Archive for the ‘Moving Tips’ Category

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Top 5 Places To Live In The Bay Area

Friday, February 25th, 2011

San Francisco Bay is home to dozens of beautiful cities with incredible living potential. With cherished landmarks like the Golden Gate Bridge in the North Bay area and the technological cutting edge Silicon Valley in the South Bay area, there’s no denying that this little slice of California offers a world of diversity and culture. Whether you’re a native Bay resident looking for a change of pace or an East Coast soon-to-be import, it’s worth taking a few moments to explore the Bay’s top 5 cities before you commit to your move.

San Francisco

Obviously heading the list for the area with its namesake is San Francisco city itself. With a three-sided view of the water, this peninsula city is second only to New York City in terms of population density. If it’s the fast-paced lifestyle of authentic big city living you crave, then San Francisco is the West Coast’s only destination for you. If there are two things you can count on, they are the opportunity for employment at every corner and a diversity of cuisine that staggers the imagination.

Berkeley

Nestled in the rolling hills of the East Bay area and home to the state university system’s oldest institute, The University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley offers some of the most beautiful views of the bay you’ll likely ever encounter. Although it is a densely populated city, it is a tight-knit community. If you’re looking for a place that you can speak your mind and live in peace, then Berkeley could be your perfect match.

Santa Clara

If you eat, sleep, and breathe technology, then you were born to live in Santa Clara. At the heart of the famous Silicon Valley in the South Bay area, Santa Clara proudly provides headquarters for names such as Intel, NVIDIA, and Sun Microsystems. If you are lucky enough to snag an apartment or condo in this city, you’ll never want for technological thrills again.

Albany

Love landscape views of the city but don’t want to live there? Albany could be your solution. Another city in the East Bay area, Albany offers a somewhat slower-paced approach to life. With regard to education, its school system is one of the best in the country, with a staggering 96 percent of its graduates going on to attend college. It’s a beautiful blend of city, family, and small town living.

Palo Alto

Another peninsula Bay city, Palo Alto offers a little bit of everything. With companies like Facebook and PayPal, among others, basing their headquarters here, it has the technology. With parts of Stanford University, it has the education. With original, older homes, it has the history and suburban feel. Palo Alto may just be the most well-rounded little big city in the Bay.

Are you reaching for the cardboard boxes now with one of these cities as your intended destination? Well, before you go crazy with the cardboard, think about a more convenient—and much greener way t

o move. Plastic moving boxes that are well made are reusable up to 400 time, so there’s no adding to the landfills or using up energy recycling unnecessarily. Just try to use your cardboard boxes 400 times! The best part about plastic moving boxes is that they can be delivered directly to you in most of the Bay area’s cities! So do the right thing and go green.

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Posted in Green Living, Moving Tips | 6 Comments »

Take the Stress Out of Moving: Part 2

Monday, February 7th, 2011

As exciting as moving can be, there is no denying that it is one of the most stressful things anyone will ever go through, good or bad. Aside from the obvious stress of carefully sorting, packing, and moving all of your belongings only to unpack and set them up in the new home, there is the stress of leaving behind that which is familiar. While it is usually children who have the most difficulty coping with this aspect of moving, adults experience the same stress to varying levels. Much will depend on your own personality, some of the circumstances surrounding the move, and some on how long you have been living in one area.

If you have deep roots in the area from which you are moving, then trying to make a strange new place feel like “home” can seem like an exercise in futility. However, it doesn’t have to be that way. No, no place on earth will ever give you the exact same feeling as the place you’ve called home all your life, but there are many things that you can do to create a new homey environment that is just as comforting, albeit different, from the one you knew before.

The Power of the Senses

ZippGo moving boxes

Have you ever come across an item and thought immediately, “this smells just like Grandma”? The power of our senses is truly amazing with regard to how we associate them with different memories and experiences in our lives. A certain song playing on the radio may bring warm memories of baking with your mom. A particular hue of some color could send you back in time to a play date you enjoyed with a beloved friend. If you’ll use this phenomenon to your advantage, you can create a warm, inviting, comforting environment in your new home in no time.

