Tag Archives: moving

Get the most out of a garage sale

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Last week, I discussed tips moving on a budget. This week, I’m going to provide you tips about garage sales so you can use the money to make it less burdensome if moving on a budget.

One of the best ways to make money and be able to lighten the load for your move is holding a garage sale that can turn your unwanted items into cash. If you’re trying to sell your home, a moving sale might even attract a potential buyer.

Here are some tips to getting the most out of a garage sale:
• Schedule your garage sale on weekends. Start on Friday and end on a Sunday. Post the hours of your sale on the neighborhoods blogs in your area, go online and promote the sale three weeks prior to your sale. Use Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest etc. to promote your event.
• When utilizing social media, mention some of the items you’ll be selling like electronics, furniture, appliances etc. Let them know about the prices and provide your email address so they can contact you if they want to know more about the items you are selling.
• Usually garage sales are at your home but if you don’t have plenty of parking and space for people to walk around, consider holding your moving sale at a nearby local school or community center. The fees are usually minimal and you have access to reach hundreds of parents through school or community bulletins.
• How much should you price and sell a particular item? Visit eBay and search for similar items to see what the asking prices are and go online to see how much you can reasonably expect to sell your things.
• Plan for bad weather. You won’t have to worry about the weather if your moving sale is in a school or community center but if it is at your home, get sheets of plastic to cover your items if it does rain.
• Have some drinks on hand and paper bags so shoppers have something to carry their purchases when checking out.

By using these simple tips, you should hopefully have a successful garage sale, making some decent cash while unloading your unwanted items.

Follow these simple steps and you will lower your moving expenses and will also be organized and prepared for the big move.

Safe moving!

In the military? We have some tips just for you

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Now you know how to move your car overseas but what should you know if you are in the military? Moving is complicated by itself and if you are in the military, you know moving your belongings and family can be quite a challenge. A permanent change of station (PCS) is something every military family will experience eventually.

To make the move a lot smoother, here are some simple tips to keep in mind when heading overseas:
• Personal Property Office (PPO) – Once you receive your PCS, contact the PPO. You might have already done this before but no two moves are alike and they have excellent resources for you. There, you can find your basic entitlements and responsibilities among many other helpful tips. A website you will find useful is the Department of Defense site that offers a lot of basic PCS information.
• Make sure to contact your sponsor or new command once you receive your PCS. Your sponsor can help you get to know your new destination and provide you valuable information about what specific belongings to bring or not to bring. In other words, if you are moving to a country that doesn’t accommodate big-sized furniture, your sponsor will let you know so you can put some of your possessions in storage until your new PCS.
• Need to know your entitlement – Make sure you find out how much weight for your move that the government will pay for you. This is really important to ensure you stay within their budget and yours too so you avoid any extra excessive weight fees or charges.
• Papers in order – Before moving, you will need to make sure you have plenty of copies of your PCS available and stored in a safe location. Be sure to have any letters of authorizations, powers of attorney docs, appraisal of high-priced belongings, video or photo identification of your items, and pertinent insurance policies.

One final tip, always purchase movers’ insurance before you move so that your personal belongings are protected when they are shipped overseas. It will definitely give you peace-of-mind. By following these tips and thoroughly preparing before your move, you will know you did everything in your power to ensure a safe military move.

Safe moving!

Moving overseas on a limited budget?

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If you are planning to move overseas whether on your own or due to work, it can become very expensive but there are certain steps you can take to make it less expensive.

Here are some useful tips to move on your budget and to make it even less complicated:
• Lighten the load – When you move, this is a great time to get rid of non-important things and items you never use such as books that have been in your shelf for years or a chair that you never use. Less movers have to move, less you’ll have to pay. Plan on giving away your extra un-needed items, donate, sell or recycle them.
• Dedicated mover – Make sure to hire someone that has been in the business for years and is reputable. At Rainier, you will receive dedicated and personalized service. In addition, we know hundreds of agents throughout the world to provide you the very best price.
• Purchase insurance – Movers know how to transport your belongings but accidents do happen. A reputable company will always offer insurance coverage. If something happens during transport, you’ll know you won’t lose everything monetarily.
• Moving date – Generally speaking, movers are extremely busy during the summer months, weekends and at the beginning and ending of each month. If you can be flexible about the date of your move, the ideal times are middle of the months, November through early December, February through April. These are some of the least busy times and some movers may provide discounts during the slow months.

Follow these simple steps and you will lower your moving expenses and will also be organized and prepared for the big move.

Safe moving!

Purchase and know your insurance coverage before crossing the pond

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Insurance is one of the most important things you need to take care of and ensure you are covered before you leave overseas. I’m talking about personal insurance for you and all of your family members as well as insurance to protect all of your belongings!
If you are relocating abroad with your home-country employer, check the insurance provisions your employer may have on a corporate basis to cover employees who relocate internationally. Sometimes companies with large numbers of internationally located employees have negotiated group policies. Some of the provisions may be applicable and useful to your circumstances and sometimes, you will need to make your own arrangements to ensure you are covered.
If you are moving overseas for work, be sure to know who is making the insurance arrangements for your personal items. Your employer may provide insurance for some of your household goods but then again, maybe not. Also, if you are shipping pricey items and over-sized belongings which may be excluded from coverage, make sure your employer knows this so that if items need to be insured, either by you or your employer, it will be covered.
Find out if shipping insurance, for example, is being arranged through your corporate office or through an agent abroad, and whom you should contact in the event of a problem. You will also want to know exactly what each policy covers; when coverage begins and ends; and what the claims procedure and the deadlines are.
By taking steps and knowing what your employer will or will not cover, you’ll be in a great position to ensure your items are covered. If you use our international moving service, we will be happy to guide you through the process and provide you with peace-of-mind knowing that everything will be taken care of when you move to your new country.

Safe moving!