Author: Lila Adams

When it comes to planning a move, your budget can make or break the experience. Budgeting before a move can smooth the tracks for a seamless transition, giving you and your family the peace of mind needed to enter a new city or home. Without a proper budget, however, you may find the transition painful, long, and difficult. From the addition of house tree plants or succulents to improve the energy and air quality within your home to repair work on the air conditioner or roof, moving requires a strong commitment to budgeting that many movers overlook.

Instead, taking the time ahead of your move to game out all the things you will necessarily have to splash out on as you enter this new phase of your life will help you manage your money, and the stress that naturally comes with this task, far more effectively.

Begin to save more in the year before your move.

Relocating is capital intensive; it’s as simple as that. Whether you are moving to Fort Lauderdale, in South Florida, or away from the Sunshine State to a colder clime, movers all face the challenges of hidden costs and additional time and financial requirements that seemingly come out of the left field. To field these issues efficiently, you need to begin saving specifically for the move in a year or so before taking the plunge. This means setting cash aside every month to cover the cost of hiring movers, car repairs, and home upgrades that may be necessary for the new home – as well as in your old home so that you can take advantage of the highest sale price possible. Buyers have to strike a unique balance between saving and debt reduction in these months, so budgeting for your move a long way out from the actual event is the best way to set yourself up for success in your new home.

Another way to lock in additional capital ahead of a move is to trade in your vehicle for another model. Wrecked cars for sale often offer a dramatic price reduction while giving the buyer a rebuilt vehicle that is reliable and complete with new parts. Finding an older car with a bit of repaired damage can help you soak cash back out of the vehicles sitting on your driveway while giving you a new set of wheels that you can rely on to perform just as well as any new car from a dealership, at a fraction of the cost.

Saving each month is a great way to create additional capital that you will need during this time of heavy spending. It’s simply impossible to fund a move with a month’s salary behind you. Instead, it would help if you were aiming to put away a healthy percentage for twelve or more months ahead of the move – even a modest savings goal of 3-5% of each paycheck will go a long way to helping defray the costs of moving. In addition to this new savings objective, paying down your revolving credit card debt before taking on a new mortgage loan is a great way to improve your long term cash flow. Paying off credit cards is an important step for anyone holding a pile of debt, but it’s essential for those looking for new lines of credit.

With a high debt to limit ratio, you present yourself as a borrower that can’t balance income against spending effectively and pose a greater risk to the financial institution as a result. By paying off your debts before seeking new funding streams, you show the opposite: You immediately become a responsible and trustworthy borrower with the bank’s cash. Indeed a strong credit score and a long history of regular savings can reduce your interest rate and mortgage repayment burden each month, potentially saving you tens of thousands of dollars in the long run.

Cut down on spending.

Like your saving needs, cutting down on your spending in the months before a move is a great way to improve your cash flow and take on the increased expenses of the move itself. Budgeting for a move requires you to shop around for the best deals on everything from movers (See Solomon & Sons at ssrelocation.com for more on the most affordable movers in the U.S. and your area in particular) to new furniture. This commitment to reducing your spending needs to extend out into your other purchasing habits as well. Grocery shopping is one area where severe reductions can be made in the blink of an eye. Grocery stores play psychological tricks on their customers, and each time you enter your preferred store, you are being lured into overspending on the items you need – as well as the things you don’t.

Shoppers benefit the most when they bundle up, bring an organized list, and wear headphones while browsing. This is because the grocery stores all around the United States and abroad enlist the same subtle tricks to get you to spend more time within their walls. Items staples among shopping baskets are separated along with the four corners of the facility (meats, dairy products, and fruits and vegetables), and the store is typically kept at a bristling cold temperature. Along with key product placement of items that provide the highest markups and the slow music, stores aim to get you walking through the aisles as slowly as possible to wear down your inhibitory response to impulse spending. At about the 20-minute mark, shoppers become the most vulnerable to simply picking up items appealing to their impulse rather than their shopping list. Get in, fly through the aisles to complete your list, and then get out; this is the best way to save while doing your weekly shop.

Each of these tips will combine to help you prepare for your move. Alone, they act as high-quality, saving advice to get your cash flow and emergency savings account off the ground. Still, together, a series of powerful budgeting measures can really make a difference as you prepare for this exciting new chapter for your family.

So you’re planning a cross-country move? That is an exciting step on your life journey that can bring about so many new growth opportunities. Whether you’re moving for a job, to be closer to family, or just because you’re ready for a change, you’re probably eager to get started on this new path. However, you have to get there first.