If the smell of cinnamon, for example, reminds you of home, then try setting out some cinnamon scented candles. If it just isn’t home to you without roosters adorning the kitchen, then incorporate some into your new design. Whatever you find comforting and homey, use it to add character to your new place.

Make it Yours

As an extension on using your senses, decorate your new home to your personality. If you despise the color yellow and every bedroom in the house just happens to be that color, then get out the paint and have a ball. Hang your most treasure pictures on the walls and arrange your collectibles and knick knacks to your liking. If you have an heirloom quilt, why not take it out of storage and use it on your bed for a while? It will do you much more good to give you a feeling of home that way, and that is probably the way whoever crafted it would have wanted it to be used anyway—not packed up in some box. Ultimately, it all comes down to giving your new place your own personal touch. Before you know it, it will be far more than just a residence—it will be home.

Simplify Your Move

If you are looking for ways to help simplify your move, how about eliminating those 150 cardboard moving boxes? Yep, that’s right! Your San Francisco area move can be even more stress free when you use our environmentally friendly, green moving boxes. They are made from recycled plastic, sturdy, and you won’t have to worry about disposing of them after your move. We will deliver them and pick them up. Give us a call today. You’ll be glad you did!

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Posted in Green Living, Moving Tips | 2 Comments »

How Will The Family Adjust To A New Home?

Thursday, January 27th, 2011

Any move, whether across town or across the country, is a big adjustment for everyone involved. As stressful as it can be for adults, children seem to experience the most difficulty adjusting to the whole idea. This is especially true for school aged children who most often feel as though they are being punished for some unknown reason by moving them away from all of their friends and everything that is familiar to them. There are some things you can do, however, to make the transition more bearable for your family and help your children to understand that this move is not a punishment of any sort, but rather a grand adventure for a new life.

Embrace the Community

No one is ever going to feel like a new house is “home” if they just move in to a building and live like hermits. Get out there and explore the town. The kids will love getting to see everything the new place has to offer, and chances are you’ll have a pretty good time too. Scope out the area for restaurants and make a point to try out several throughout the day; one for breakfast, one for lunch, and one for dinner. Hey, kids love eating out, so this could be an excellent way to loosen them up and encourage them to open their minds to everything else you’ll discover that day.

In between your ceremonious meals, explore the family activities available in the area. You might even get some good ideas from the people you’ll meet at the different restaurants. Check out the local park to see what it has to offer. Find out where the local movie theater is. You may even want to finish the day off by stopping there. Get a feel for the shopping scene. This will be particularly important if you have teenage children so that they can see that there is life here after all.

Emphasize Family Time

Exploring the community is fun and exciting for all, but nothing is more important than reinforcing the closeness of family. When you keep your family functioning as a tightly knit unit, your children will be better able to adjust to everything around them because they’ll have the security of knowing that no matter where they are, you all love each other and will always be there for each other.

In order to create this closeness, you have to go a little bit beyond just telling your kids you love them. You’ll have to show it by spending time with them. This can be really difficult to do with all the craziness of the move, but making a point to have a game night on a set day of the week and making sure to sit down together for dinner can have some really incredible benefits for your kids. Besides, you need a break too, and taking a little time just to enjoy life will help everyone feel more balanced during this transistion.

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How To De-clutter Before You Move – Learning to Let Go

Tuesday, January 11th, 2011

In some ways it’s human nature to collect things, and maybe even to form sentimental attachments to those things. While this can be good if you’re a collector, or plan to stay in one place for the rest of eternity, this habit of acquiring objects can present quite a problem when you’re wanting to move and trying to figure out what to do with all of your, well junk.

