Moving in the Event of Breakups and Divorces

In a perfect world, both parties involved would realize that their breakup or divorce represents a positive new chapter starting in their book of life. They would be able to part as friends, and one or both would move out with no complications. Unfortunately, this is the real world where emotions tend to dominate these situations and things can be pretty tense. As if moving isn’t stressful enough, when you add the burden of a breakup or divorce on top, it is easy to feel unbelievable overwhelmed, anxious or depressed; sometimes a combination of all three.

Well, while the two of you may not be meeting for brunch as friends anytime in the near future, there is no reason why moving has to be more stressful than it already is.


One Person Moving Out

Are you the one moving out? If so, there is probably a good chance that the breakup was also your decision. Of course, maybe your significant other made the decision, but it is their place so you need to leave. Whatever the case is, you should make a point to move out quickly.

Sure, you probably want to find the perfect place, but you are just adding fuel to the fire, and waiting for an explosion, if you overstay your welcome. Rather than living where there is tension and making things uncomfortable for the two of you, consider putting your belongings in storage and either crashing at a friend’s house or getting a hotel room. Many budget-friendly hotels will take week or month-long reservations, and have small kitchenettes in them, with laundry facilities on the premises.

When you do move, you need to practice proper exit etiquette. Ideally, your now-ex won’t be there. This will reduce the risk of unnecessary stress and tension. Whether you are having friends help or are hiring movers, be respectful of their belongings. You wouldn’t want  them destroying your property, so make every effort to make a peaceful and clean exit.

Both Moving
If you are both moving out, the game changes a little. There are a lot of responsibilities that should be shared, and like it or not, you are going to need to communicate. You might want to hire a mediator, if you are selling your property. Otherwise, you could even use a neutral friend to help you create lists of who will be handling specific responsibilities.

You should agree upon a move out date. This does not mean that you have to move on the same day; ideally it will be separate days or things can get a little chaotic. You will want to make a list of everything that needs to be done, so there is no confusion. This could include turning off utilities, hiring a cleaning service or gathering school records for the kids.

Decide who will be getting pieces of furniture, appliances, collectables, old photos and everything else. Ideally, you will designate separate areas to pile your packed boxes. For example, one person can use the spare room while the other uses the garage. This will help reduce clutter, which can also escalate stress.

Breakups, divorces and moving are all hard enough on their own, but when you combine two, there is the potential for disaster. Planning ahead, being organized and communicating will help avoid complications and increased tension. 

Are you moving soon or in the near future? Moving the traditional way puts an unbelievable amount of trash and other waste into our landfills which are harmful to the planet. Consider getting green plastic moving boxes from us at Rentabox. 

We’ll deliver them to you and pick them up from your new address so you don’t have to worry about it. With Rentabox, moving can be a streamlined, pleasant experience all the way around!

 

Moving Fish and Your Aquarium

It does not matter if you have a small or extra-large aquarium; if you are moving, this one object is likely causing you the most stress. It’s not like your moving and storage professionals can just load the tank into the truck and carry it into the new home all set up. This is something you are going to need to invest a little care and time into to make sure your fish make the move safely. You likely already know how temperamental fish are, so one wrong move could have very sad consequences.

Change the Water
To successfully move an aquarium, you are going to need to start two weeks prior. Since you are ultimately going to take about 80 percent of the water to your new home, you want to make sure it as clean as possible for the move. Therefore, you should change about 20 percent of the tank’s water every other day until the move. If you have a fully stocked tank, you probably already are doing this at least once a week, so it will take a little extra effort on your part. By the time moving day comes, the fish should have clean oxygenized water to make the trip in.


Gather Supplies
First, you are going to need a container for the fish. Insulated plastic picnic coolers work well, or some fish stores have boxes with a Styrofoam liner. Obviously, if you have a larger tank, you are going to need more than one box.

You will also need plastic trash bags. The clear ones are ideal, but make sure they are clean and unscented. The chemicals from scented bags could kill your fish. You will also need some thick rubber bands, containers for water and something to put your sunken ship, treasure chest, skull and other accessories in.

Preparing for the Move
The most important thing to do before a move is stop feeding your fish at least 24 hours prior. Some recommend 48 hours, but this will depend on your fish. You want to be able to keep the water as clean as possible throughout transport, because there will be minimal oxygen in it.

Layer a couple of garbage bags inside one another, place in a cooler, grab a cup and add some water from the tank into a bag until there is more than enough for the fish. Use your net to transfer fish from the tank to the bag. Never place aggressive fish in the same bag because it is a smaller environment. Leave at least 8 inches of space at the top for air. Blow air into the bag, but make sure you are blowing through air into the bag. If you put your mouth in the bag and create a seal, you will blow too much carbon dioxide into it.

Take a rubber band and seal the bag. It should look like a balloon on top. If you have more fish, do this however many times you need so they are all in bags. The cooler will help keep the water temperature regulated, but ideally you will do this close to when you are walking out the door. The sooner you can get them to their new home the better off you will be. You also want to cover the cooler with the lid or put a blanket over top. Fish are less active in the dark, so you want to minimize the light.

Fill the other containers with the rest of the water from the tank until you get down to having about 20 percent left. There is no reason to keep the bottom layer of contaminated water. Clean the tank and accessories as you normally would.

Setting Up the Tank
When you arrive at your new house, the first thing you want to do is set up your tank. As a special note, it is a good idea to fill the tank with pillows or blankets before the movers arrive just to offer a little structural support to the walls.

Pour in the containers of water and add the fish, along with the water they are currently in. Since they were never removed from the old water, they won’t run the risk of shock when being added back to the tank.

Are you moving soon or in the near future? Moving the traditional way puts an unbelievable amount of trash and other waste into our landfills which are harmful to the planet. Consider getting green plastic moving boxes from us at Rentabox. 

We’ll deliver them to you and pick them up from your new address so you don’t have to worry about it. With Rentabox, moving can be a streamlined, pleasant experience all the way around!