Packing up your life can be a stressful and overwhelming affair. You truly never really understand how much stuff you have until you get ready to move it across the country. Now, there are ways to make packing for your long-distance simpler and more reasonable. First, you need to stay organized and prepared to protect all the most valuable items to you. You’ll also want to plan out a bit of your new space to make sure everything making the journey will fit into your future home. As you’re preparing for your move, remember to take a few deep breaths and commit to taking things a little bit at a time. That plus these tips and tricks will help you have a smooth and easy movement across the country.

Be careful with your valuables.

If you’ve moved before, you understand the need to keep all your belongings safe and secure. Well, a long-distance move makes this all the more important. Take extra care packing up your value with extra padding and bubble wrap to make sure everything makes it the whole way.

Some valuable items are a little small and have the threat of being lost. Necklaces or diamond earrings, or fancy broaches may have sentimental as well as monetary value. Keep on top of where these smaller items are going. When you have a necklace that you love, you want to travel it safely. Maybe these special items can stay in your overnight bags or in smaller boxes that you’ll drive in your own car rather than going with the moving truck.

Have a set suitcase of easily accessible items you’ll need.

Nothing is more frustrating than packing up your life and then realizing you need an item hidden away in a box somewhere. As you’re preparing for your long-distance move, be sure to keep at least one suitcase or box of relevant, easily accessible items. Things like your paperwork, packing materials, and travel needs will be good to keep in one central location. It can be good to consolidate for this bag as well. If you need clothes, you may as well pack your dress with built in bra so you can save on one extra thing to back. It would help if you had stylish outfits planned for the days you are traveling, which may be a great option for you.

Plan to move your pets.

When you’re moving, you aren’t just moving yourself and your family, but you’re moving any pets as well. Be prepared to take extra steps to get your animals situated for a long drive and cross-country trip. Some pets can easily survive the journey. A dog can hang out in the back seat of a car with no problem, and cats are usually contained in a carrier for a while. Certain animals may need a little more planning, however. For example, reptiles are cold-blooded, so they can’t be without their heat lamps for too long. Traveling a crested gecko will require special attention, heat pads, and feeding techniques. Just be sure to do your research on how to get your furry, feathery, or scaly friends through a long drive.

Label everything you are packing.

Organization is key when you are planning a big move. As you pack boxes, try to keep them specifically labeled. That way, you’ll know where everything is when you get to your final destination. It can also be useful to add your name to all your items. Movers will sometimes take more than one family’s possessions at once, and you don’t want to be dealing with a situation where you have missing boxes that were dropped off somewhere else. Cover all your bases and label what you can.

Estimate costs and find the best movers.

Speaking of movers, they can be accommodating during your long-distance move. Bring in several companies to give you different estimates of how much your move will cost you. Then you can decide what company seems the best for you to go with. You want a team that will work with you and guarantee your items will all reach their destination without a scratch.

Know what you’re packing; keep a list.

Another thing to do when you’re packing is to keep an inventory of all your items. This way, you’ll know if anything goes missing during transit. It can also help you to match your list with the boxes you’ve already labeled. Having an inventory sheet will save you time and effort once you get to your destination because you’ll be able to find things so much quicker and make unpacking a breeze.

It’s okay to get rid of some stuff.

As you prepare to move, the sheer amount of stuff you have can seem overwhelming. It may be time to consider exactly what items you need and what you can do without. You don’t want to travel all this stuff across the country only to put your furniture in the garage or have to store your clothes in a storage unit. While those can be valid options, you want to be practical about how much space you need and what items you actually use daily. If it’s been sitting in the back of the attic and hasn’t been used for years, consider getting rid of it.

Plan where everything is going and pack accordingly.

A great packing tip is to actually plan out where items are going in your new space. That way, movers can unload per room, and you won’t have a ton of confusion with your unpacking process. Keep your boxes organized by room, and be prepared where pieces of furniture will end up.

Parents instill many values, ideas, and habits in their children. Whether you’re actively aware of this or not, as you grow up, sometimes you end up being quite similar to the people who raised you. With this in mind, the typical Sunday routine is different for every family, but it’s likely that you picked up some habits for this special day of the week from your parents along the way. Here are just a few Sunday habits that many of us picked up from our parents.

Going to Church

One habit that many pick up from their parents is heading to church on a Sunday morning. As children, lots of families get up on Sunday morning and put on their best clothing to go to church with their families. It makes sense that if religion was a big part of your upbringing you’ll bring that aspect of the weekend into your adult life, too. If you’re looking for other ways to get back into this habit during the pandemic, consider adult Sunday school. Through this kind of Bible study, you can study Scripture, attend class from the comfort of your home, and still fellowship with your faith community like you always have. An adult Sunday school class is your way of becoming more connected with your spiritual health and God’s grace over the weekend.