Moving is stressful enough, don’t make it worse on yourself by lugging around unnecessary stuff for no reason. How should you decide what gets to stay, and what you have to leave behind? The answer is simple. Follow the tips below, and before you know it, you’ll be clutter free and able to start anew.

Get Your Mind Right Before Tackling The Task

No doubt, it is a huge undertaking to go through all of your worldly possessions in an attempt to flesh out only what you need to move with. This is even more the case if you have a huge house, with an attic, multiple wardrobes, or a multi-car garage.

de-clutter your life

Don't let your home get this unorganized!

So, acknowledge that it’s going to be stressful, and work through it a bit at a time. When you’re doing it, be completely focused on the task at hand, but also acknowledge that you are going to be attached to some things, and that’s OK. That said however, you really need to think about a process like this logically and not emotionally as much as possible.

Set The Rules Of The Game

Any good game has a system of simple rules, and this is no different. You’re going to end up with a “yes” pile and a “no” pile, but you need to be clear on the criteria that need to be met for an object to go into a specific place.

For example:

  • If it still has tags on it, or is unopened but covered in dust, you probably aren’t going to get around to changing that any time soon, and it’s OK to let that go.
  • If you can’t fit into it, it’s OK to not take it with you.
  • If you haven’t worn it or used it in a year (or since college) , are you really ever going to wear or use it again?
  • If it’s broken, throw it away, don’t think about the “someday” when you want to fix it
  • If you have multiples of it, get rid of at least one.
  • If it’s a big object like a car, washing machine, or TV, think about whether or not it might be cheaper to just sell what you have and get a replacement when you get to your new destination.
  • If it has sentimental value to you, keep it, but really think about the definition of sentimental value, so that you end up keeping truly meaningful things, and not just “neat junk.”

Work In A System

As mentioned above, this process can be overwhelming on many levels physically and emotionally. Start as soon as you can, and try to breakdown your house into individual areas and tackle them one at a time.

Don’t rush through this process, and try to cram the attic, basement, kids’ rooms and etc into one go-round, and don’t be afraid to ask for help. Chances are, if you do this alone, and all at once It will not end well, in fact everyone will probably just end up cranky and frustrated, staring at all the stuff that’s still clogging up your lives.
Remember The Saying About One Man’s Trash…

Consider that just because you’re getting rid of things, it doesn’t mean that you can’t benefit from it. Things can be sold, sometimes for quite a tidy sum on sites like http://craigslist.org or http://ebay.com or you can have an old fashioned garage sale.

Getting a monetary reward from selling the valuables you don’t need to haul along with you may provide just enough motivation to tear through your place in a way you wouldn’t usually. Also consider making a charitable donation. No matter your situation, many families are less fortunate, and things like toys, games, clothing, shoes and furniture can make a huge difference in someone’s life. Such donations are also often tax deductible.

No matter how you approach your need to deeply de-clutter your surroundings in preparation for a move, just think about the opportunity as an open door for a new start. Don’t be afraid to let go of unnecessary “stuff.”

If you’re especially environmentally conscious and worry about the impact of the usual cardboard boxes used for the moving process, know that we can help you out with a green storage alternative. Our plastic moving boxes are zero waste and our unique service is incredibly easy and convenient to use. Give us a call! You’ll be glad you did.

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Top 5 Reasons People Move

Tuesday, January 4th, 2011

We all dream of moving into a home and being able to stay in the same place for years, if not all of our adult lives. Visions of raising our children at the same address, planting a garden, doing home projects, decorating for the holidays, and watching our families grow up are at the base of our culture and part of the American dream.

If you are considering a move, you’re not alone. Nearly 15% of the US population moves every year.  Here are the top 5 reasons that might mean it’s time to make a call to your local real estate agent:

Needing More Space zippgo moving boxes

Let’s face it. We get new things all the time. As family needs grow and change, we may need more space than our current home can provide. Many homes are designed with a lot of wasted space, so moving to a newer, more efficient home will help you make the most of what you’ve got, and may even leave room for the changes you may face over the next few years.

