The Movers.com Blog

Moving is one of life’s most stressful events. Even people that are usually calm and collected can become overwhelmed with stress on their moving day. Since moving involves transferring your whole life from one place to another, it is only natural to have some fears. Here are just ten of the things you are likely to stress about on your moving day.

1. Movers don’t show up - As you wait for your movers to arrive, you might worry that they will be late or possible not arrive at all, leaving you stranded on your moving day.

2. Bad weather - As explored in another top ten list, there are several weather conditions that can disrupt your move. Unfortunately, all you can do is keep checking the weather forecasts and hope for the best.

3. Things getting broken - With all of your belongings packed into cardboard boxes, driven around in a truck, and carried into your new home, it is hard not to worry about them getting broken. This fear lasts throughout the unpacking process as you open up each box and hope that everything is intact.

4. Don’t have enough time - Moving involves so much planning and work that it’s easy to underestimate the time you need. Being afraid that you don’t have enough time to get everything done in time is a very common and valid concern.

5. Your things won’t fit - If you have large furniture, you might worry about getting these objects through the door. This fear can lead to other fears; you could then stress about damaging your door frames in case things have to be squeezed inside.

6. Forgetting something - What could be worse than getting to your new home and realizing you left a box behind? Since moving days can be chaotic, it is easy to get overwhelmed and to overlook certain things.

7. Leaving your home - Moving often involves starting a new life somewhere else, which means that you have to leave your familiar surroundings behind. The anxiety of leaving your home and getting adjusted to life in a new home is perhaps the most common moving fear.

8. Having to unpack - Though transporting your goods can be hard enough, you’ll then have to worry about the unpacking process. Unpacking is a timely process that no one looks forward to.

9. Fear about your roommate(s) - If you are moving to a college dorm or to an apartment with people you don’t know, you could very well have some fears about living with them. Even if you are moving in with a friend, relative, or significant other, you will probably be nervous about sharing a home with someone else.

10. Wrong key - One of the worst fears you may have on moving day is that your key won’t work. Imagine getting to your new home with all your stuff, but you end up being locked out. After all the trouble you go through to get to your home, having to wait outside and call a locksmith would be devastating.

Open the door to a new home...and a new life!

If you are reading the Movers.com blog, then you are likely thinking about moving, getting ready to move, or are currently in the process of moving. No matter what stage of the move you are in, you are likely to moving for one of two reasons: personal or business.

There are many reasons for moving regarding changes in your personal life. For instance, such events as marriage, divorce, or death of a family member can all cause you to relocate. If you are getting any additions to the family, you might have to move to a bigger place so your kids have more room. You might also want to move to improve your quality of life. Moving to a safer neighborhood or an area with a better school system is always a valid reason.

You may also be moving for job-related reasons. If your current company relocates you to another branch, you’ll likely have to move closer to the new location. Alternately, your company might be moving the entire office to another city, so you would have to move in order to keep your job. Another work-related relocation occurs if you find a job outside your immediate neighborhood. Should you accept the offer, you may have to move closer to the new office.

These are just some of the many reasons people move. To read more about these reasons for relocating, check out our online guide. If you have ever moved for a reason not mentioned here, tell us about it with a comment below!

Even creepy pumpkins wish you a Happy Halloween!

The Movers.com office has been full of Halloween spirit for the past few weeks, as you can tell by our Halloween content. After thinking about it for so long, it’s hard to believe that the holiday will finally be here tomorrow. We are all pretty excited about it and will be celebrating in our own ways - watching scary movies, going to New York City, or, like me, attending a Halloween party in Atlantic City.

While Halloween is reason enough to rejoice and eat less-than-healthy food, we had another cause of celebration today - Alex S.’s birthday! We gorged ourselves on Mexican food and sang “Happy Birthday.” Though Alex P. filmed the whole event, he accidentally had the camera’s audio turned off! For some of us, that’s probably a good thing. Either way, it’s always great to take same time out to have fun with your co-workers. And what better day to have fun than the Friday before Halloween!

