The Cost of Owning a Jacuzzi

Much like owning a pool, a Jacuzzi is another luxury item that can add a good deal of cost to your home’s power and gas bills. If you already own a Jacuzzi, are thinking of moving to a new house with a Jacuzzi, or just looking into getting one, here are some points to consider.

Some Pros:

• A great way to relax at night or entertain friends.
• Pretty much a miniature pool in the summer.
• A variety of makes and models. Basic tub designs to the fancy multi-jet spas.
• A decorative addition to your house or yard.
• Therapeutic features, such as jets and massage patterns.

Some Cons:

• Not easily portable. You can’t really pack it up and take it with you. It may cost more that it’s worth to move it to a new house with you. And in the same respect, hard to move if you want to get rid of it.
• Repairs to the Jacuzzi jets, pumps, filters, and so on.
• The cost of the water to fill it.
• Extra cost on your electric and gas bills.
• General Maintenance and Repair cost.
• The installation cost.
• Cleaning chemicals for the water.

If you already live in a house with a Jacuzzi, you are aware of the extra cost. It needs to be run regularly to keep it functioning, so it isn’t something to just forget about. Like a pool, it needs regular maintenance, or you may face some hefty repair bills. So if you are moving, a Jacuzzi may be the last thing on your mind. But if the places you are considering moving to have one, then there are some extra benefits and downsides to owning one that should considered.

In following with the last post on packing up your computer for a move, here is a short video displaying a method of packing the computer and the monitor in the same box. I don’t know if I would like them packed together, but I assume if the box is well padded there shouldn’t be a problem. But in life there are no guarantees on anything. And I know it is mainly for demonstration, but the box the guy uses in the video is huge. It would take a lot of packing materials to make sure that nothing moves around inside the box.

The guy in the video goes over the important step, back up your hard drive, but he doesn’t go into organizing the cables or other peripherals.

There are much more detailed online videos available and perhaps I’ll get into them at a later date. For now I just wanted to present you a video that gives you a basic visual on packing your computer. And if you do need to pack you computer review my last blog post and look up these videos. They may not cover every aspect, but combined they probably could. And if nothing else, they give you a place to start with your packing procedures.

So here is the video for your viewing pleasure:

Tips for Preparing Your Computer for a Move

The components that make up a computer are fragile equipment that doesn’t handle jostling and excessive movement well. But if you are moving, there is no choice but to pack up your computer and other peripherals. This mostly refers to the movement of desktop computers, but it can of course be applied to laptops.

Some precautionary measures to take before packing up your computer:

1. Backup your computer onto external hard drives, CDs, DVDs, flash drives, etc. If not a full disc backup, then at least all of your important files, documents, pictures, and anything else important to you.
2. Remove any discs from the drives and return them to their respective cases.
3. If you have the original boxes to your devices, be sure to use them for packing the respective device. If you don’t, then try to find suitable boxes to protect your items. If you cannot find good boxes, you can contact a specialty box store and see if they have a strong box and Styrofoam inserts for computers. The same can be done for monitors.
4. Unplug your computer and monitors from power before disconnecting the other cables and devices.
5. You will most likely have to dismantle your computer to some degree. The best case scenario is that you just need to disconnect cables. Be sure to label them, so that you know where it goes when you set up your computer in its new home. Pretty much all new computers have color coded ports, so reconnecting the cables shouldn’t pose any problems. Keep all of the cables together in a box or bag, which is clearly labeled.
6. Pack up the computer into its box and make sure that it is properly cushioned and insulated by packing material. You do not want the machine to move at all during the move. Do the same for the monitor, printer, scanner, and other peripheral devices. Label all of the boxes as fragile and perhaps a note of what it is in the box.
7. Your best move would be to take the computer with you in your own car. But if it needs to go on the moving truck, inquire about the moving company’s liability and insurance for damaged items.

Downsize Your Collection of Furniture

While decorating and furnishing your home, usually people acquire a good sized collection of furniture. It may range from beds, couches, chairs, tables, dining sets, futons, inflatable mattresses, and so on and so forth. When it comes time to move, you are left with the task of abandoning your furniture and getting new stuff later, taking some of your furniture, or taking all of your furniture.

Abandoning all of your furniture and getting all new stuff is usually only an option for the wealthy and those who simply cannot take the furniture with them. The easiest way to get rid of furniture is to leave it for the next tenants. This is great for them if they need furniture, but a chore for them to deal with if they do not want it or have their own furniture. Another method would be to try and sell off the furniture before you move. This will help you get rid of an extra item to move and you could get a little money towards a new piece of furniture. The other route is to just give it away. You probably have friends and family members that could use a good couch or dining set. Or you can just donate it to charitable organizations.

The usual route is taking your favorite and most used pieces of furniture with you. It is expensive to replace furniture and can be worth the moving cost to pack up the furniture and take it with you. Again, since you cannot always take everything, you can sell, donate, or give away the pieces you do not want or cannot take with you.