Getting Married

If you’re planning on getting married, one or both of you will need to change your address. Although moves are known to be stressful, relocating because of such a happy occasion usually raises adrenalin levels, excitement, and feelings of contentedness. Moving because of marriage should be a relatively low stress occasion.

A New Baby

If you’re expanding your family, sometimes there’s not enough room to live comfortably when the bundle of joy arrives. Moving into a new home with more space will help accommodate your new family member and will keep your family busy until the big day. When you move to a new place, you can look forward to decorating the baby’s nursery, and as the child grows, the nursery can grow and adapt into a bedroom or playroom.

A New Career

If you’ve recently landed a new job, especially if you’ve transferred to another city or state, you’re obviously going to have to move. Being closer to work will save you money over the long run in terms of fuel, wear and tear on your vehicle, or other transportation costs so you can make the most of your new salary.

Retirement

As you enter your golden years, there are numerous things to take into consideration. You may not need the space for your children, as you once did. If you’ve tucked away a nice nest egg, your golden years are often a time of reward and leisure. A smaller space, somewhere warm and tropical, may be just the ticket. Many retirement communities or condo associations have all expenses included rental agreements, and even provide help for those with limited mobility.

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

At ZippGo, we believe in win/win situations! Call us before your big move, and let us guide you in the right direction!

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Posted in Moving Tips | 3 Comments »

Tips For Moving To A New Neighborhood

Wednesday, December 29th, 2010

There are two ways you can choose to look at a move: either as a necessary, but rather stressful event or as the next grand adventure in your life! Now, I don’t know about you, but the adventure option sounds much more enjoyable to us. Why focus on negative thoughts when this could very well be the best thing to ever happen to you? Alright, so to get down to the business of making this whole ordeal exciting and fun, let’s look at some interesting ways to embrace your new life.

Claim Your New Home Town

There was once a time that any new member of the community would be greeted by the neighbors with offerings of baked goods and warm welcomes. Sadly, today’s busy lifestyles seem to have made that tradition all but extinct. So, rather than sitting around waiting for the community to come to you, get out there and get involved in the community. new neighbors Do some searching into the different types of charity and volunteer organizations to see if there is one that you may enjoy participating in. If there is, go and introduce yourself. They’ll be thrilled to have the extra help and you’ll likely make some great new friends.

Get familiar and comfortable with your new surroundings by exploring the town. Learn where the local grocery store is and make it a point to shop there rather than making a run to one of the bigger national chains. Find out if there is a local coffee shop or book nook where you can go to relax and get to know people. If you enjoy fitness and sports, check out what programs are available. You may find a weekly kickboxing class or a community golf course. Or, if you enjoy being crafty, look into calligraphy classes or sewing groups.

The point is that it is up to you to create your own adventure. Even the smallest of towns will have something to offer if you’ll only look. Visit the local chamber of commerce and make some rounds to the small businesses in the area. This is where you can find the best information about upcoming community events and groups that may interest you. Most people will be more than willing to point you in the right direction if you simply introduce yourself, explain that you are new to the neighborhood, and tell them you are really excited to get involved with the community.

Don’t worry so much about people viewing you as an “outsider” or what not. That mentality is very rare these days as most communities are made up of people from all over the country. Chances are that at least half of the new people you’ll meet are not natives of the area themselves. The people who are natives are generally accustomed to having new people move in and relish the opportunity to share their own story of living in the area. So go ahead and get out there—there is no time like the present!

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Stress Free Moving – Here’s How

Thursday, December 16th, 2010

If you have never faced the major task of moving from one home to another, you are likely to be in for a rude awakening. I’ve moved several times in my life, each time with more collected stuff than the last, and I’ve gotta tell you if I never have to do it again it will be too soon. Did you know that moving is one of the top 10 major stressors people have to contend with? Yeah, it’s right up there with marriage, divorce, the birth of a child, the death of a loved one, and a major shift in careers. So how do you stay sane during this transition?

