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Moving is never easy.  It disrupts the routines of your family and can be incredibly draining both physically and mentally.  There are some things you can do when planning a move with a household moving company to help minimize the disruption to your family and lower the stress level. 

1.  Get estimates 2 to 3 months prior to your desired moving date. This will give you time to compare and do some background research, so you choose the best and most reputable household moving company for you.
2.  Secure a contract with a household moving company 6 to 8 weeks prior to your moving date.
3.  Draft a moving checklist to help you stay on track and not procrastinate.
4.  Donate or hold a yard sale for the items you no longer need.  You will save time and money having a lighter load.
5.  Come up with a strategy for how you plan to pack and communicate that with your family.  It is extremely helpful for everyone to know which rooms or items you plan to pack and when. 
6.  Get boxes and packing materials and start to pack as soon as possible.  It is never too early to start with non essential items.
7.  Take digital photos or video of all your belongings before you start packing, in case anything is lost or damaged. 
8.  Label every box with the contents and the room in which it belongs.  This helps you keep track of things while both packing and unpacking.  It will allow your household moving company to be more efficient when unloading the truck too.
9.  Number boxes and keep an inventory list as they are loaded onto the truck by the household moving company.  This will help you easily identify any missing boxes or items when things are unloaded.

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Moving with a household moving company can be a costly endeavor.  If you are smart and have time to plan, you can save money.

Tips for Cutting Costs When Using a Household Moving Company:
1.  Get rid of everything you no longer want or need before you pack.  Every extra thing you move costs you time and money.  Donate those items for a tax write off or hold a garage sale.
2.  Time is on your side.  The more lead time you have, the more options you have.  Booking with a household moving company well in advance of your move gives you time to negotiate and find the best deal. 
3.  Be flexible.  If you have flexibility to move during down times and the off season, you can significantly reduce your overall costs with a household moving company.  For example, moving mid week and not in the peak summer months usually mean a better deal.
4.  Do all your packing.  You will be charged for the time the household moving company team has to spend packing you. 
5.  Get your packing materials used.  Check the classifieds and neighborhood bulletin boards.  Many people give away their old boxes and materials when they have finished moving.  Also stop by retailers and grocers for boxes.  Use linens, pillows, blankets and old newspapers and magazines as packing material.
6.  Organize and label boxes.  Put color coded stickers on boxes and label everything clearly.  It will mean that your household moving company team will spend less time figuring out where everything belongs when they unload. 
7.  Make sure you have insurance.  Know what insurance your household moving company provides and get additional insurance, if necessary.  Replacing or repairing items damaged or lost can add up.

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Anyone who has taken on any storage and moving task knows that it produces a lot of waste.  Between boxes, packing paper, bubble wrap and plastic furniture wrap, the contribution to the landfill can be quite significant.  There are ways, however, to do storage and moving the green way.  It involves more legwork and research, but you will happily leave less of an impact on the environment to accomplish the same storage and moving goals.

1.  Get used boxes.  There is no need to buy new boxes.  You can get them from local businesses and grocers for free.  Also check Craigslist and the classifieds for used boxes.  A lot of people give them away or sell them for cheap after they move.
2.  Rent reusable crates or containers.  Some of the bigger cities now have companies that offer reusable containers for moving.  They will be in uniform sizes, which makes stacking a breeze.  You do not need tape and you do not have to find a home for all your boxes when you are done.
3.  Think outside of the box for packing material.  Blankets and linens provide great padding.  Utilize old newspapers and magazines instead of buying packing paper.  For fragile items, find used bubble wrap or biodegradable packing peanuts and eco friendly packing materials.
4.  Use reusable moving blankets instead of wrapping furniture and other items in plastic.
5.  Get rid of the things you no longer need.  Do not waste resources moving unnecessary items.  Donate them or have a yard sale.  Your storage and moving budget will be thankful and so will the environment.  And the items you no longer need will find a home elsewhere, instead of ending up in the landfill.
6.  If you are hiring professional movers to handle your storage and moving tasks, go with a company that has green practices.  Many companies use biodiesel, for example, and provide their customers with reusable bins and eco friendly and recycled packing material options. 
7.  When you are done with your storage and moving tasks, pass on your materials.  Do not simply put them out for recycling.  Let someone else get some storage and moving use out of them, so your materials have a full life before they are done.  You will save someone else money and will contribute less waste from both your move and the moves of the people who use your old materials.

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