HYD Blog
thoughts on dwelling
There are a lot of Knoxvillian’s who are about to move, considering a move, or just moved house. We’ve had the honor to walk alongside many families and individuals through the transition of moving house and we’ve learned a bit along the way. Whether you are buying, selling, or renting, moving is a huge job! Moving your belongings is not a task that we take lightly. We've put together a guide to make your move as seamless as possible.
It's a busy time of year for moving and Knoxville's housing market is fast and furious these days with lots of folks relocating within and moving to our fabulous city. HYD has had the privilege of assisting lots of folks with their move, be it the pre-pack purge, packing, coordinating the day of the move, or setting up clients in their new homes. In our experience, the one challenge that is consistent throughout this process is figuring out the most protected, cost efficient, and environmentally conscience way to contain all our client's belongings.
Just recently, we had the great pleasure of meeting the owner of a new company here in Knoxville that may help us answer that very question...
Meet Frank Ramey, owner, operator, and "Chief Officer of Customer Happiness" of RPM Boxes, a plastic moving box rental company located in the heart of Knoxville.
Frank has an extensive background in logistics which has set him up perfectly for running this new business here in Knoxville. As packers (and unpackers), HYD really appreciated all he had to say about his research to find the best-sized boxes for fitting the most commonly packed items and how easy he's made it for people to get those boxes delivered to and picked up from their doorstep!
RPM Boxes' user friendly website will answer your questions and help clarify the facts about saving money and time renting plastic boxes instead of purchasing cardboard boxes and tape. Also, as organizers we love how well these pack then stack, allowing for movers to easily access them, load them on dollies, and get them to the truck, cutting down on the time and cost of moving items. Lastly, we can all appreciate the small environmental impact involved by choosing reusable boxes.
We're also excited to share that anytime you use the code HYD10, you will receive 10% off your rental fee! AND... for a limited time only, RPM Boxes is offering 50% off any rentals so if you book for an upcoming move now, you'll get a GREAT deal!!
Call (865) 269-6797 to secure your boxes today!
This is never an easy transition for multiple reasons. In this particular case, the homeowner needed assistance with everyday life and wasn't able to live on her own any longer. Not being able to take much with her, her daughter and son-in-law have been left with the task of clearing out the remaining items from her former home. However, they have busy lives of their own both working and raising two active school age children. After almost 6 months of the condo sitting untouched, waiting to be gone through, HYD got the call to help.
This situation is all too familiar to so many folks. A parent's home filled with memories, trinkets, collections, photographs, furniture (both valuable and not), attics, that are so overwhelming to go through. In this case, we've been able to go through every cabinet, dresser drawer, bookshelf, box, closet, trunk, and room to categorize, label, box up, and create order so that when the daughter and son-in-law come, they can easily decide what to keep, what to sell, and what to donate.
HYD feels honored to be trusted with such an important job which is why we take such care with each object we touch, paper we read, photo we categorize, and memory we help to preserve. It all stays confidential and our clients can feel safe knowing that we will find the right home(s) for any items they choose not to hold on to.
This particular homeowner is a very talented artist. We thought you'd enjoy just a few treasures we found as we organized her belongings. The first is her "Ideal Wardrobe" handmade book from the late 1940s. The latter photos are just a couple of the many wonderful sketches and prints we found. Enjoy...
Thanks so much for coming along with HYD as we journey through our clients' stories and memories. It is a job we cherish and look forward to each day. If you have any questions or interest in learning how we might help you or a loved one with transitioning into a new home, please don't ever hesitate to call or email us at 865.245.9080 or info@helpyoudwell.com.
We've also updated our website in a few places to describe in more detail how and what HYD can assist with especially related to estate transitions and organized moving and unpacking.
And as always, feel free to drop by The Hive to visit us anytime we're in!
I would like to think I'm naturally pretty good at packing for a vacation or trip but if we are being honest I occasionally forget something and I almost always over pack. Lately though, I've been using a few new tips that have proven to be really helpful. I began researching packing techniques and ideas in order to prepare for a trip that my husband and I along with 4 friends are taking this fall. Now that it's mid summer, I thought it would be the perfect time to share these tips.
1. If possible, I always try and pack in a bag that is small enough to stow as a carry on in order to avoid extra fee's but mostly because I have a huge fear of my bag being lost. I typically pack all of my favorite pieces of clothing when I go on vacation and like the fact that if I lose my bag it's my fault and no one elses.
2. The most obvious place to start in my mind is to think through the length of time I'll be gone. Will I have access to laundry facilities? What does the weather forecast look like? What is on my agenda while I'm gone? These practical pieces of information help me frame the amount of items and the type of clothing I take.
3. The most handy tip I have found thus far is to pack a neutral palate or a one color palate so that I can mix and match to create multiple outfits out of only a few garments. I try and add color with accessories since they often take up less room.
4. To avoid over packing the best tip I've found is to lay out each days outfit or to lay out everything I want to take and then eliminate one third of it. (Seriously guys, I over pack A LOT) If I can make myself think through what I actually need versus all of the things that I might want to wear, I end up packing pretty accurately.
5. There is much debate about how to pack clothing and the consensus seems to be that by rolling clothing items you can fit more in. In general I try not to pack my bag to the point that it's bulging and about to pop open but if we are talking efficiency-- rolling seems to be the way to go. I like to leave a little bit of room when I pack in case I purchase something on vacation that I want to bring home.
6. If you are like me, you have a million of those little grocery bags in a drawer in your kitchen. I always pack one so that I can keep my dirty clothing separate from my clean clothing.
7. My final tip is about carry on's. To me, one of the most important parts of traveling is packing for the actual journey. I always make sure to take a few books, phone/electronic chargers, medications, a few healthy snacks, an umbrella, pen and paper, cash, ear plugs, and some light face/or hand lotion (especially if I'm flying).
So we're curious-- do you have any fun trips coming up? Any other packing tips you suggest?
