Before moving, check cost of living

Relocation to a new city for a new life and job often involves several factors, particularly salary and cost-of-living considerations. Therefore, it's not a bad idea to first check out how your curent salary compares in the new city.

To that end, several cost-of-living calculators on the internet can help you figure out your salary needs in a new city.

• Mortgage Calculator Source of mortgage tools and information for the public interest. Online calculators help you quickly evaluate your mortgage options.
• Bankrate.com Select your current city, the city you're going to and current income, and calculate a range of relocation factors, from home prices to medical expenses.
• CityRating.com calculates the cost of living in two different states based on your current income.
• Homestore.com offers cost-of-living calculations for hundreds of cities in the United States, and the salary you'd need in a new locale.

Lighten load before moving, so new dreams fit into new, smaller home

We've put together a five-step plan to help make the move more manageable:

1) Start with furniture. Ask yourself, will it fit? If the entertainment console won't fit in the new home, either by style or size, sell it or give it away.

Measure furniture and use the new location's blueprint or measurements to decide what goes. Do you have enough room for the bed and both nightstands in the new place? A favorite piece of furniture that won't work in one room may be able to be reinvented in another. Accent tables can become nightstands, a buffet can become a TV stand, a table for six can become cozy seating for four when the leaves are removed. Deciding what pieces will fit or can be reinvented will make it easier to decide what to let go of.

2) Take it room by room:Start with the least-used room. It's easier to purge a room that has become storage or garners the least emotional attachment.

Deciding room by room what goes to the new home and which items must find a home elsewhere prevents an all-out mess. Moving can be an energy drain. Keeping the boxes, tape and piles confined to one space will keep moving from taking over your life.

3)Make piles: Now it's time to decide what goes and what stays. Begin by asking yourself these questions about non-furniture items: When was the last time I used this? Is this something I love and can't live without? Will it serve a purpose in my new home?Kitchens and bathrooms often hold the biggest collection of overstock items such as decorative soaps, bubble baths, sponges, potholders, and towels.

Based on the answers to those questions, make the following piles:

• Stay.
• Go.
• Question mark.

4) Enlist help:A tough-love friend can help speed clutter and closet elimination. For example, a friend might suggest donating the tie-dye T-shirt from Jamaica because the vacation photos are enough reminder of the great time you had.

If you don't have family or friends to help, consider hiring professional organizers. Brenda Scagnetti-Clement, of Complete Organizational Services in the Valley, reports that 80 percent of her business is helping the older population downsize. She helps people sort, discard, pack and arrange items in the new home. Prices are $55 an hour. Learn more about the services at complete-organizer.com or (623) 572-4854.

Valerie L. Cantrell, of theunpackers.com in the Valley, picks up the slack on the other end of a move by having a team unpack belongings neatly and efficiently the day of the move. The price is $50 an hour with a four-hour minimum; (602) 361-6244.

5)Arrange for elimination: Go back to the "go" piles. If family members still need to claim items, set aside time to take them to the post office and ship them. Take junk items to the dump or deposit them in the trash. Now, for the rest of the "go" pile, consider these options:

Yard sale: It's labor intensive, but if you're determined, yardsalesupplies.com provides tips on staging a successful yard sale.
Consignment shops: To unload big dining room sets and sectional sofas, this may be the way to go. Many consignment shops offer free pickup for large pieces. Some sellers report dissatisfaction, however, with their share of the money once furniture is sold.
Estate-sale business: Estate sales are recommended for people who have roomfuls of furniture to unload. Licensed professionals clean the items and display them in the home. The staff takes care of pricing, hauling off unsold items after the sale and cleaning the house. Estate-sale operators often take a commission of the total sales and may charge a fee for conducting the sale.
Online sales: List items for sale for free at phoenix.craigs list.org or try hosting an online auction at ebay.com.
Charitable organizations: Community Information and Referral at (602) 263-8856 can help you find an appropriate charity.
Finally, take a second, third and fourth look at the question-mark pile.

Heiser managed to reduce 300 cookbooks to 40, and 400 books to five. She's still a collector: Christmas tins, decorations and baskets, to name a few. But she learned a valuable lesson from downsizing that she still practices when the mobile home gets crowded with stuff and the people in her life get crowded out.

"We don't need as many things as we think we do," she said. "Being with our kids and grandchildren became our focus - not our stuff."

By Sonja Haller,
The Arizona Republic (2007)

Making the Move:

Moving-Guide a directory of moving companies and services worldwide

Relocation tips for teens

Making the most of your move

Homestore all sorts of help for your move including a moving calculator that will tell you the approximate cost to have a professional move your belongings.

MoverQuotes offers real-time quotes on real-life moves. With more than 15,000 pages covering every state in the U.S., the database includes both full-service and self-service moving companies

American Movers Association lists 3,000 movers and services.

Help-U-Move is a rental truck alternative. You load/unload, they do the driving.

