We are in the green of summer and the busiest moving season. It is a perfect time for Chicago movers to consider making choices for a greener move. Chicago movers can lessen the impact that a move can have on the environment by following a few easy tips.

Recycle-People often clean out and clear out what is no longer needed before a move. They often find items in the home that are no longer used or needed. We encourage you to recycle as much as possible rather than just throwing these things away. To find out what can be recycled in your area, we recommend earth911.org where you can find a recycle guide as well as a search tool for finding recycling in your zip code area. Plus, you can lower your move costs by moving fewer items that you really don’t need anyway.

Donate-There are many organizations who would be willing to take things off of your hands and keep them out of the landfills. We recommend donationtown.org where you can find a charity that will pick up your donations for free.

Boxes-You will need many boxes for packing up your things but they do not need to be brand new. Consider recycling boxes by using them again. There are several ways of doing this. Some stores give away boxes from shipments of goods. Sometimes you can find these boxes stacked in the front of a store free for the taking. If they are in good shape, sturdy and dry, they can be used. If you know you are moving in a few months, start collecting boxes and packing material from packages you receive in the mail and let your friends know you are collecting them as well. Even better-if you know a friend that has recently moved, ask for their boxes once they are finished with them. Bet they would be happy to have you take them off their hands. When you are finished with your boxes, be sure to recycle them or pass them along to another friend who will be moving. Another way to save on purchasing new cardboard is to use containers that you already own to pack things in. You can also rent heavy duty plastic tubs. Check with your Chicago moving company-WM Meyers Movers for green saving packing ideas and resources.

Packing materials-Consider using items around the house for packing your belongings instead of purchasing bubble wrap, packing peanuts and other new packing material. You can use towels, blankets, pillows, newspaper, junk mail, used office paper, shredded paper, plastic bags, brown grocery bags and many other items you regularly have around the house. You will help with the environmental impact and save money too. Ask us for advice – we can offer information about safe and green packing materials, as well as money savings tips.

WM Meyers Movers hopes that we have inspired our Chicago movers to consider a greener move. There are countless sources and ideas on-line for reducing waste and the environmental impact of your move. We hope this just gets the ball rolling with your thinking and choices surrounding your move.

June is National Safety Month and Meyers Movers would like to provide some timely reminders for Chicago movers to practice safety during the move process. We are dedicating this month to sharing tips and resources for safe moving. This week we would like to draw your attention to safety matters having to do with the packing.

Your home is about to be turned inside out. All the contents are moving and shifting as you prepare for loading day. With everything out of place, your surroundings become less familiar to you increasing the chances of an accident.

Please look over the following list of safety considerations for the packing process of your move:

• Packing Boxes-If you are packing and moving boxes yourself, you should be able to comfortably lift the box according to your strength. Know your strength. For step by step lifting instructions, please check out this helpful slideshow on heavy lifting provided by the Mayo Clinic.
• Keep common passages clear-Hallways, doorways, steps, etc. should be kept clear of boxes, packing material and loose household items to avoid tripping and slipping in your home.
• Keep packing tools such as box cutters, knives, tape cutters and scissors out of reach of children and off the floor to protect your family and pets.
• Use heavy duty protective packing materials-To protect your belongings, be sure to use sturdy and strong boxes that will handle the weight of the contents. Also have padded wrapping materials such as bubble wrap to protect fragile items.

Of course, Meyers Movers would be happy to provide Chicago movers with our professional packing service. Give us a call and we will provide safe and secure packing. Also, you can read more packing tips on our site.

Let’s kick off National Safety Month with healthy and safe packing! We invite our Chicago movers to check back later this month for more moving safety tips.

According to the American Veterinary Medical Association, the third week in April is National Pet ID week. This prompted us here at Meyers Movers to remind our Chicago movers to have your pet identification updated immediately upon arrival. It is a good idea to prepare at least a collar tag before you get there so you can place the updated tag on your pet when you arrive in your new home.

For Chicago movers traveling a long distance with your pet, it is also a good idea to get a temporary tag that you place alongside the regular tag on the collar with the location of the places you plan to stop and stay along the way. This is a good idea for regular traveling as well.