On behalf of the entire Movers.com team, we hope everyone has a safe and fun Halloween weekend!

Happy Halloween!

From Halloween history and lore to creative costume ideas, you can find it all here in the top ten Movers.com Halloween guides.  We have all of the spooky resources you’re looking for–and we hope they’ll help you celebrate this frighteningly fun holiday!

1. Jack-O-Lanterns 101 - Everything you need to know about making a jack-o-lantern. This guide tells you the tools you’ll need, techniques you can use, and even gives you some jack-o-lantern templates.

2. From Harvest to Horrors:  A Brief History of Halloween - Did you know that Halloween is over 6000 years old? You’ll find out about the fascinating history of Halloween and how it transformed from a harvest festival into the spooky holiday we celebrate today.

3. The Ultimate Transformation: Werewolves, Witches, Vampires, and Ghosts - These are Halloween’s classic costumes. Learn a little bit about their history and style as well as how to make the four-part transformation yourself.

4. Spooky Urban Legends - These urban legends are great for story telling at parties or while trick-or-treating. They are classic stories that are sure to give you chills. Readers beware: these aren’t for the faint of heart!

5. The Top 5 Tunes of Terror: Halloween Songs and Their Ghoulish Lyrics - These five songs capture the spirit (pun intended) of Halloween. If you don’t know about many good Halloween songs, now’s your chance to fill up your iPod!

6. Devilishly Good Décor - Looking for good Halloween decorating ideas? This guide gives you tips on how to bring the best (or maybe worst) out of your decorations. You’ll learn how to blend color, decorations, and props into a spooky scene at your home.

7. Creative Costumes From Your Closet - Here are some great ideas for those looking to create their own costume. Most of these great costumes can be made with things you have around the house, but if you do need to buy anything, it’s sure to be inexpensive. You can save money without sacrificing quality scares.

8. Tricks for Safe, Fun Trick-or-Treating - These practical tips will help you and your kids get the most of trick-or-treating.  Hassles and squabbles can be avoided if you take a little extra time to prepare before heading off into the night.

9. Hosting a Halloween Party - If you’re looking to host a Halloween party, this guide will tell you all you need to know to pull it off. There are ideas about everything from contests and games to food and music.

10. Safe, Secure, and Fun Alternatives to Candy - Finally, if you want to spare trick-or-treaters from the true horrors of dental woes and childhood obesity, you can look here for alternatives to candy. These ideas are fun and creative–so you can rest assured knowing you won’t be spoiling a child’s Halloween by giving them thoughtful treats.

How are you planning to celebrate Halloween?  Tell us about it with a comment below!

Recycling is easy!

As you move, you probably have a ton of things that you would like to get rid of.  Crusty old bread, wrinkled pillows, and scandalous leg lamps are probably at the top of your list.  But what about the bubble wrap and boxes you use during your move–and what if you want to be eco-friendly, too?

You can recycle packing supplies that you don’t plan on selling or reusing instead of simply throwing them away.  Here is a list of some of the most recyclable supplies:

• Corrugated cardboard boxes
• Newspaper
• Mixed papers
• Plastic bags and boxes
• Non-standard packing materials:
  clothing and magazines

You should contact your local waste management facility or township office to inquire about recycling services offered in your area.  You may have the option of leaving your recyclable items curbside for pick-up or dropping them off at a recycling center at your convenience.

If you do recycle your packing materials, make sure that you are following the specific instructions for recycling those particular items.  Most recyclable packing materials will need to be cleaned, separated, or tied and stacked together before they can be recycled.  Also, don’t mix items of different materials as this contamination can lead to the entire lot being thrown out.

Learn more about recycling your packing materials here, and best wishes for a successful move!

Have you been able to recycle any other packing materials?  Tell us with a comment below!