.  Good luck with your home move!

Have you ever had a premonition that things may not go as smoothly as planned in your move?  No matter how prepared you are…boxes all labelled, piled into the truck neatly so they don’t jiggle and now you’re ready for delivery with a funny feeling in your gut?

Well, that’s what happened to me recently in my move.  I moved from Ladysmith, Vancouver Island to New Westminster, a city in the Lower Mainland of Vancouver.  All the packing was done, the movers put our belongings in the truck in Ladysmith and it stayed snug all night in line for the 2 hour ferry ride at 7:45 the next morning.  I was waiting at the other end in my new apartment on the 17th floor with keys in hand.  All was going well and I went to pay for the dedicated elevator (2 in the building) when I was told the card reader did not work in one elevator, so it was turned off waiting for the repair person.   I had to pay the move in fee, but could not get a dedicated elevator until the other one was repaired.  He had not received a call back.  Being a project manager, I urged him to call them until he got an ETA….which he did…3 pm that day at the earliest.  Yikes!

The movers arrived promptly at 11 am and I asked if they could wait until 3 pm.  They checked and had to be on the ferry back that day and the truck had to be empty as it was dedicated to another job.  What to do?

Solution:  Move in my things to the lobby and using the one and only elevator, fill it only with a few items at a time and keep it engaged to pick up and drop off residents as it delivered my articles to the 17th floor.  Once on the 17th floor, quickly take articles off of the elevator and let it continue on its way to the lobby.  I acted as ‘elevator girl’ and got to know all the neighbours.

What should have taken 2 hours max took 4.5 hours, but it got done.  Since there was no time to place articles in the apartment properly, I have a huge job in organizing boxes and furniture…oh well, it’s all here in one piece.

This was the best alternative of all we thought of that day….and wouldn’t you know it, the repair man arrived 15 minutes before we were done!  For more moving tips and stories, check out this website.

To your smoother move – than mine, at least!

Hey, what a great idea!  This company http://www.saynotoboxes.com, created a business of renting reusable plastic crates for moving.  These crates are:

• Stackable
• Lockable
• Crush proof
• Water resistant
• Easy carrying handles
• No mess or clean up
• Pack, stack and roll away
• No box building or break down
• Cheaper than buying new boxes

There are only 4 steps:

1.       You call them and tell them where to deliver the crates, how many you need, what size and any other moving items you need (wrapping paper, geami paper – a protective packaging paper made from recycled fibre. A great Eco Friendly alternative to bubble wrap without compromising performance, bubble wrap, etc.).

2.       They deliver the crates and other requested items.

3.       You Pack and Move to your new Location

4.       They Pick up the Empty Crates.

The crates are rented for 30 days and the prices are reasonable:

- $5 for a 75 ltr (28x18x13) crate

- $8 for a 202 ltr (42x21x16) crate

- $10 for a 2.5 cu ft wardrobe (24x21x47)

- $10 for a dolly to carry up to 6 crates.

My friend has rented these for her apartment move and found that they were cheaper for her than using the traditional cardboard boxes.  They were easier to use, clean and it was great to have them picked up after the move.

Check it out … http://www.saynotoboxes.com

How cool is that!

In looking for a rental condo recently on Craigslist.  Since we owned two dogs, I checked off the ‘woof’ allowed section.  We successfully negotiated rent, time frames and early access to the condo.  All was going well with the owners of the condo until we mentioned we had….yes, two small dogs.

At that point we had various reactions:

-          We’ll have to check the by-laws.  Yes, they allow one dog, but we’ll have to ask the Strata if they can allow two…which undoubtedly turned up as a ‘no’ to keep the by-laws in tact.

-          Of course you can keep both dogs…but just walk them one at a time…OK?

-          Sorry, only one dog is allowed.

-          Oops, just two days ago, the Strata had an AGM and decided to allow for two pets – a dog and a cat only!

Just when we gave up all hope, my friend said to check Craigslist without ‘woof’ allowed, and low and behold the right place popped up.  When I called and mentioned we had two small dogs, he said they weren’t his preference, but we can come and check it out anyway.  At the end of the day we were allowed to move in with our dogs.

Lesson learned, don’t believe what owners say about their condo by-laws – make sure it is confirmed in writing and don’t limit yourself  in selections on craigslist or any other advertisement unless it says specifically ‘no pets’.  Whew!

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Adriana_Noton

Planning is always the most important part of a project, and if we treat a move like a mini-project, the planning for it is just as important.  Plan your move well in advance so you won’t be overwhelmed with lots of last minute tasks.  Here are some items to contemplate:

1.        How much time do you need to pack?  As a general rule, a typical family of four should allow 1 full day to pack each of the following rooms:  living room, dining room, family room and each bedroom.  The garage, kitchen, office and basement will take 2-3 days each.  If there are lots of glassware and fragile items in the kitchen, add another day.  Don’t forget bathrooms, closets (we put a lot of things into closets) and wall hangings…add a day for each of these.  Then, once you have a number of days, double it to allow yourself a buffer!

TIP:  How about a ‘packing’ party?  I had a kitchen packing party with 3 of my closest girlfriends.  It was lots of fun because we can ‘chat’ as we go and the job got done quicker and with lots of laughs.  Don’t forget to have some food available.

2.       How many boxes do you need?  This will depend on the type of home you’re moving from.  Here is a general guideline:

a.       Studio apartment: 10-20

b.      1 Bedroom apartment:  20-35

c.       2 Bedroom apartment:  25-45

d.      2 Bedroom house: 24-45

e.      3 Bedroom house: 30-55

f.        4 Bedroom house:  40-65

g.       Larger house:  70+

TIP:  Get some ‘good’ boxes of varying sizes to pack your items.  You don’t want boxes that will fall apart or that can’t hold a lot of things.  The heavier objects should go into smaller boxes to help keep the weight down.  Use wardrobe boxes for your hanging clothes…they can be used for storage later if you move to a house with a basement and want to switch up your Winter/Summer clothes.

3.       What size of truck should you consider renting or talking with a mover about?  Typically, you will need about 150 cubic feet of space for each room you’re moving…here are some ideas:

a.       14-15 foot truck  to move  2-3  rooms

b.      18-20 foot truck to move 4-5 rooms

c.       22-24 foot truck to move 6-8 rooms

d.      26 foot truck to move 8+ rooms

TIP:  Always discuss the size of the truck with your moving company or rental agency.  Request 3 people to move you – it is a lot quicker than 2.  It may cost a bit more, but you’ll save on the time as movers generally charge for # of movers, size of truck and # of hours needed to move you.  With 3 movers, 1 will coordinate while the other 2 continuously are moving your items.  You should be at the destination to be the ‘traffic’ cop for your items so they only get moved once.

Now that you’ve completed your planning…here’s to your ‘stress free’ move!

This video demonstrates the proper method to list heavy boxes which is a typical activity in moving your home articles….especially books in boxes.