by Erica Beiser

Well this is a matter of opinion! Here in the Northern Midwest, you would assume the summer is the best time: no snow and sunny days. Wrong! The summer months, which we call Peak Season, are about May to August. Seventy percent of all moving is done during these months. The rates tend to be higher, the lead time on a move is much much longer, and moving van space is prime real estate!!

Moving in the winter might seem harder, but we’re experienced at all kinds of weather. It does not stop us, we just take extra precautions. Floor protection and rug runners become our movers’ best friends!!!

Spring and fall tend to be more preferrable for moving due to the weather, but if you need to move January 10th we will be there! Don’t let the time of year deter your moving venture because you are concerned about the movers. They are professionals, and have seen far worse weather than what any Midwest winter or humid summer can provide.

In most cases we ask for a minimun of four weeks notice on a move. This will allow enough time to provide you an estimate, schedule dates, and assign a driver and moving van to your move. If you do not have four weeks, don’t worry — Barrett Moving and Storage will not turn you away. In fact, we will do what ever we possiblly can to meet your moving needs.

To inquire further about moving during a specific time of year, please contact a move coordinator for further assistance. Smile and Happy Moving!!

by Erica Beiser
Something that becomes a very quick reality when moving is School. Once children start going to school, it becomes a very big part of their lives. The thought of having to leave behind their teacher and friends can be devastating. I have some suggestions for making the transition easier.

Before leaving the child’s old school behind throw a “going away party,” with the okay of school staff members. Have your child make up a small bag with a picture of him or herself, a note telling friends how much they mean to him or her, and a index card with your new address. Everyone loves a pen pal!!

Contact the new school your child will be attending. Find out what activities are available before or after school, including clubs and gatherings with other students. These kinds of activites help all children interact and make new friends. Once you have established yourself in your new home, invite a couple of your child’s new-found friends and parents over on the weekend for coffee. This will let you also make new acquaintances, as your children make new friends.

Remember that a playmate for a younger child is a very important part of the transition to a new city. Your Barrett Moving and Storage move coordinator may be able to provide other ideas as well, depending on the location you are moving to. Smile & Happy Moving.

by Erica Beiser

Keep in mind, that the moving process for small children rates right up there with green beans!! You have to make it fun, a new experience, an adventure!! Fortunately, there are lots and lots of things that need tending to when moving.

Let your children sort through their toys and pick the ones that they can donate. When you make the trip to the donation site, let the kids lead the way – it makes them feel important.

Let your kids pick the color of their new room, it’s only paint!! Or better yet a theme, like baseball, dinosaurs, or princesses.

Try to get your kids hyped up about all the “new” stuff in their new town. And best of all, their new school! All chilren love to play with new kids. Try to get as much information about activites in your new area. You may be able to get further information from your move coordinator at Barrett Moving and Storage.

Children adjust rather well to moving, as long as they are reassured that with change will get for the better, and that soon enough everything will go back to normal. Smile and Happy moving.

by Erica Beiser

Let’s be honest, who would want to leave behind their school and friends? Not many children would, but this is a tough reality of moving when small children are involved. In a larger than life world, everything they know and rely on as normal, will change drastically during the moving process.

Parents should try to explain the reason behind moving, i.e. job, family, etc. Be prepared for you child to “vent.” They may do naughty things, be irritable and act out. This is a normal process that all children go through. Try to redirect their attention. Make them part of the “adventure.” Have fun with the normal tasks of the move process.

Give children a moving box and packing paper and have them pack up their “special toys.” Let them pick where there favorite stuffed animals will go, for example. Let them write their namew on their boxes for their rooms. Let them know that they can help decorate their new room. To help improve the outlook for children, make it a family activity to get information about the new home town they will be moving to – parks, playgrounds, school activities, fairs, etc. This information can be located a variety of ways, such as the internet, local Chamber of Commerce, local news papers, and possibly your move coordinator.

