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!

 

Moving With Your Houseplants

If you are someone who looks around your home and sees plants that you have put your heart and soul into for years, then the thought of them not accompanying you to your new home is pretty disappointing. Giving one or two plants away is one thing, but anything more than that is not something anyone wants to do. Well, you will be happy to know that plants can make the move with no problem, even one of significant distance, if you plan properly.

Plan On Moving Yourself
Although you can ask your moving and storage company if they will handle houseplants, it is very rare that you will find any who will. Every company has a different policy, but since they are difficult to put monetary value on them, most can’t move them for insurance reasons. If they were to be damaged, then there would be the potential for a lengthy claim fighting over the value. Not to mention, do you really want someone else handling them? Plus, moving trucks can be very hot in the summer and like a freezer in the winter; houseplants should be moved in a temperature-regulated environment.

Government Requirements
If you are bringing any outdoor plants along, it should be noted that each province may have different regulations. Indoor plants are not an issue, but outdoor plants are. If you have a question, the Department of Environmental Affairs in your destination province will be able to help.

Transplant to Plastic
Unless you are dealing with very temperamental plants, such as bonsai trees, jade plants and cacti, you should transplant any plants you have in breakable pots into plastic ones. If you are not sure if the plant will survive, don’t chance it; just be extra careful with it.

You may even decide that you don’t want to move large plants, but simply bring cuttings from them. In this case, you can wrap them in wet moss and newspaper, place them in an unsealed bag and they should be fine for a couple days until you can put them in water to root at your new house. This is ideal for cross country moves, if you don’t have room in your car for a bunch of pots.

Bag and Box
Taller plants should be wrapped in plastic to help prevent damage. Add a couple garden posts to the soil and cover with a plastic bag. Just make sure to poke holes in the bag so your plant can breathe! Place the pots in boxes or plastic bins so you can set them on your backseat or the cargo floor of your SUV or minivan. If you have breakable pots, use towels or something similar to keep them from vibrating together over bumps.

Arrival
When you arrive at your new home, remove any plastic and place them in appropriate areas depending on their sunlight needs. You don’t want to transplant them out of the plastic pots yet. Give them at least a week or so or you can over-stress them. Any cuttings you brought along can be placed in water immediately to root.

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!

 

Spring clean? Put some stuff in storage

There is just something about spring that causes people to start wanting to clean up and remove clutter from their homes - so much so that we call it spring cleaning. Spring cleaning can be a great way to remove stress and mess from your life, but there are times when we run across a simple problem: we have too many things, but don't want to get rid of any of them! The solution to this problem is simple: while you're spring cleaning, put some of your things into storage.

Too Much Stuff
Often, the problem that we face when trying to clean our homes is that we simply have too many things. There are certainly ways to begin removing things from your life, such as donating them to friends or charity, but we often find ourselves in a situation where the things we have left over after spring cleaning are items we love and treasure, not things we want to give away. When that's the case, we need a solution to store our beloved items, so that they can still be ours, but not be in our way. The perfect solution in this scenario is to rent a storage unit from a local storage company.

What to Look For
When it comes to finding the perfect storage unit for your precious things, you don't want to place them in just any storage unit. Improperly managed storage units can cause damage to your stored items and are often easy targets for thieves. Instead, you should do your research beforehand and find a reputable company that offers a few specific amenities.

The most important thing is an excellent security system. Padlocked doors may seem safe, but they are easy for a thief with bolt cutters to break into, especially if there is not around-the-clock security available at the facility to keep an eye on things. You want a unit with state of the art security in a facility that maintains a 24-7 security force or system.

Next, you want to find a unit that is both climate and pest controlled. Humidity, temperature fluctuations and pests can all be destructive forces in a storage unit, especially if you have to leave your belongings there for an extended period of time. By ensuring that your unit is climate and pest controlled, you can help to keep your belongings safe and intact no matter the duration of your storage.

We recommend Simply Store for short term storage. You can find them at www.simplystore.co.za. 

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!

 

Be prepared and organized this year for spring cleaning.

Getting kids to cope with the move

To ensure a smooth and stress-free move, you have to talk to your family about your plans. If you have kids, you should give them enough time to adjust to the situation. Moving will not only change your life, but also that of your kids. It is possible to get their help or support once the packers and movers arrive. All you have to do is follow the tips below.

Inform your kids about the move in advance

• This will give them time to prepare and to accept the fact that you're moving to another place. Kids don't like uncertainties especially if they are already in the school-age group. Leaving behind friends and classmates can be hard. This is the best time to improve your communication lines.

• Get your kids to talk about their feelings, and don't hesitate to get their opinions on and about the move. If you tell your kids in advance, they will surely cooperate.

Get your kids involved in the planning process

• Try to assign simple packing tasks to your kids, for their support. For instance, you can tell them to sort their things - pick the ones that they will take during the move and the ones that they want to give away or put in the trash.

• Change is good but if it's too sudden for your child, it can be upsetting. You can minimize this by getting your kids involved.

Try to build memories with your kids in the old neighborhood.

• Before the move, you should allocate enough time to take your kids to their favorite restaurant, parks, or hangouts. You also need to give the kids more time to spend with their friends.

• Building memories prior to relocation is good because they can leave the old neighborhood with a positive note. When your kids are happy, they can cope well in the new environment.

It is a wise decision to hire reliable packers and movers because you can spend more time with your kids. You can easily keep track of your kids' activities, feelings, and issues especially the ones related to the move help them sort that out. Once they are fully convinced, you can get them to help with the relocation activities.

Your kids have the right to know everything about your relocation plans as it will change their lives too. Best you can do is - guiding them throughout the process.

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. Why waste time and money on cardboard boxes and tape that you’re just going throw away when you move into your new place? Instead, 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!