Sometimes the inevitable call of a new job, family situation, or new love, will present the opportunity to move cross-country. While moving from place to place within the same region can be daunting, making a move to an entirely different state or region of the country can be far more taxing, if you are not prepared. There is a great amount of planning and care that must be involved in a cross-country move in order to ensure you do it right.
Pre-Move Prep
Before you decide to move, make sure you do the legwork involved in finding employment near your new home. Should you choose to move before setting up a job, you may find yourself stranded in a new place with low finances and few options. Instead of having to make a mad scramble for the classified section once you arrive, planning ahead will take a great deal of weight off your shoulders
It’s also important to have your living situation sorted out before you move. While this may seem like a no-brainer, some folks opt to stay with relatives or friends in their new town while they take care of finding a new place to live. If you choose to stay with others, you may run the risk of over-staying your welcome or becoming a burden. If it is at all possible, find your new home and make arrangements to move in before you leave your current residence.
What’s Worth Moving
After you’ve squared your living and employment situations away, it’s time to take an inventory of your possessions. While this is never a pleasant choice to have to make, it’s vital in saving you time and money during the move. The fewer items you have to move, the less time and space you’ll have to take up when the packing process begins. This can save you a significant amount of money when moving time comes. The smaller the moving vehicle, the lower the price!
Whatever is non-essential or can be re-purchased cheaply should be sold, donated, or discarded. If you don’t feel like having a yard sale, sell them online. Beyond the convenience, online selling generally assures you will get a much higher return on your item than you would through a yard sale or garage sale. Old furniture, books, DVDs, appliances, and other things which may weigh down your move are usually sought after by others. If you don’t want to take the time to sell these items online, donation is a helpful option.
Toting Your Stuff
If you’re going to rent a trailer and/or moving truck, do your research beforehand. Find out how much it will cost to rent the size you need, and determine, before ordering, the size truck required to move what you need most. Consider vehicle towing, mileage and gas consumption in order to determine the best method of transporting all of your essentials.
Don’t be afraid to be creative when making a big cross-country move. Perhaps a relative or a friend would be willing to drive your vehicle and belongings across the country for you, simply for the experience. If this is the case, you can offer to pay for their gas, food, and lodging for their trouble. Depending on the move, this may be more cost effective than using a moving service or vehicle shipping service. Or, if you don’t have many possessions in the first place, it might make sense to let go of all your large items and move by airplane, train, or bus.
There are a myriad of options and services at your disposal! Decide what suits your needs, do a little homework before the move, and enjoy your new home … wherever it may be!
Most of us who have moved around a bit know what it feels like to move into a new apartment. Transferring your items, decorating your new space … it can all be quite exciting! But, what about a brand new apartment? How about an apartment that has never been lived in before? What an interesting prospect to be the very first resident in your very own space! With new apartment communities going up quicker than ever before, it’s something you can try first hand!
When moving into an established apartment community, even the best maintained apartment homes can show signs of wear, tear, and general use. Sometimes the decor or hardware in an older apartment can appear dated or faded. With a brand new apartment, all of the amenities and details are modern and up to date! Not only is it fun knowing that you are the first occupant of your new home, but you get to enjoy the new look and feel of a modern apartment community! While some newer apartment communities can be a tad more pricey, it’s worth it for many to be surrounded by amenities and a new home that is sleek, untouched, and contemporary. Beyond the look and feel of your new apartment, many of the modern appliances will save you energy and money every month!
There can also be a pioneer spirit that comes with moving into a brand new apartment home. This can bring about a sense of community and camaraderie with your new neighbors, since you are all sharing in the experience of being the first to live in your new home. With many new apartments, the features of the community will be interesting and different from most of the older apartments you may have lived. Some new communities, such as Brewster Commons on the New Orleans Northshore, offer fun amenities like a tanning deck and yoga room!
While there’s nothing wrong with moving into a previously lived in space, it’s nice to be able to call a brand new space your own. Consider it if you’re looking for a change of pace or want to be part of breaking new ground. Like upgrading from a used to new car, you’re sure to find the modernistic atmosphere of a brand new apartment to be a luxurious step up!
NFL Season is Around the Bend
With the NFL lockout ending and football season gearing up to begin, Saints fans in the Gulf South are pumped up about the prospects for the 2011 season! With the addition of a solid defensive end in Cameron Jordan, a versatile and tough running back in Mark Ingram, and a potential steal at linebacker in Martez Wilson, this draft seems to have been just what the Saints needed! So, beyond sporting your Brees jerseys (or whatever player is your favorite), how do you get ready to enjoy the big game at home?
