Student Moving Tips for Back to School

David Bounsall on August 9, 2016

With September just around the corner, most recent high school grads are preparing to start their freshman year in college or university. Students who choose to attend a post-secondary school in a new town will be moving away from home for the first time, which can be stressful and time consuming. These student moving tips will reduce your stress (and the angst of your stressed-out parents!).

Furnished or Unfurnished?

The most important question for planning a move to your new school: Are you moving into a furnished space like a dormitory or into an unfurnished space like a house that you’ll be sharing with friends?

A dorm room or furnished apartment will be equipped with a bed, desk, chair, bookshelves and drawers for clothes. So you can probably fit most of your other gear into a car or minivan. On the other hand, a house is usually rented unfurnished, so you’ll need to bring all of these bulky items along with kitchen supplies, a sofa and other furniture – so a truck will probably be needed (more on that later).

> If you’re moving into a dormitory or furnished apartment.

Dorm room double

Small space, big change. Living in a dorm room is different from living at home. For starters, you will probably have a NBF – your roommate! Being away from home for the first time is exhilarating, but space is usually very tight so don’t over-pack!

A typical dorm room is about 12 by 20 feet, and most dorm rooms are doubles that accommodate two people, so plan to occupy about half that space, approximately 12 x 10 feet.  Label important items and packing boxes with your name (since you never want to make an enemy of your roommate by claiming to own something that isn’t yours!)

Some questions to ask about your dorm room: What is allowed in your dorm – a toaster/toaster oven, microwave, hot plate or mini fridge – these can help you save on food expenses. Is your dorm’s move-in day on a staggered schedule? Can trucks unload only in certain spots? Do you need a permit to park a moving truck on the street? Does your apartment building have specific move-in times? A couple of minutes on the internet and a phone call or two could save you hours of headaches.

> If you’re moving into a house with other students.

Students sharing a rented house

As mentioned above, if you’re renting an unfurnished house, you’ll need to bring all the things that normally come as standard equipment in a furnished dorm room. You’ll need a bed frame, mattress, box spring, area rug, desk, chair, bookshelves, and drawers for clothes, along with kitchen supplies, a sofa and other furniture. A truck will probably be needed and to get a truck, you can either rent a truck and DIY or you can hire a moving company.

How to hire a mover?

Get a written contract

If you decide to forego the DIY route and hire a moving company instead, start by checking out a few movers on HomeStars. Read reviews and select those that are reputable. Ask for a written estimate from 2 or 3 movers and ensure each one includes all the items you want moved. Once you select the mover with the best estimate, get a contract in writing that specifies the date and times of your move and insurance coverages for anything that’s lost or damaged. Avoid Saturdays and Sundays since movers must pay overtime to their staff on weekends.

Once the contract is signed, let the movers pack your belongings because if the moving company packs everything, they are responsible for any damages; if you pack things, you are responsible.  On moving day, supervise the loading and unloading of the truck. If damage or loss occurs, have the driver make a special note on the inventory and/or delivery receipt.

If you must fly to your new school because it’s too far to drive, check out this helpful article from Alaska Air.

Finally, what to pack?

What to pack?

Simply put, packing less means moving less. Declutter your room at home and donate unused items to charity. Remember, ‘when in doubt, throw it out!’ Here’s a handy checklist of student moving tips for packing and moving, courtesy of textbooks.com.

Toiletries. Whether living in a dorm room or in a house, you’ll be sharing a communal bathroom, so bring a toiletries kit bag or a shower caddy that is easy to cart back and forth to the bathroom. Don’t forget your towels and flip-flops to wear in the shower.

Clothes. Think about seasonal weather requirements, and whether or not you plan on heading home often, or just every few months. Can you trade in some summer clothes for cold weather items at Thanksgiving? When packing, use low-rise storage containers that you can store under the bed – so you don’t have to worry about breaking down boxes or storing suitcases.

School supplies. Bring your computer, cell phone, earbuds/headphones, charge cords, printer, paper, writing pads and pens/pencils/erasers. Bring money to buy textbooks at the campus bookstore.

Other stuff and student moving tips. Laundry hamper and detergent. Bedding, blanket and pillows. Don’t forget an alarm clock or just use your phone’s alarm, so you’ll be on time for those early morning exams!

• Posted in: At home, Furniture, HomeStars, Moving
 
• Tagged in: Best of HomeStars, moving, Summer

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PUSH FOR YOUR TUSH CLEANUP
It started as a run among 100 or so friends on crisp fall day in a North Toronto park in 1996. Today Push for Tush a nationwide event with thousands of runners in cities all across Canada. The 5km walk / 10km run is a great day for everyone, with refreshments, T-Shirts and fun family activities. 1-800-RID-OF-IT will provide all cleanup services for the 2014 event. This includes onsite cleanup staffing throughout the run, and complete cleanup services after the event. 


