Getting buried in paper? Catalogs, junk mail, bills and flyers can get overwhelming, especially if you don’t have a system in place to deal with them as they come in. The longer you leave them untouched, the worse it will get. Sometimes, all you need is a week for things to get out of control.

A good way to deal with them is to first attack the paperwork you already have. Go through everything and divide the papers into a few general piles. Things that have to be dealt with immediately, like bills or permissions from your child’s school, should go on a pile. Catalogs, discount coupons and other papers you’re not sure if you’re going to keep should go on a second pile. You can go through the pile later on and decide what to keep and what to toss.

Each new piece of paper that comes in should go into the appropriate pile immediately. Don’t relegate the process until the next day or you’ll end with a new mess of papers to deal with. When opening junk mail, do it next to the waste basket and immediately throw away or put aside for recycling anything you don’t want or need to keep.

Buy containers to store your paperwork. Receipts you need to save for tax purposes should have their own place, as should office paperwork and personal mail. If you receive magazines and catalogs through the mail, have a special basket designated for them. Also, go through them on a regular basis and recycle or donate those who have been around for a while, so you can make space for the new issues coming in.

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Broke but tired of looking at the blank walls all day long? You don’t need to spend a single penny to change the look and feel of your home. With a little time and a lot of imagination, you can create a brand new room in just a couple of hours.

1. Hang something on the wall. If you can’t afford (or are not allowed to) paint the walls, your next best option is to cover them. Use a nail or double-sided tape and hang a colorful rug on the wall.

2. Move things around. Repurpose furniture for other rooms, use sheets as curtains or use a bookcase as a clothing shelf. Change the layout of your room to bring attention to a different corner.

3. Place houseplants on windowsills and tables. If you have a large potted plant outdoors, consider bringing it again and placing it next to the sofa.

4. Visit the dollar store. Not technically free, but can’t afford a few one-dollar items? Get frames or mirrors to place on your walls or a chair pad to change the color scheme on your kitchen without changing the big items.

5. Look for a few large items, rather than lots of knick-knacks. Larger items have more of a visual impact, while small things can make a place look cluttered.

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When it comes to shipping your moving boxes and belongings, you should look for the best you can afford. The last thing you want is to pay for a company to box and ship your things and then discover they broke half of the contents during the move. When choosing movers, keep in mind:

1. Bad reviews are more important than good ones. The good ones could be fake, but the ones are likely to be from dissatisfied customers. Do a Google search for the name of the company you’re considering. See what’s being said about it and how realistic the complaints are. Somebody complaining that the delivery was three hours late is not the same as somebody complaining of two boxes disappearing.
2. Get referrals if you can. Ask friends, family members and coworkers for a recommendation. If somebody else used the company with success, you’re already in a better place than if you were hiring a faceless company off the Internet.
3. Don’t hire somebody who’s too cheap. If you get similar quotes from most shipping companies and a single very low one, ask yourself why. Will the services covered be less? What’s missing? Does the price include insurance? Make sure you find out why you’re getting such a bargain.

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Renting a new apartment? Don’t move in just yet. If you can afford to wait for a couple of days, visit the apartment after the old tenant has moved out and do a few things to prepare the place.

1. Clean the whole place again. Even if it looks clean, spray everything with disinfectant and clean with paper towels or disposable cloths. Not only will this leave a better scent in the place, but you’re guaranteeing that it’s really clean, rather than just dusted. Before you leave, put a couple of room deodorizers around the apartment. When you come back, the place will smell fresh and clean.
2. Replace the toilet seat. Just because.
3. Give the freezer a quick cleaning and then place a fridge deodorizer inside. Or just place an open box of baking soda inside. This will absorb all odors that might be lingering and give you a clean start.
4. Place a few roach traps around the apartment. Chances are there won’t be any bugs around, but if there are, you can get rid of them before you even move in.
5. Plug in the fridge and buy a bottle of Coca Cola or beer and place it inside. Add a bag of chips or some cookies. After all the work of moving in, you’ll be happy to find something waiting for you in the fridge!

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Moving to a new home or bringing a new puppy into the house? Pet proofing your home can prevent accidents and can protect both the new member of the family and your furniture. It doesn’t take a lot of money or effort to make your home safer.

1. Get down on your knees and then look around. This is from where your pet sees the world. Notice anything that can present a danger, such as sharp corners, electrical wires, and small items that might be a choking hazard.

2. Move everything you don’t want destroyed out of the way. Valuable items, books, magazines and expensive shoes can all seem like attractive toys to a puppy. Move them up higher or place them safely into some moving boxes so they will be out of reach.

3. Keep cleaning products and medicine out of the way. Cats can jump up to seven times their height, so avoid leaving things on the counter. Puppies have sharp teeth and can break into boxes and plastic bottles and might access dangerous liquids. Put them behind a locked door.

