Five Tips for Moving on a Budget

Posted on by

Moving on a budget seems like a bad joke that someone made at an awkward party.  It seems like something that you snort about and then have to apologize because you realize that the other person was being serious.  Well, I’m here to tell you that moving on a budget is totally feasible, and even encouraged!

moving-on-a-budget

There are so many different options and strategies for saving as much money as possible (to include finding cheap moving boxes, cheap moving help, and simply how to maximize your resources).  Here are just five of them that should get you well on your way to moving on a budget:

ONE: it’s not always cheapest to do your own move.  Compare quotes from several different movers, keeping in mind that the moving off season is usually the fall and winter, when their moving prices should be lower.  Also, most people don’t know that you can negotiate with a moving company to get the best price.

TWO: did you know that you don’t have to buy boxes?  Cheap moving boxes are just as much a reality as moving on a budget (and a crucial part of the whole shebang).  I once read that “moving boxes are the building blocks of moving” and I think that sums it up perfectly.  There are SO many options for obtaining free boxes that there is no need to spend exorbitant prices.  Search behind department stores for discard boxes, search Craigslist and FreeCycle for free boxes.  Worst comes to worst, you can find cheap moving boxes through online, wholesale retailers.

THREE: shut off some of your services early.  You don’t need cable that last month before you leave, anyway!  You should be spending your time packing and prepping for a garage sale, which is an awesome way to actually MAKE money during a move.  There are also some services like Utilities Concierge that help you find the best prices on utilities where you are moving.

movingout

FOUR: Did you notice that I mentioned a garage sale?  Going through all of your belongings and purging  is a great idea in more ways than one.  You can actually earn money at a garage sale, you can get a tax deduction if you donate, and you are also reducing the overall weight of what you are trying to move, which will save you money in the actual moving process.

FIVE: You can actually pay the USPS to ship your books, thereby saving yourself money on weight, once again.  Also, save all of your receipts.  Every last one of them.  You might be able to deduct the move from your taxes if you qualify.  Onc last helpful hint: coffee filters are a super cheap, super awesome material to protect your breakable a with.

10 Tips for Better Packaging

Posted on by

Don’t underestimate the importance of packaging!  How cool would it be to walk by some shelves at the store and see your very own product sitting on the shelves?  However, just having a clever and creative idea for packaging supplies isn’t good enough.

redeisnged-box-hed-2013

The product needs to be marketed well and handled effectively or it’s not going to make it.  Here are 10 tips to help you get there:

  1. Work smart by having a good cutter guide. What makes a good cutter guide?  A good cutter guide will have the right size, all the folds, the trim and bleed will be specified, areas that need glue or sealant will be clearly marked, and the location of the barcode will be indicated.
  2. If you are designing your own cutter guide, don’t make promises before you find out if it’s even possible.
  3. Use 3D computer programs to help you visualize the finished packaging supplies before you spend and money on making them and having them turn out poorly due to poor and ineffective design.
  4. Use symbols so that you don’t have to constantly recreate the same paths and designs all the time. You can share your symbols library with other designers or reload it whenever you want to.
  5. Once again, find out how your symbols are going to look by using your 3D computer program. This quick preview is a very good idea for label design!
  6. Designing packaging supplies has been revolutionized by 3D programs! I’ve already mentioned a 3D visual of the finished product, a 3D visual of what your symbols are going to look like on the product, and there are even 3D programs where you can indicate the cut and fold lines and see a 3D version of your folded and unfolded packaging.
  7. Using artboards helps in the process of designing cutter guides and will allow you to save your artwork to files on your computer.
  8. Ever heard of Esko and DeskPack? Esko is a manufacturer that specializes in packaging supplies, and DeskPack is a collection of tools, consisting of many different plug-ins, that a packaging designer is going to appreciate.
  9. Creating bleed is necessary but not necessarily easy, especially depending on the shape you are trying to work with. The offset path in your program helps by simplifying this process.
  10. There is a specific Package command in certain Illustrator programs, and it will make your life a whole lot simpler. This makes sense since it is specific to packaging design.

Keep Moving As Stressful as Possible With These Simple Strategies

Posted on by

Would you believe me if I told you that moving could be an exciting time full of adventure and wonder?  Okay, so maybe that does sound a little bit like a Disney World ad, but moving seriously doesn’t have to be a negative and stressful experience.

Moving Tips

The key is in the planning and preparation.  If you are well-organized, have planned ahead, and prepared for the process, it should go quite smoothly with minimal angst and anxiety.  For a lot of us, we start to feel like we’re drowning when it comes to a big task, which is what makes a list tips and strategies all the more appreciated:

  • Use a notebook to make a list of everything that you are putting in your boxes. Give each box a number in your notebook, and write that number on each box.  Keep that notebook in a specific section of your home, which you will refer to as your “moving headquarters”.  Anything pertaining to the move should be kept here.
  • Make sure you have enough supplies. We always wind up needing way more supplies than we think we will, so find good deals for cheap moving boxes and other packing supplies on the Internet or local yard sale sights.
  • One of the most helpful moving tips I have ever used was color-coordinating my boxes. Say you put a red sticker on all boxes from the kitchen, and then you a hang up a red piece of paper in the corner of the kitchen that says, “boxes here please.”  This way the movers can know where exactly the red boxes need to be stacked.