Neve Missing the Football Game

One incredible memory that many have from their childhood is sitting around the tv cheering on your favorite football team. Nothing was more exciting as a child than putting on your team’s gear, surrounded by your family, and watching Sunday football. When it comes to our health, family time is a great way to strengthen bonds and care for your emotional well-being because you’re making time for relaxation and time for those you love. Though watching football might not seem like a dedication to health, it’s a simple way to promote family bonding for the entire family.

Preparing Your Medication and Supplements

In regards to your health, this is something you might’ve seen your parents do every Sunday. Many folks get their medications, vitamins, and supplements prepared for the week ahead, and maybe you picked up this habit as well. If you take prescription drugs throughout the week, you should look into getting prescription savings. Everyday health services already rack up many costs, so it’s helpful to find discount programs that alleviate the out of pocket costs of your prescriptions. One of these discount companies for prescription medications is America’s Pharmacy. This incredible tool can cut your costs at the pharmacy by up to 80%. All you have to do is sign up for a free discount card and show this at your to get the discounted price. This way, you can save money and continue this healthy and necessary habit which makes taking your medication during the week easy.

Cleaning and Organizing

For many families, Sundays are a day to reset before the week and everyday life comes barreling in again. For many, this means tidying up around the house before the week. When you were younger, it’s likely you had chores like putting away all of your laundry, helping prepare meals in the kitchen, or assisting with some yardwork. No matter the chore, getting in some physical activity and getting prepared relieves stress during the week, which also helps your mental health. In fact, it’s reported that feeling prepared for the week is one of the key factors in feeling more relaxed as the days pass. It’s kind of like starting on the right foot for the week, instead of starting feeling bogged down and stressed about what will need to get done. By following through with this healthy Sunday habit your parents instilled in you, you’re sure to feel calm and collected to take on the rest of your week.

A new year usually comes with a renewed spirit, new expectations, and new opportunities for growth. And for someone starting a new business, this is a great time to begin—a time when the resolution is still fresh, leaving a burning desire to begin. If you are in this category, then you’re in luck, this article talks about just that. 

Before you begin, you have to decide what type of business you wish to start. Some businesses are evergreen and can be adopted at any point, while others are seasonal or outdated. Here is a list of lucrative business ideas that you can start in 2020.

eCommerce

New technologies and progress in internet facilities have made e-commerce easier and more effective than it was before. You can now reach a wider audience, and sell anything from mainstream products to custom and vintage antiques, and even digital products like e-books. When it comes to digital products, you don’t have to store inventory or ship anything, and you only have to create your product once and sit back and watch it make money for you even while you sleep.

You can also sell physical products but skip the hassle of inventory, storage, and even shipping—it’s called dropshipping. Dropshipping has grown massively popular over the past few years because of the many benefits the business model offers over regular e-commerce stores. Once you have suppliers all you need to worry about is marketing and customer support.

Your e-commerce store could also offer services. If you do not offer them yourself you can partner with local stores that do. For example, if you sell phones in your e-commerce store, you could partner with a phone repair service to fix phones in the local area. You can then optimize your site to come up whenever a potential customer Googles “iPhone repair near me.” 

Automobile Retail

This may sound like a scary one, but the retail of automobile cars can prove lucrative if you know what you’re doing. The first trick to avoid huge startup costs is to sell used cars. Used cars are more frequently bought than new cars both in the US and several other countries. With used cars, you get to skip all the extra costs and conditions associated with the sales of new cars.

Another great trick of this industry is that you can find businesses that sell cars used cars wholesale at dealer prices (which means lower than usual) to get a steady supply from. Some of the better wholesalers like Auto Auction mall can even help ship a car from USA to Nigeria. That’s how far their reach is. You can be a business in Australia, England, Canada or Nigeria and still access this service.

Virtual Call Center

As long as there are businesses there will be customers who have complaints and who need help. You can cash in on this by starting a virtual call center. All you need is a good laptop, a stable internet connection, a wireless receiver, and call center software. You can handle customer care for businesses, inbound or outbound sales calls, and other customer-related problems.

The call center software you use is important in this line of business as its features could either make your job easier or frustrating. For example, Bright Pattern’s call center software enables you to run an AI call center. They do this by combining the power of artificial intelligence with their cloud services to automate tasks that you would normally have to do, thereby increasing speed and the number of customers you can attend. All this results in higher productivity which means more money in your pocket.