You can visit American Humane Society for tips on Identification Tags and Microchips. You will need to pick up your pets veterinary records shortly before you move. This would be a good time to bring up pet identification options with your veterinarian. Also, do not forget to research ahead to find a new veterinarian so that you are prepared with that contact upon arrival. You can call ahead, introduce yourself and ask questions about your pet moving to the new environment.

Moving can be a bit disorienting or stressful for your pet. They may respond to the move by running and hiding somewhere outside in the new unknown environment. Please protect your furry family friend with proper pet identification. Check back next week for tips for Chicago movers on helping your pet have a stress-free move. At Meyers Movers, we are all about your stress-free move. That goes for your pets too!

Here we are again. April 15 is right around the corner. Many have already filed their taxes but for those Chicago movers who have not, Meyers Movers wants to remind you to look closely at your moving expenses if your move took place in 2013. Please be sure to go to the IRS section for Moving Expenses to see if any of your moving expenses qualify for deductions.

There may be other home owner deductions for Chicago movers to consider as well. If you are preparing to move, you may have completed home improvements to ready the home for sale. Some of these improvements may be tax deductible. Or perhaps you made major improvements in your home over the course of time you lived there. Whether you moved recently, or are moving soon or thinking about moving, you will want to be sure to save all necessary receipts for home improvements that may be deductible on your tax return. Go to this IRS section on Tax Information for Homeowners for more information about what a home owner can deduct. Also covered in this section are all specifics concerning mortgage interest credit, real estate taxes and mortgage insurance premiums. And of course, check with your tax professional before making any tax decisions.

Chicago movers who just moved into a new home should consider preparing a file folder for storing records of any home improvements made to the new home now and in the future. The organization of these documents will save much time and money later when it comes time to selling.

Meyers Movers wishes Chicago movers a stress-free tax time!

National Volunteer Week is coming right up. This year it falls on April 6-13, 2014. Meyers Movers is happy to take this timely opportunity to encourage our recent Chicago movers to deepen their connection to their new communities through volunteering.

We have been in the Chicago moving business for over 88 years. We know the importance of understanding the needs of the community that we live and work in. Reaching out to volunteer rewards us with pride for our community while strengthening our roots in the community.

We have offered articles in the past sharing ideas for feeling at home once you move to a new place. We would like to honor National Volunteer Week by encouraging our recent Chicago movers to consider reaching out by lending a hand in their new community. Through volunteering you will make wonderful connections with new friends. You will learn more about your community and the needs there. There is probably no better way to feel at home in a new place then to begin to invest your time, energy and heart into that place.

You may already have a favorite organization that you volunteer for. If so, a great place to start would be to look into whether that organization has a branch or presence in your community. Religious affiliations are another way to find connections to volunteer opportunities. Also, local hospitals, soup kitchens, homeless shelters, animal shelters and schools might be places to start your search, but there are many organizations out there waiting to be found.

We found a fabulous resource on-line for connecting with volunteer opportunities. At http://www.volunteermatch.org/ you can search based on what you care about and the city you live in, and they will match you up with a non-profit organization that could use your help.

Just another simple and meaningful way for Chicago movers to plant roots and feel at home in their new communities. Meyers Movers wishes you happiness wherever you move.

It has finally arrived, if only by date, but winter is in fact fading away and most places in the country this year can say, “Good Riddance!” Major cities nearly everywhere dealt with more snow than usual and colder than average temperatures. And according to most long range forecasts, winter is not finished with the US just yet with below normal temperatures forecasted next week and the possibility for another major snow event for the mid-Atlantic and Northeast.

One thing is clear, winter is losing, so face the bright future and begin thinking about your spring plans. Many Chicago movers will be choosing to list their homes on the market to take advantage of the busiest upcoming home selling season. Are you ready? We are. At Meyers Movers, we stand by our Chicago movers ready to handle local, long distance and international movers.

Perhaps you are getting ready to list your house. Here is our short list of reminders for things to do outdoors now that the weather is breaking, to prepare your home for the market.