4. Use a child-safety gate to restrict access to dangerous areas or rooms.

5. Close the toilet lid. Your pet might try to drink from it and fall inside, risking drowning.

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Moving in the summer months can be tough because of the hot weather and strong sun. There are 3 very important tips that can keep you cool and safe when packing your moving boxes into your rent a truck on those hot sunny days:

1) Drink lots of water - Hot weather and physical activity such as lifting heavy moving boxes will get you sweating very fast. This can cause you to dehydrate if you haven’t been drinking lots of fluids. Remember to have a bottle of water near by or even drinking liquid like Gatorade will help you stay hydrated and full with energy for packing boxes into your rental truck.

2) Put on sunscreen – Hot sun and fresh pale skin equal trouble especially if you burn easily. Today they have sun block in spray cans so putting it on is fast, easy and no mess.

3) Shades – no not window shade, we are talking sunglasses. You can buy a pair for as low as $10 at your local drug store.

All 3 tips are very important but if #2 and #3 are not possible because you already packed your sun block and sunglasses into your moving boxes, try using a baseball hat which will offer some protection from the sun.

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Books are an item that can be damaged very easily when your moving. Try some of the below tips to  make sure they have a safe move to there new home.

1) Pack in small to medium size moving boxes. 1 book is light but when you put a bunch in a box it can get heavy really fast. If you have a large book collection like i do, its best to stick with medium moving boxes. Medium boxes hold more books then small boxes and are still easy to lift.

2) Group books by size. Put all your smaller soft cover books in one box and your large hard covers in another, this will help you fill the box more complete.

3) Fill empty space with moving supplies. Since books come is all shapes and sizes you will have some empty space in the box. Simply take moving supplies such as packing paper, bubble wrap or newspaper and crumble it up and fill in empty spaces. Doing this will help prevent your items from shifting around during the move.

4) Label the moving boxes with the word “Books”.

Optional
5) Weather proof the box. Sometimes it rains during your move and sometimes it doesn’t but why take a chance. Simply wrap the packed boxes with some stretch wrap. Make sure to wrap the top and bottom of the box for a complete seal.

Follow the above quick tips to you keep your books safe when moving. If you have have books you don’t want anymore, give them to a friend or donating them to your local library.

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Packing can be time consuming and lets face it time is money. If your not prepared, you will waste a lot of time and get the wrong amount of moving supplies and boxes. So before you start packing, simple follow the below quick tips to help you get those moving boxes packed faster.

Tips that will help you pack moving boxes faster

1) Divide your home into sections such as, bedrooms, kitchen, garage, bathroom, etc.

2) Next, do inventory of each section or room such as, closets, furniture, accessories and items in each room that need packing.

3) After that, group the inventory items that you listed above, that will be placed together in the same box. Example, movie DVD’s & music CD’s same box.

4) Then after everything is grouped together, simple count up all the estimated boxes you will need. Example, 1 medium box for movie DVD’s & music CD’s.

Following the above quick packing tip will help you be more organized which will lead you to pack faster and more efficiently. Also doing this packing list will guide you to better estimate the amount of moving boxes you will need to purchase for your move.

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No need to spend money on pink flamingos or other tacky decorations, even if it seems that’s all you can afford. The truth is that you can completely change the look of your yard for under $100.

• Yard figurines can be found at Home Depot, flower shops and sometimes at places like the Dollar Store. Choose items that would fit well with a garden theme, such as garden animals or fairies and place them under plants, so they appear to be peeking out, or next to potted plants.
• Plant flowers or trees alongside the edges of the garden. Or create smaller areas within a large yard by planting bushes to create sections. Potted plants also have a place in the yard. Simply set them up in a group in a corner. They’re a good option to create a feeling of lushness and will work in areas where there’s no soil, like near the front steps of the house or under the porch.
• Move some furniture outside. If you have an old table or a couple of chairs that you no longer want inside the house, move them to the yard and create a small breakfast area. Furniture left outside will be exposed to the elements and probably get ruined, so make sure you only use things you don’t mind losing.

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If you’re renting a place, chances are you’re not allowed to repaint it or make major changes to the structure or look of the place. This doesn’t mean you have to live with the impersonal, dull beige paint that is standard in most rented places. After you finish unpacking your moving boxes try some of the below changes you can make without altering the structure of the place:

• Use a piece of furniture or a folding screen to create a cozy area within a room or to divide a large room into two. The back of a sofa can create a division between the living and dining room, or you can use a bookcase to achieve the same result.
• Change the hardware in your kitchen cabinets. Choose something bright and bold, or something large and ornamental. Make them shine and make an impact.
• Hang large rugs on the wall to change the color without painting it. You might need to ask permission to put nails on the wall, though. Or use Velcro and something lighter, like sheets.
• Floors are easy: just buy a large area rug.
• Just because you can’t hang paintings on the wall doesn’t mean you should give up on the idea. Get an easel to display the pictures or place them on a table, leaning against the wall.

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