First, I can tell you what not to do. Don’t be so naïve to think that everything will just fall together all on its own the day the moving trucks arrive. Those trinkets are not going to neatly wrap themselves and jump in your moving boxes all on their own. Neither will anything else in your home, except perhaps your dog which will be the one thing that doesn’t need to go in a box. You must organize this shindig if you want to come out on top.

moving stress

Don't move like this!

Moving the Right Way…Without Stress

  • Start by making a list by rooms. Decide which rooms of your new home will house specific items from your old one. Are you splitting a shared bedroom or combining two into one? Are there items you need to get rid of? Put it all on paper and make a plan.
  • Start packing now. You do not need your summer wardrobe hanging in your closet in the dead of winter, so go ahead and get it in your moving containers. Any non-essentials like books, DVDs, knick-knacks, and framed pictures can be packed and ready to go days, or even a couple of weeks before the move.
  • Label your moving boxes by the room their contents are destined for first, and then with a brief description of what each box contains. This way you’ll know exactly which room to take the box to when you arrive and you won’t have to unpack 10 different boxes to find your silverware (Tip: ZippGo provides box labels made from 100% post consumer recycled paper free with every order).
  • Pace yourself and take breaks. If you start early and make steady progress then you will get everything done in time. Don’t try to reduce the entire contents of your home into 50 neat moving containers in one single day. Set a goal for each day leading up to the move and stop when you’ve met it.

The Business of Boxes

That all sounds well and good, but where are you going to find 50 moving boxes just like that? Well, ZippGo can not only bring plastic moving boxes to your door, but they also keep you feeling good because your move doesn’t sap the environment of its precious resources. Every ZippGo moving crate is made from recycled plastic and we are in the “reuse” business. Our clean, sanitary, environmentally friendly plastic moving boxes are used and reused more than 500 times. You pack and move, then ZippGo will come and get the containers when you are finished. Talk about stress free! Call us today for more details on a stress free move. You’ll be glad you did.

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Recycle or Reuse? Stepping Up Your Green Game

Monday, November 29th, 2010

I don’t think anyone would argue the fact that recycling is better than discarding altogether. Still, recycling items such as plastic water bottles, cardboard moving boxes, and glass containers requires a good bit of energy. It may save unnecessary waste from finding its way into the landfills, but what of the natural resources required to generate the energy for the recycling process? What of the green house gases that are inevitable as fuels are burned to operate the recycling facility? Recycling may be better than throwing out, but when all things are considered there is still a better solution.reused and recycled can tabs

Yeah, you read that right. A green company just told you that recycling isn’t best. Now before you go getting all worked up into a tizzy, let me explain. Recycling is not a bad thing…it is a very, very good thing. In fact, ZippGo uses recycled plastic moving containers for its services. But we do not use a “new” recycled container every time a customer needs one. We use those babies until they simply are not serviceable anymore—about 500 times each, and only then do we send them to be recycled again.

That’s the key, now isn’t it? Why use all that energy recycling something when you can simply reuse it? As wonderful as reusing is for moving containers, you can reuse all manner of items. Consider the things you casually toss in the garbage or recycle bin and think of a better purpose for them.

Green Good vs. Green BEST

  • Green goodness is reusing your plastic grocery bags as a means of storage or transport of other items. Green BEST is ditching the plastic altogether and getting a canvas tote that you can use and reuse for shopping or toting anything around town.
  • Green goodness is passing your cardboard moving boxes on to the next family to reuse (if the boxes are up to it). Green BEST is renting reusable plastic moving boxes that last much, much longer (and we’ve got them right here at ZippGo).
  • Green goodness is recycling your glass jars at your local recycling center. Green BEST is using those jars as storage containers for your leftovers, craft items, piggy banks, or a plethora of other small items.
  • Green goodness is recycling your plastic water bottles rather than throwing them out. Green BEST is purchasing one sturdy water bottle to refill and reuse.
  • Green goodness is recycling your used batteries in a safe way that doesn’t harm the environment. Green BEST is purchasing rechargeable batteries to begin with.