Everyone at Barrett Moving and Storage will do what they can to make a move as easy and fun for all, not the dreaded chore!! Children as well as parents should try to have a very positive outlook, and the process will not be as tough of a transition for anyone. Smile and Happy Moving!!

by Erica Beiser

Regardless of your age, everyone, and I stress, everyone has items that carry a great deal of sentimental value. This items do not discrimate based on age!! Make no mistake, I have a tote in my own basement that is filled with “treasures” from junior high, high school, weddings, birthdays, etc. I have been told many times, “oh, just get rid of that stuff,” but to me it is far more than just “stuff.”

Now do not mistake these items for things such as grandma’s old coffee pot or tea kettle. I am talking about things that would be difficult to replace–monetarily and senitmentally. Things that could not be repaired if damaged. Things that you would be at a total loss without.

The first thing that comes to mind is photos, particularly old photos. Today, most people have photos stored on their computers, on their digital cameras, on CDs. But, some photos – family heirlooms, for example — don’t have that 21st century back-up and can’t be replaced. When it comes to moving, you also have to think about the weather – that again! In the summer it’s hot in the moving van, in the winter it’s cold. Most things are just fine but there may be items you want to pack and take with you in your suitcase – like that anniversary picture of your great-grandparents’ 50th wedding anniversary.

When you do ship items of high intrinsic or sentimental value, please make sure to make your coordinator and your driver are aware of these items to insure they are handled corrctly. We want you to feel comfortable moving your most prized possesions!! If you have questions about what to ship on the van and what not to, don’t hesitate to ask your coordinator.

Your most prized items are our most prized items, and we will do what ever it takes to handle them accordingly.

Smile and Happy Moving!

by Erica Beiser

Boxes…Paper….Tape…More Boxes….Tape…Paper….and again More Boxes!!!

As funny as it sounds, it’s true, when you are getting ready to move your life will become filled with boxes, paper and tape. When packing your own items, the materials that you would normally take for granted might suddenly seem hard to find. But they don’t have to be – if you know what you need and where to find them. Your Barrett Moving and Storage office is the best place to start. All the proper materials are avalible for a minimal fee.

You can always find your own boxes as well. You can try places like grocery stores, liquor stores, friends and family. The boxes have to be whole and complete. We cannot move boxes that do not have a top, or have an open space in the top. They do not stack well. We also deter customers from packing in TV boxes as well as shoe boxes.

Paper is easier to come by than boxes. We recommend the use of white packing paper or news print. Other useful filler/wrapping items are tissue paper, gift wrap, towels, small blankets and other linens. Be careful not to put news print or gift wrap on any items that might absorb the ink.

Boxes should be taped as if you were sending the item through the mail. 3×3 we call it. Three pieces on the bottom and three on the top, one vertical and two horizontal. Do not use masking tape, it does not stick to the boxes well, and there is no need for duct tape. Just plain old box tape. It can be purchased at any Barrett office, hardware store, home improvement centers and even the grocery store.

Pace the packing, don’t try to do it all in one day, or you will burn yourself out. You never realize how much stuff you have until you have to find a box for it all to go in. Complete a few boxes at a time. Then do something else, and go back to it. We don’t want to pick up a box and be able to hear what is inside, unless there is a bell the size of Rhode island in the box!!! Try to make it fun, have a packing party! Pizza, Soda, and Boxes, make a great combination!! If questions do arise about packing, be sure to call your move coordinator for direction on the how to’s. Smile and Happy Packing!!

by Erica Beiser

When retirees are moving, nine out of ten times overall downsizing is the main reason. Space can quickly become an issue. Homes become too large to care for, lawns become too much to mow, and keeping up with normal housework can get overwhelming. The solution: a smaller space that is a lot less work overall. The problem: all those items they have saved for years and years that may not fit so well in a smaller space.

If you’re a retiree who’s downsizing, or you’re helping someone move into a smaller place, here are some tips I’ve found useful in working with my customers over the years.

Sometimes that furniture that works in your big house, doesn’t work as well in the new, smaller place. Sometimes those items can be replaced for the same or little more than it will cost to move them.

Consolidating things like photos and clothes will give you more room, and ensure that you have what you want and need, not just what you’ve accumulated. For instance, if you’re moving to a warmer climate, you can get by with a lot fewer wool coats and scarves. Purchase photo boxs or albums for pictures and take the time to go through them to keep, and display, the really important ones.

Make sure you’re moving what’s most important: cherished antiques, art — items that can not be replaced today. Those are the keepers.