ABF U-Pack Moving is the affordable, self-moving alternative for residential moves nationwide moving alternative

Move Central   filing a change of address couldn't be easier than doing it online instead of standing

in line at the post office.

Get Reimbursed for Your Relocation

See what your employer will cover:

Autos: Transfer of vehicles to your new location. These can be certain restrictions to the number of vehicles, etc.

Childcare assistance: A list of day care providers and possible reimbursement for special situations.

Cultural training: For those moving internationally, a class on what to expect in the new culture will be offered.

Elder-care assistance: A list of nursing homes or care centers will be provided.

Full Pack: A vanline will be sent to pack all your household goods and transport them to your new home. Any special moving needs should be discussed beforehand.

Full Unpack: When the moving van arrives at your new home, movers will unload all boxes and furniture where you wish.

Home-finding trip: A visit to your future city (including airfare, hotel, rental car, and meals) so that you can find a home, schools, etc. that are suitable for your family. And call Alice for listings of homes : 1-877-266-3229. She will help you find a home in the valley.

Home Buying Services: Help with the payment of closing costs, mortgage points, buy down or other fees on the purchase of a home.

Home Sale Services: Help with the payment of closing costs and commissions on the sale of your home.

Lease Break Coverage: If you're a renter, the company will pay penalty charges for breaking a contract.

Miscellaneous expenses: Out of pocket expenses like carpet cleaning, drapery installation, utility hook-ups, vehicle registration and other incidentals could be reimbursed. Make sure to find out if you will get a lump sum payment or reimbursed for certain expenses.

Property Management: Homeowners on international or short term assignments will have a property management company take care of rental and upkeep.

Spousal job support: Many companies offer employment assistance for an accompanying spouse or partner.

Storage: If you will be overseas on a short assignment or living in temporary housing for a few weeks, the company will pay to have your items put in a storage facility.

Temporary housing: In case your new home isn't ready right away, furnished housing will be provided.

Transportation: Getting you to your new destination by plane, train or automobile will be reimbursed.

Travel: If you're on a short unaccompanied assignment or your families move is scheduled a few months out, airfare back home.

Oh, the Places You'll Go! by Dr. Seuss

Congratulations!

Today is your day. You’re off to Great Places!

You’re off and away!

You have brains in your head. You have feet in your shoes.

You can steer yourself any direction you choose.

With your head full of brains and your shoes full of feet,

You’re too smart to go down any not-so-good street.

In that case, of course, you’ll head straight out of town.

It’s opener there in the wide open air.

Out there things can happen and frequently do

To people as brainy and footsy as you

And when things start to happen, don’t worry.Don’t stew.

Just go right along. You’ll start happening, too.

Oh! The Places You’ll Go!

You won’t lag behind, because you’ll have the speed.

You’ll pass the whole gang, and you’ll soon take the lead.

Wherever you fly, you’ll be best of the best.

Wherever you go, you will top all the rest.

I’m sorry to say so, but, sadly, it’s true

That Bang-ups and Hang-ups can happen to you.

You can get all hung up in a prickle-ly perch.

And your gang will fly on. You’ll be left in a Lurch.

You’ll come down from the Lurch with an unpleasant bump.

And the chances are, then, that you’ll be in a Slump.

And when you’re in a Slump, you’re not in for much fun.

Un-slumping yourself is not easily done.

You can get so confused that you’ll start in to race

Down long wiggled roads at a break-necking pace

And grind on for miles across weirdish wild space

Headed, I fear, toward a most useless place.

The Waiting Place......for people just waiting.

Waiting for a train to go or a bus to come, or a plane to go

Or the mail to come, or the rain to go or the phone to ring,

Or the snow to snow or waiting around for a Yes or No

Or waiting for their hair to grow. Everyone is just waiting.

No! That’s not for you!

Somehow you’ll escape all that waiting and staying.

You’ll find the bright places where Boom Bands are playing.

With banner flip-flapping, once more you’ll ride high!

Ready for anything under the sky.

Ready because you’re that kind of a guy!

Oh, the places you’ll go! There is fun to be done!

There are points to be scored. There are games to be won.

And the magical things you can do with that ball

Will make you the winningest winner of all.

Fame! You’ll be famous as famous can be,

With the whole wide world watching you win on TV.

You’ll get mixed up, of course, as you already know.

You’ll get mixed up with many strange birds as you go.

So be sure when you step, step with care and great tact

And remember that Life’s a Great Balancing Act.

Just never forget to be dexterous and deft.

And never mix up your right foot with your left.

And will you succeed? Yes! You will, indeed!

(98 and 3/4 percent guaranteed.)

Kid, You’ll Move Mountains!

So..

Be your name Buxbaum or Bixby or Bray

Or Mordecai Ali Van Allen O’Shea, you’re off to Great Places!

Today is your day!

Your mountain is waiting.

So..get on your way!

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