Is it starting to make sense? Good!

Get Greener by Getting Resourceful

Even the clothes on your back require energy to make. Shop around garage sales and thrift stores for gently used items and save both the environment and your pocketbook. Eat more raw fruits and vegetable to reduce the energy spent on cooking. Use any item you can until it is irreparable and then recycle it. That is ZippGo’s stand on the matter and it’s served us well so far, not to mention the good it’s done for the environment. Will you join us?

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Posted in Green Living, Moving Tips | 4 Comments »

The Cheapest Way To Get Moving Boxes

Thursday, November 11th, 2010

Okay, so let’s face facts…Times are tough. The economy still hasn’t recovered and many of us aren’t looking to spend a lot when it comes to moving.  You might be moving for one of many reasons, but whatever the reason, let me tell you…it’s often much more expensive than you think. There are some basic expenses that you’ve probably already thought of:

Man stuffed into car with cardboard boxes

Don't get moving boxes this way!

  • The moving truck or van
  • The deposit or money involved with getting into your new place
  • The huge trip to the grocery store to stock your new home or apartment with food
  • The utility hook-up fees

What About Boxes for Moving?

If you are trying to save money, you may be considering going the “old fashioned” route and collecting cardboard boxes for moving from your local grocery store. It’s got to be the cheapest way to pack your belongings, right? Well, you may think so, but in reality…no. Let’s break down what’s actually involved in collecting your own boxes.

  • Numerous trips to the local grocery store, Sams Club, WalMart or wherever you choose to try to locate these boxes. Sometimes you’ll get lucky and be able to score 20 boxes from the same place, but guess what? You don’t have your moving truck yet because you’re in the packing stage of the game, so you can only fit 8 boxes in your vehicle….fail.
  • Sometimes you’ll be able to get boxes that are already broken down. This sounds like a good plan, since you’ll be able to fit all 20 of them in your vehicle at once. Cheap and convenient, right? …Wrong. Now you’ll have the added expense of purchasing packing tape to put the boxes together. Think you’ll only need one or two rolls, so it will only cost a few dollars? Wrong again. The average price of a roll of packing tape with a dispenser is between $4 and $6, depending on where you go. You’ll be able to put together approximately 10 boxes with one roll of tape. Since an average move uses at least 50 boxes, you’ve just cost yourself at least $30 in packing tape.
  • Gas used collecting boxes. Unless you happen to work at a place that will supply you with boxes, you’re going to have to use gas and time for “box hunting.” A normal trip around your city to locate boxes could end up costing you at least a few gallons of gas. There’s an extra $10.

Are you tired yet? I thought so. I realize that the above analysis was pretty nit picky, but all things considered, it just makes good sense to move green. Each ZippGo moving box is clean, safe, made out of 100% recycled plastic, and is 27 inches long x 17 inches wide and 12 inches high. They have an attached lid that seals and locks with the Zipp ties we provide. No packing tape is needed and you won’t have to run around town looking for boxes.  We also include box labels made from post-consumer recycled paper and a custom moving dolly.  We’ll bring your green moving boxes right to your door and pick em’ up when you’re done!

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Posted in Moving Tips | 4 Comments »

ZippGo Green Moving Boxes vs. Cardboard Boxes

Friday, September 10th, 2010

We knew using ZippGo boxes for moving and packing is cheaper and greener than using cardboard boxes, but are they faster? We decided to put ZippGo boxes to the test, by doing a head to head competition with cardboard boxes. It should be no surprise who finished first, but wait till you see what we were able to do with all the extra time we had!

ZippGo Green Moving Boxes vs. Cardboard Moving Boxes from Ash S. on Vimeo.

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Posted in Moving Tips, Videos | 5 Comments »

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