PUSH FOR YOUR TUSH CLEANUP SERVICES INCLUDE:
•    Post event cleanup
•    Event recycling
•    On site event staffing

Push For Your Tush  2014   was a huge success this year.  The weather was amazing, everyone had lots of fun and best of all over $415 000  was raised.   Good job by all involved.  1-800  RID-OF-IT  was a proud sponsor this year and looking forward to being involved for years to come.

                                                                                   

Solar Energy, part two

Politics - Darkening solar energy ambitions

Although approved by the senate, a Florida bill giving tax breaks to businesses who install solar panels is not likely to come before voters. Roof top solar is viewed as a threat to the electrical utilities. If the vote came to the average Floridian, the vote would be 90 per cent for solar initiatives. Rallies are planned to protest. Business men have already voted with their feet and taken solar technology to warmer receptions and out of the sunshine state.

Over three million dollars has already been spent on campaign contributions in this election cycle so far by the utilities. What does this mean to the environmentally conscious home owner? Well, ask Robin Speronis. She has been charged with living off the grid, illegal under the International Property and Maintenance Code. After a year and a half keeping house with a camp stove, rain water and solar energy, she has to hook back up to the big utilities grid.

In contrast, two young students living in London, Ontario became somewhat of a "cause célèbre" when they spent the summer under similar conditions. I am sure they did not make it over the interminable Ontario winter, but they got local TV and newspaper coverage for their experiment.

Let us hope that Florida politicians don't take this issue as seriously as in close by Texas. Swat teams were sent in to intimidate the Garden of Eden Community, holding members at gunpoint and putting them in handcuffs. Apparently there were no laws against off grid life, and no drugs or guns were found. At the end of the day, they enforced a few city code violations and assorted traffic violations. Not exactly good use of manpower or tax payer funds!

Sunshine in the Sunshine State, A Squandered Resource?

Despite a promising start in the thirties when solar water heaters graced many subdivision homes, Florida has a dismal record in their use of solar power. It does sound hopeful to write that they have three solar plants up and running for the last three years and a world's first next generation solar plant that is connected to a conventional plan, but more should be done.

Their  record lags way behind states with grey skies, such as New Jersey and Massachusetts. Fifty billion dollars a year leaves Florida to purchase coal, natural gas, and gasoline. Discouraging elements are changes in solar models, federal tax credits and a state with a record of rejecting renewable energy plans. Utility companies are the only ones that can sell power, solar companies can only sell at wholesale rates to utilities. Add to the picture electricity rates lower than in the North and the huge start up costs associated with solar power, and you have dismal results.

Solar companies are now considering leasing equipment to businesses. We can only hope that this trend will catch on and include residential customers.

Many thousands of Floridians live in RVs or some type of manufactured home. It takes only a short ride anywhere in the state to see the many trailer parks. Go across an overpass and the flat, white roofs seem to stretch right across the horizon. An ideal spot for solar installations. As boomers join the older snowbirds, a solar option will become more and more appealing. The demand peaks in the summer for the necessary air conditioning, but winter needs often include running a heater for a few hours a day.

Florida's Governor, Rick Scott, is fighting for his political life in the upcoming elections. One of his recent campaign statements bragged about a good record in protecting the environment. Would that this were so; journalists quickly punched holes in this assertion by hauling out the record of the many cutbacks taken while he was in office. A well thought out plan for the state with 86 per cent of America's sunshine would go along way to ensure his reelection.

The Magic Behind Decorating a Home for under $1,500!

Reduce! Reuse! Repurpose!

Taking a leap into the Sunshine State after many years of RVing, this couple from Cleveland, Ohio have settled very comfortably in a double wide manufactured home. It is in a quiet, neat park just west of Tampa.
Their new home had great bones but was decorated in dark colours and traditional, stuffy furniture.
So they literally drenched everything in white; walls, cabinets and furniture to display an eclectic collection of finds. This allowed Cheryl a clear canvas to express her personality.
Then came the hunt. Culling collectives from their winter home, they added finds from the roadside, thrift shops, Habitat for Humanity, and a local hotel liquidator.

Creative Art from Recycled Materials

The new buzz word - upcycling!

At the Fine Arts Festival in Tarpon Springs, it was apparent that the selection committee was impressed by artists using recycled materials. Upcycling was the aim of many participants; silver spoons appeared in jewellery, driftwood in carvings, barnboard in framing for stained glass, lake glass shards in pendants, and on it went.

The miniature creatures created Melissa Menzer were intriguing. She uses pieces of jewelry from the 1920's and 1930's, wiring them onto each bird or animal by hand.