A good rule of thumb for overall downsizing is to leave behind (donate, sell, get rid of) about one third of a full room. The new house may only have an eat-in kitchen, and not a huge dining room and kitchen, or two bedrooms instead of three. When you eliminate some of the larger pieces of furniture, you get more breathing room in your new home. Your new home can be be reminiscent of the happy memories in your old home with some room for making new happy memories!

Smile and Happy Moving!

by Erica Beiser

I had the pleasure the past week and a half of moving a wonderful elderly couple from Arizonia back to Wisconsin. I was referred by their daughter, who was handling the move – and who lives here in Wisconsin. She had spent a great deal of time trying to explain to them that they did not need to bring every single thing they owned back to Wisconsin.

Her downsizing efforts were great, but she was having trouble. I suggested that we have someone from our agent in Arizonia go out and look at everything. They did just that, and were able to give the customers some great advice on the value of their goods versus the cost to move them. Ultimately, their daughter did a great job helping them downsize their shipment to an affordable amount of goods — and the right amount for their new home.

I was able to place a Barrett Moving & Storage driver in Arizonia to pack and load the small shipment. I knew this was a very high stress move for them because they are in their late 80’s. Our driver was able to ease their minds, and their daughter’s back here in Wisconsin. All the while I was in constant email contact with her, advising the best way to handle specific situations.

The driver delivered here in Wisconsin on Tuesday afternoon, May 6, to their apartment. I spoke with their daughter yesterday. She thanked me repeatedly for the family-oriented service that she and her parents had received. She praised the driver over and over again for his level of patience and respect for her elderly parents. Everything made it back to Wisconsin safe and sound and her parents are very pleased with the service, even though this was a very diffcult time for them. Throughout this entire move I never spoke directly with the elderly couple, and in this case it worked out great!!

Their daughter has put us on her list of ” Great people and great service.” And as she put it, “Not that I am planning to move, but if I have to you will be the first person I call.”

The moral of this moving story: Patience, respect and the proper suggestions make moving easier.

by Erica Beiser

Even though I work at Barrett Moving & Storage, handle local, cross country and international moves daily, this does not make me immune to the normal responses of children, including my own!! My fiance and I are in the process of buying and moving to our second home. We have spent countless hours going over details and plans of what we would like to do and where we will put things in our new home.

In the midst all of this, all we are told by our three-year-old daughter “But I like my house, I don’t want to move.” That is when the mother part of me kicks in and I tell her it will be fine and to go play and not worry about it. But, after giving it more constructive though, I decided to go at it from another angle. Mind you she is three, and the only home she knows is the one we currently live in, so to her, “Why move??” is a logical question.

What we have taken to doing is when we are discussing the possible new house, I go and get her, and include her in the conversation. She has seen the home in question, so when speaking about it she knows what we are talking about. I bring up things like, “Think about the super big yard your swing set can go in.” and “Maybe when you get a little bigger we could get a dog because the yard is fenced.” Things that she can relate to and understand.

We have tried to make this a huge adventure for her. She would live closer to her grandma, and that has been a big plus in our favor, because what child doesn’t like to go to grandma’s house? And, thankfully she is starting to understand why we might be moving: so we have more room for all HER stuff!!! Happy moving to me!!!

by Erica Beiser

So much to do in so little time, you say? There is a laundry list of items that have to be taken care of before you can move. I find the easiest way to keep it all under control is make a list. There’s nothing like the satisfaction of checking items off a list – especially when they are part of a big project like moving.

Six to eight weeks before your move date, contact movers you are interested in working with to learn about their services and get moving estimates. This will give you plenty of time to choose your mover, check references, and make all the arrangements you need. Choosing is a mover is more than picking a price – it’s being sure that they’ll be there when they say they will, do what they promise, and treat your household goods the same way you would. (Or maybe even better!)

At the same time, start sorting and packing. This will help you determine how much you want to move, plan for a garage sale or donations, and make arrangements to get rid of things you won’t keep or donate. There’s nothing like packing to make you realize how much you have.

Look for packing tips on our website at www.barrettmoving.com or ask your mover for publications to help you get started.

Next time: More tips on getting ready for your move.