pack

  • You may have found some cheap moving boxes, but you will still wind up needing more than you anticipated. Use your luggage to pack linen closet items or even your clothes in.
  • Set aside cleaning supplies so that you can clean up after yourself and prepare your new place.
  • Pack overnight bags for everyone in the family so that you don’t have to worry about finding simple things like pajamas, toothbrushes, even toilet paper, on moving day/night.
  • Begin the packing process as soon as you find you out you are moving.  Seriously, the sooner you begin to pack the better, because it always takes a lot longer than we think it will.  Downsize as much as possible during this time, which will hopefully make you some money at a yard sale and save you money on your move since you will be decreasing the amount of weight you are moving.  Some people even have a giant estate sale before they move, where people come in and have the option of buying whatever they see.
  • Remember those cheap moving boxes? Sell them after you are done using them, and get some return on your investment.

5 Fabulously Fun Creative Cardboard Box DIYs

Posted on by

Who needs a babysitter or gaming system if you’ve got cardboard boxes laying around?  Hands down, these are THE greatest, THE most universal toy of all time, throughout all time.  They transcend gender and favor no region.  It is the same across the world, for every boy or girl.

But wait…not everyone is creative, right?  Well, thankfully for us, there are A LOT of creative people out there, and double thankful for us is that we have the internet where those creative people can post their creative ideas for us to discover and try to duplicate.  And so, without further ado, here are 5 fabulous and fun ideas for how to transform your cardboard boxes into an amazing time:

CASTLE– hands down, the first and most obvious suggestion is a fortress! The bigger the box the better, but don’t be discouraged because you can put together smaller boxes and still make a super convincing castle (do I need to specify sans moat?).

13091859_6086

BALL MAZE– a favorite with little boys, this is the option for when you have a bunch of wrapping paper or paper towel tubes laying around. A couple ping pong balls or matchbox cars call this complete, although you will probably find yourself joining the youngsters as they experiment with what will and what will not roll.

bdd2e81a371dc57f9c5d8d501f81bd0d

SLIDE– have you ever used a towel or a strip of cardboard to go down the stairs like a slide? Well, the idea has developed into something much safer, and MUCH more comfortable.  Take all of your cardboard boxes, open them up and tape them together laying over the stairs.  Don’t forget to put a couple pillows or a mattress at the bottom for the best results possible.

IMG_0836

STOREFRONT– every kid loves to play “store” or “restaurant”. If you have some engineering skills, or at least a lot of self-confidence, take some time to cut out a storefront and add some cardboard shelves where the junior entrepreneurs can hock their wares.

f3eec478a264bd033fbac76546d9731b

BEANBAG GAME– any box at all will be perfect for the beanbag game, and the best part is that you only need one box! Cut it in half diagonally and then cut some holes in the new “tops”.  Make the holes different sizes, worth higher and lower points.

3403d7afce82ec5c0ff1b63daa5e159d

If you don’t have any beanbags on hand, fill up some old socks with whatever is close enough to dried beans and tie the tops shut.  Great for a rainy day, and the kind of game mom and dad don’t mind being asked to play.

 

The ABCs of Adorable Giftwrap

Posted on by

There are so many ways to give a gift.  There’s simply no need to stick to the plain old, boring status quo!  Too many times we go over the checklist in our mind (cardboard boxes, tape, wrapping paper…).  We don’t even stop to think about all of the fun ways we can giftwrap something.  Did I mention easy and cheap, too?   You don’t have to be Martha Steward to hand someone the most adorable package they’ve ever seen.  If you’ve got Pinterest and YouTube you’ve got everything you need!

Sans Cardboard Boxes

Let’s start by saying “no” to plain old cardboard boxes.  Nowadays, there are templates and patterns online that you can download and print out and then trace on beautifully designed cardstock.  Literally, with a couple rolls, tucks, and bends you can create a package that yawns open at the corners, unfolding like a flower, with a cylinder in the middle holding the actual gift.

Another favorite of mine are like little fortune cookies.  Once again, using cardstock, you can fashion hollow geometric shapes and then stick a little piece of ribbon or thin paper out with the name of the participant.  These make awesome party favors.

Sans Cardboard Boxes

Random Materials

You  might be scared to branch out, but trust me, this is one of those times when it’s okay to do so.  Sometimes people use a cute scrap of cloth or even a beautiful scarf to wrap their gifts in.  This is all well and good but you can achieve the same effect with a fifty-cent piece of felt from your local craft store.  Once again, there are plenty of how-tos all over the internet, so don’t get give up before you even get started.  Felt and ribbon.  That’s like three bucks.  And if you are really liking the wrapping-turned-bonus-gift idea just use a coffee mug!  Everyone uses coffee mugs (they do, right?).  Stuff it with tissue paper, slip a gift card inside, that’s all it takes.  See! You don’t have to be a creative genius to make it happen.

Embellishments

Perhaps my favorite thing about gift-wrapping is embellishing.  This is simply not how things were done when I was growing up.  You were lucky if the paper was cute.  But now there are SO many ideas, and most of them aren’t that groundbreaking.  Skip the designed wrapping paper altogether and go with a solid color.

Embellishments

 

Then, make it fun and 3D by adding your own touch: glue buttons or pompoms all over a package; use washi tape to create designs and pictures.