• Spring yard clean up-time to remove the dead debris of winter. Clean out your garden beds, add fresh mulch and some ornamental annuals to cheer everything up.
• House washing-renting or hiring a power washer to make your home sparkle and look its best
• Paint your front door with a fresh coat and maybe even the shutters and porch trim etc.
• Purchase a new doormat-any little touch to present a clear and welcoming space is helpful.
• Clean your outdoor light fixtures so that the glass shines and the light glows beautifully
• Look for any winter damage to trees and shrubs and remove what is unsightly
• Place a pot of flowers by your front door
• Clean up any outdoor furniture to make your patios and decks look their best
• Give lampposts a fresh coat of spray paint
• Consider any driveway repair or a fresh asphalt coat if needed.
• And….do not forget to do that final walk around your yard. Stand back on the street and look at the overall appearance of you home. What did you miss? Take a photo for a different perspective.

Of course your realtor will also give you all kinds of tips too and be most helpful in deciding what you need to do. There are so many little inexpensive things you can do to make your house look like the perfect home to a buyer. Good Luck Chicago movers! And when it is time to get moving, Meyers Movers is here to help!

Meyers Movers has been taking this winter month of February to bring our Chicago movers ideas for finding connections that will help them feel more at home in the new community they anticipate moving to.  We enjoy helping our customers to be proactive with this by providing ideas and resources.

Read our earlier posts this month if you missed them. We are sure that you will find some of the information useful. It is a time for getting excited about moving and anticipating what it will be like where you go. Chicago movers have shared with us the things that helped make them feel at home when they moved. You will find some of these ideas in the posts from the last 2 weeks.  Here are a few more ideas from our Chicago movers:

• Fitness-check your local community for where you can enjoy your favorite classes and work-outs. Classes are a great way to meet new community members while staying fit. Perhaps you want to sign up now to ensure your spot once you move.
• Museums and art galleries-connecting with the history and culture aids in feeling more invested in where you live
• Music and theater venues-for those of you who enjoy the performing arts, check out what is going on. Perhaps you would even like to purchase tickets to an event in the future providing you with a new community activity to look forward to.
• Dog friendly places-for our dog loving Chicago movers, you might want to look into fun places to take your furry friend and meet other dog lovers and their dogs.  Dogs are a great way to break into conversation and meet new people.
• Cafes and coffee shops-Who doesn’t want to find these ahead of time? Perfect places for learning more about where you live and striking up conversations.

The ideas are endless and you are sure to find gobs of good stuff in your research so we suggest you keep a file on all these possible new haunts and set the intention of visiting soon after you move.

We hope we have inspired Chicago movers to think and dream about where they are going. When you move to a new place, finding your creature comforts in research you do ahead of time can create a sense of belonging there.  Check back here in the future. Meyers Movers likes all things moving and has much to share to help out our Chicago movers before, during and after their moves.

Welcome Back! Meyers Movers has been sharing ideas the last couple of weeks for how to help Chicago movers connect to the communities that they will be moving to in the near future.  These quiet months are a good time to dream about what is coming up. A move is always easier when you can look forward to things about where you are going.

Recently when speaking to Chicago movers about what helps them feel at home and connected to a new community, we heard about the importance of farming communities and the availability of locally grown food. It makes perfect sense that one of the things that helps us connect with community is connecting with the growers and products that come from local sources. So while looking ahead, you might enjoy researching what is locally available in your area.

We here at Meyers Movers found two useful resources for looking up local farming.  We found that at localharvest.org, you can simply put in your zip code and get connected to Community Supported Agriculture, Small family farms, Food Coops, and Farmer’s Markets. It is quick and easy and provides a lot of information on all the local farming businesses that are located in your future home community.

Another great resource for Chicago movers who are searching for local farming communities is the USDA National Farmers Market Directory. Here you can find one of the most comprehensive listing of farmer’s markets across the country. They update regularly and often for the most accurate information. Again it is as easy as putting in your zip code and then you are on your way to connecting with farming in your future community.

Check back next week where we will be sharing more ideas for feeling at home in a new community. It is all about home at Meyers Movers. We want to help our Chicago movers gets there.