First of all, there’s the all-important game day décor! You want to show your team pride, but you don’t want to over-do it with the decorations. Why not throw up banners, posters, newspaper headlines, or rugs in your living room? If you have any team memorabilia or souvenirs, display them prominently to get in the spirit! If possible, changing the color scheme of the room to match the team colors is always an interesting touch as well. Team colors can also be used for dinner plates, napkins, and cups when you’re eating game day grub!
Speaking of game day food, it might be even more important than the décor of your room. This is where you can really let your colors shine, because any football watch party isn’t complete without plenty of food! There are the classic chips, dip, buffalo wings, hot dogs, burgers, popcorn, and soda. However, if you really want to take it to the next level, try grilling or cooking something a little special in the oven. Steaks, burgers, or sausage will always keep your fellow football fan guests happy. Make it an indoor tailgate!
Finally, get your friends and family pumped up for the big game with some music! There’s the always popular “Stand Up and Get Crunk” if you’re a Saints fan or “When the Saints Go Marching In.” With a quick search, you can come up with quite a play list to get people ready for the game!
However you choose to enjoy the game, enjoy the upcoming NFL season and GO SAINTS!
Those of us with kids know how challenging it can be to get them excited about meal-time. Even more of a dilemma is making sure that they eat healthy food that they will also enjoy. With the kids out of school for summer vacation, one good way to keep them entertained and make sure they eat right at the same time is to make snacks together! Below are a few simple recipes that will make for fun and health-conscious treats that will please both you and the kids!
Ants on a Log
This is a classic snack that takes about 15 minutes to make, and actually looks like ants on a log! Kids love a snack that also gives them an interesting visual, and this one has been around for years. Simply take a celery stick, and spoon peanut butter (smooth or crunch will both do) into the celery. Then, place raisins along the peanut butter to be your “ants” and enjoy! If they don’t like raisins, try sugar-free chocolate chips instead!
Another great twist on the celery stick is a sailboat snack. This is another visual treat that also takes around 15 minutes to make. You’ll need a celery stick, peanut butter, and a fruit roll treat. Begin by cutting a 3 to 4 inch section of a celery stick, and spreading peanut butter in the groove of the celery. Cut a small triangle from the fruit roll snack and attach to a toothpick to look like a sail. Stick the toothpick in the celery and now you have a sailboat snack! It’s like a toy that the kids can eat!
This recipe is a little more involved, but the payoff is great fun for you and your kids! You’ll need hot dogs, hamburger buns, and cheese. This one takes a little time to cook, so the preparation time will be around 30 minutes. Start by cutting a hot dog down the middle, lengthwise. Then, cut each of these strips in half down the middle (lengthwise) again. Cut each of these 4 pieces in half to make 8 legs. Boil the hot dog pieces until they curl. Place the piece of cheese on half of the hamburger bun and then place the ends of the hot dog pieces onto the bun so the curled ends stick out of the sides. If you want, try placing the bun and cheese in the microwave or oven for a moment so the cheese melts slightly. Once this is done, cover your sandwich with the other half of the hamburger bun. From here, you can use ketchup or mustard to make eyes and a mouth on the top of the bun!
While chances are you won’t find this snack at the ballpark, it’s a great way to turn what many consider a fast food into a wholesome treat! This treat is quick and easy, and all you’ll need are hot dog buns, peanut butter, sunflower seeds, bananas, and jam. Simply spread a hot dog bun (you can use whole grain buns to make this snack extra healthy) with peanut butter, and sprinkle with sunflower seeds. Top that with a whole, peeled banana and a little bit of your favorite flavor of jam. Close the bun, and it’s ready to serve. This treat goes great with skim milk!
This is another fun, visual snack that doesn’t require any cooking time. You can make this treat in about 10 to 15 minutes, and will need apples, peanut butter, and miniature marshmallows. Begin by cutting apples into wedges. Smear peanut butter on one side of 2 wedges. Stick a few marshmallows on the peanut butter on one of the apple wedges and top with the other apple wedge, peanut butter side down. When you look at this it looks like a smile (the red part of the apple are the lips and the marshmallows are the teeth!)
For some living in an apartment community with a communal laundry room, the ins and outs of laundry room etiquette are either new or uncertain. The most basic rule of the laundry room is to be courteous of others. While many people know exactly how to navigate the communal laundry room, some have yet to be initiated.
Here is a brief list of do’s and don’ts of apartment laundry room etiquette to keep hassles or headaches to a minimum!
First of all, don’t leave your clothes in the washer or dryer indefinitely. This is inconsiderate to other people and your clothes will be removed by another impatient resident.
Instead, only do laundry when you have the time to see a load through the washer and the dryer. While it takes time, it beats having your clothes tossed aside or collecting mold from being left in the washer for too long.