For a truly whimsical use of recycled paper, bottles and cans, check out Joyce Curvin's website at www.joycecurvin.com. Her collection of almost life-size dogs, cats and birds are adorable. All in bright colours, they amuse and remind us the cartoons of our childhood. Somehow she makes the paper mâché exteriors look like clay.

A nice way to browse a way a warm Sunday morning in Florida.

A Closer Look at Tarpon Springs
By Jacky Crawford

Tarpon Springs still bills it seek as the "Sponge Capital of the World), although the heyday of the sponge industry was in the thirties and the forties. The Greeks, arriving in the early days of the twentieth century, came in droves to bring their diving skills to their new land. But a red tide, fatal for the sponges, wiped out many of the beds. The industry did not restart until the sixties. By that time there was fierce competition from man made sponges. Today there are still some sponge boats with plucky divers who plunge one hundred and fifty feet to the ocean floor to harvest sponges. Other Greeks now run interesting shops selling these sponges, sea shells and olive oil soaps. Perhaps the first tourist spot selling more sponges than t-shirts!

Of course, there are more bakeries and restaurants with Greek fare. Just walk along Dodecanese Boulevard across from the docks; pick one and dig into some amazing moussaka, gyros, baklava, etc.

If you want to delve into Greek culture, there are many options. Visit the St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Cathedral fashioned with some sixty tons of marble in the Byzantine style. The Epiphany Celebration is in early January. some 30,000 people come to watch young boys dive into the chilly Spring Bayou in pursuit of the Greek Cross thrown in by the Bishop.

Any visitor will easily find the two beaches, Sunset and Fred Howard Park which come complete with - sand! No ring of condos and large hotels, minimal commercial activity at Sunset Beach.

Biking has to be the best way to see the interesting architectural mix around Tarpon Springs. There are many grand Victorian homes around the five sapphire blue bayous to gape out, but if you go into the surrounding residential streets, attractive examples of the twentieth century homes with tropical landscaping around every corner.

Tarpon Springs has many festivals through out the year, as do the surrounding towns. Truly, a spot of Florida not too be missed.

Notes from a Tin Can Tourist

After many years of endless condo building and strip mall proliferation, there is a movement afoot to protect and even display, the real Florida. I know firsthand that it can be enjoyed from the waterways, but previous land bound visits had left me soured on finding places apart from mansions, malls, and multi-lane highways. It seemed that there was no escape from Flager's heritage. Could this one man have doomed the entire state to an entirely coral pink future?

However, a short but luckily victorious bout with cancer left us with an overwhelming desire to relax in the sun. The grey cold of a bitter Canadian winter was too much too bear; we packed our recently acquired motor home in frigid temperatures and fled South.

Arriving in Florida found us with plenty of sunshine although a bitter wind was blowing. But we could shed our coats and mukluks!

Armed with our Camping in Florida pamphlet, we located and checked into the city run Manatee Cove Park, just outside of Titusville. It is an excellent park, and an inexpensive way to visit DisneyLand (note to self - perfect for a grandchild visit) and to view space launches. For this reason, it is often fully booked. Call ahead.

We wanted to stop at the first lock on Lake Okeechobe, but they were full. With a view of the canal and a resident family of alligators, we knew this to be a peaceful natural site. It is state run and inexpensive for boaters and campers. However, they had been booked months ahead, so that left us with Indiantown Marina and Campground.

Knowing what to expect at a somewhat primitive location was a plus. We had spent a month there on board our trawler. Nothing comes close to being other than basic, but the managers and the people there are friendly. There are many old salts willing to share their sailing adventures with you. As Florida's past is definitely linked to boating, and not just the huge pleasure yachts dotting the waters around Miami, this is a glimpse into that world.

Still in search of the real Florida, we left after a weekend and headed across to the Gulf side. We tracked down Canoe Outpost  (www.canoeoutpost.com). Bingo!

A very small campground, but there was a cement pad for our rig, BBQ, and two sets of tables and chairs. Waving grasses gave us great views from the motor home, a short walk took us to a winding stream, and there were kayaks and canoes to rent. The owner should get an award for the most unusual restroom facilities - full of Florida kitsch and you could literally shower under the stars!

Encouraged by our stay at Canoe Outpost, we hit the road again and headed to Frog Creek, (www.frogcreek.com). They have every amenity, landscaped grounds and many organized activities.
Disappointingly, it was hard to forget you were in a campground because there were no opportunities to walk or bike anywhere.

Our following week was spent in the Happy Traveller Park which had cheaper fees and was set among many live oaks. Less rule bound than the previous spot, it was not as pristine, but had an interesting mix of campers and permanents. It is opposite a gigantic flea market, which is a more lively option than shopping at the mall. A visit to nearby Myakka State Park gave us a nice respite I  lovely natural surroundings. Our favourite part of the day was the view from the seventy foot tower - after we had caught our breath!