Unless you have the time to immediately dry your clothes after washing them, just hold off!
To go hand-in-hand with the first rule, don’t throw somebody’s clothes on the floor!
Be patient if a machine has been in use for a while. If you notice that a machine has been stopped for over an hour and is still occupied, put them aside in a neat pile. Or take the clothes inside and put them in a plastic grocery bag. Leave them by the machine for the resident who may have left them there.
This will ensure their clothes are not soiled by putting them on the floor, and you can then move on with doing your laundry.
Before doing laundry, make sure you have enough quarters to wash and dry your load.
You run the risk of annoying other tenants if you’re constantly asking for quarters because you’re a little short! Grab any spare change out of your cup holders, break a few dollar bills for quarters at your local convenience store, or go to the bank to buy quarters. Make sure that you have enough change to do laundry for quite some time.
Some management companies, like 1st Lake Properties, no longer utilize quarter machines. Instead, residents buy electronic keys which keep a balance of credits used, thereby removing the need to haggle for quarters. In these instances, make sure you keep track of your balance and reload when necessary.
Decide whether you want to leave your hamper in the laundry room based on the amount of time it will take you to do your laundry. If you think you might be late getting your clothes, leave it next to your machine in case someone needs to move your clothes out.
Also, on the subject of hampers, don’t use someone else’s hamper! If it is left behind for a week or more, you may consider throwing it out.
Using an old or discarded hamper can be dangerous, since you never know what’s growing in it or why it was left behind in the first place. However, even if you know who a hamper is for, don’t take advantage of someone else’s hamper without permission. This causes tension or confrontation with other residents.
Lastly, do not throw apartment trash in the laundry room trash cans!
Most communities provide these convenient cans for residents to help keep a clean laundry area. The only items which go in these cans are those associated with your laundry! Lint, dryer sheets, empty detergent containers, etc.
It isn’t pleasant for anyone to use a dirty laundry room!
We love this suggestion from Apartment Therapy for using vinegar in wash loads for fresh and clean laundry.
As with most things in life, common courtesy is the key. As long as you and other apartment residents are respectful and conscientious when navigating the laundry room, this sometimes tedious task can run a whole lot smoother!
Getting familiar with your new neighbors is a fun and interesting part of apartment living. Not only does it help to add a sense of community, but it’s a great way to make new friends as well! Neighbors can help you look after your apartment when you’re away on vacation, can join you for holiday get-togethers, or they could even connect you to a job opportunity or other like-minded people! But, how do you greet the new neighbors? It can seem tricky if you’ve never had to do it before, but when it comes to saying hello, keeping it simple is always best!
A Friendly Greeting Will Do
The classic greeting is always effective! Simply going over and saying, “Hello” can break the ice and start a conversation. Ask where they’re from, remember their name, and find out what you two might have in common. Easy-going conversation is best, and it’s important not to pry or get too nosy when making your introduction. Keep it casual and friendly!
Win Them Over with Sweets
Another good way to say hello is to bake cookies or treats! Almost everyone enjoys a home-cooked treat, and it’s a great way to make a first impression. Even if they can’t eat the goodies you bring, they will more than likely understand and appreciate your nice gesture.
Host A Meet and Greet
If you already know other neighbors in your apartment complex, try hosting a meet-and-greet. Invite the neighbors you already know as well as your new neighbors to your apartment. This could make it less awkward if you’re not inclined to introduce yourself one-on-one, and it shows your new neighbor that he or she has a friendly welcoming party living in the complex as well.
Lend a Helping Hand
If your neighbor is in the middle of moving, try asking if they need any help. If you’re capable of helping, especially with heavier items, that can go a long way toward fostering a sense of trust and friendship right away!
Consider Stopping By, But Be Considerate
When making your introduction, it is a good idea to choose a time when you know they are home but will not be overwhelmed. For instance, dinner time is not the best time to stop in and try to strike up a chat, and anywhere from 2:30 to 3:30 pm is probably not best if your new neighbor has children getting off of school. Anytime between 10am and 2pm are generally the best times for the weekdays or the weekends, if your new neighbor is home.
Make the first move when meeting your neighbor for the first time! Don’t wait for an invitiation in; new neighbors are often fairly embarrassed by the state of their home for the first few weeks. Moving in and organizing can create quite a clutter! If you want, ask your new neighbors over for a cup of coffee or a meal one day. Having them over to your apartment diffuses the embarrassment of them having to explain their move-in clutter and can allow you to get to know each other in a friendly space.
However you choose to say hello, make sure your new neighbor feels at home! A close-knit sense of community is one of the great aspects of apartment living!
1st Lake Properties | P. O. Box 73709 | Metairie, LA 70033 | info@1stlake.com