Feeling that I had more of a grasp on picturing and finding good campsites, I booked a week stay at Bayshore Cove in Tarpon Springs. Again, bingo!

A brief memory of a visit to the sponge docks some twenty years ago inspired me to think that this area might have it all. It does - a town based on fishing, not just tourists, that sits near the Gulf and has some beautiful homes with lovely bayou views.

The campground was full of snowbirds who stay for five of six months at a time. The few spots serving transients seemed to be mostly occupied, so booking ahead would be safer. Unlike any other spot, we were not given a package of rules and information. For awhile, I didn't even know there was a laundry. No pool, no pet leash laws, and not a lot of space between sites. But everything was in biking and walking distance with wonderful views that made you eager to jump on your bile and do mundane errands at the library or the grocery store. Within a week we were much healthier and fit.

We are delighted to announce that our company, 1-800 RID-OF-IT has just won a HomeStars ‘Best of 2013’ Award!  This coveted award goes to the one company in each category in our city that earned the highest reputation ranking last year, based on thousands of reviews made by homeowners on the homestars.com website.

These awards began in 2008 to distinguish the very best home improvement companies from the rest.  According to HomeStars Founder, Nancy Peterson, “We created the Best of Awards to recognize the best-of-the-best in each category.  These awards help us achieve our mission to be the most trusted source for homeowners so they can have the best home improvement experience – before, during and after the work is done.”

A special note to our valued customers:  If you took the time in 2013 to write a review on homestars.com about the service we provided you – a big thank you!  Because your review helped us win the award. And if you did not write a review yet, it would be greatly appreciated since it helps build our company’s online reputation.

I invite you to see all our homeowner reviews by going to www.Homestars.com and then typing 

1-800 RID-OF-IT into the search bar at the top of the page.

Thank you!

Rick Crawford

President

Interview - David Finkelstein

Interview - David Finkelstein



1-800   RID-OF-IT   Helping out when they can.  Our second annual donation of musical instruments to those who need it the most.

Winter Getaways      Part Two of My Singapore Fling

The Streets of Singapore

Arab Street is the centre of the Muslim community, Kampong Glam. It really consists of many streets and alleys surrounding a mosque. When we finally stumbled into the area, the maharaja den was wailing the call to prayers, setting the atmosphere for us. Many of the shops here are devoted to exquisite fabrics. They will also custom make women's outfits very inexpensively. Other stores boasted an incredible amount of trims, notions and beads.


This photo of Arab Street is courtesy of TripAdvisor


 Little India was a mass of teeming people. I have never understood their art, with its improbable portrayals of intertwined bodies in bright colours. Now their art was coming to life in front of my startled eyes. Women in beautiful saris, men dressed in pants not informally in jeans or shorts, and children laughing and running around, always less than a foot away from another person. Even though a green area was just across the road, everyone obviously wanted to be on the street. We walked through an almost unbroken chain of shops. There was a garage where a mechanic was going about his work oblivious to the melee close by and a fellow repairing bikes nearly on top of the curb. The wares offered were everything from the familiar dollar store items to the bright rich 22kt. Gold jewellery. I found it impossible to purchase anything with all my senses under assault. It took a second visit, when we were ducking the monsoon rains one afternoon, to come away with any Indian souvenirs. Those we found in a huge store that been labelled Little India's Walmart, real name, The Mustafa  Centre. Five floors with an advertised 10,000 items awaited our perusal. Much of the merchandise is not Western tastes, but there are brand names to be had. These are the real McCoy, as Singapore does not allow knock-offs. Beautiful linens and many women's blouses and tops were eye catching. We purchases spices from an unbelievable selection, some of course, completely foreign to us. The food section seemed to have better prices than the mainstream supermarkets. Also more candy and cookies - but the Indian population is heavier that the tiny Asian men and women! Corrupted by the Brits, no doubt!

Chinatown
Having seen Chinatowns in many big cities, we didn't think this area would be as interesting as our other haunts. However, when you arrive by subway, it is suddenly in front of you as you mount the last few steps. At first a jumble of colours hits you after the sterile atmosphere of the MRT station. Then your eye sorts out the red lanterns, awnings, and umbrellas. There are lots of bright souvenirs for you to sort through, all quite inexpensive. Table runners, pillow covers, purses, traditional clothing and lingerie, all made of silky fabrics. Occasional jewellery stores have masses of the very bright gold, jade, and pearls of grey and pink. The more exclusive shops have home decor items that look like they came from the pages of our Canadian decorating magazines.


If you are not too tired you can also explore the three floors of the Chinatown Heritage Centre!