If you have the means to move all of your furniture, then you may want to. You can save on the cost of replacing furniture. If you are doing a local move, you can gradually move all of your pieces over to the new place.

The Importance of Moving Boxes

During a move, cardboard boxes will become your best friend. Well you will become fond of anything you can use for storage and transport. So where do we get these boxes you may ask? There is a variety of ways to get a hold of good sturdy cardboard boxes.

1.)    Checkout the back areas of grocery stores. They usually have cardboard bins you might be able to get a few boxes from. They get money for recycling the cardboard, so you may have to ask permission to get some boxes. Especially if the area is kept locked.

2.)    Restaurants and fast food places could be your next option. They get regular food and product deliveries and build up piles of boxes. Not to become too much of a dumpster diver, but check the dumpster and trash area by local business complexes as well. Their trash may be your treasure.

3.)    Check around your neighborhood. Chances are your neighbors get packages from time to time. And a lot of people keep the boxes in case they need them. So if they have a good collection of boxes, they’ll probably let you have some.

4.)    The local schools should have a good deal of boxes too. The cafeterias alone, amass a huge collection of cardboard boxes. Again if you don’t have business at the school, permissions must be acquired. It depends on the school campus. If it is an open area, you probably can just wander on the lot and get some boxes.

5.)    There is always the option of buying boxes. But that would just add another cost to moving. It is good if you need specific sizes of boxes or consistent quality, but is not as fun as collecting free boxes yourself. It is that sense of accomplishment that comes from making something, rather than buying it.

Is it Time to Move out of California?

The housing market is still down, but somewhat stabilizing. The economy is still bad. California’s leaders throw away lots of money. And as much as our politicians say they want to get things done, very little ever gets done. But let’s get back to the home market side.

With all of these home renovation and home selling shows, we see couples in Middle America buying huge houses on sizable pieces of property for what would be the cost of a two or three bedroom home here in California. True, you would have to figure out the cost adjustments for the living condition of each state. Everyone else’s minimum wage is not eight dollars an hour. But houses that would be millions here in California are half the price in other states.

Many people have already taken flight from California, as conditions get worse and no clear solutions are in sight. And who could blame them? Aside from the cheaper housing, many other states offer more freedom. California has just become synonymous for one big set of rules you have to follow. If you want to do any work on your house, there is a whole series of hoops to jump through to get permits and pass inspections. It is a whole ordeal. While ideally under the guise of safety, it has more so just become a money making scheme. But again, I digress.

California has its high points and low points, as I assume all of the states do. Maybe it is just a touch of the grass being greener on the other side.

Fighting Your Inner Pack Rat, Part 2

Welcome back and let’s finish out this blog entry. We left off on a note on sorting through your items into keep piles and get rid of piles. Most people have more stuff than they need or use. This becomes overly apparent when people move from one location to another. Packing space will quickly be taken up and the cost of moving items will quickly add up. At this point you need to decide what needs to come with you to the new place and what can be sold, given away, and thrown away.

What you can keep and what should be given away will also be greatly influenced by where you are moving to. If you are moving from a house to an apartment, you will have to heavily cut down on your belongings. There are storage facilities, but they will have monthly storage fees. But if you have to pay to store items, you will give more thought to whether or not you really need these items.

Going to a house just across town is good and bad. You can move your stuff in multiple trips, but then you will be tempted to just haul all of your stuff over without downsizing your collection. Going across states or just short drives will help you to choose what is most important to you. Moving trucks have limited space and there may be charges for weight. In this case, only the items from your keep piles should be making it onto the truck.

The rise of all of these TV shows on hoarders has given people a good perspective on whether or not they have a problem. If they see a lot of themselves in the people featured on the shows, then now is the time to get help and remove the clutter from their home and lives.

Fighting Your Inner Pack Rat

When it comes to moving, chances are you will have to down scale your belongings. Some people are serious pack rats and just keep everything they have ever owned. In most cases stuff just accumulates over time and gets piled up. With our busy lives, we neglect to make the time to sort through all of the stuff we no longer use and probably no longer need. When people move they can be shocked and over whelmed by all of the stuff that has amassed in their home. This collection can be bags of clothes, boxes of magazines, paperwork from 20 years ago, and so on.

Many people keep stuff thinking that they will use again someday or that they will need it right after they get rid of it. It is a mental game. People place a lot of sentimental value on the items they have collected over the years. It may be gifts from loved ones, clothes they met their spouse in, childhood toys, old school work, and the list goes on.

The best practice is to keep these collections in check before you need to do a rush sorting job. Seriously and objectively go through your house and separate everything into collections. Make a keep pile, a give away pile, and a discard pile. If you are one of those folks that think everything you own is a priceless treasure, you may need to ask your family and friends to help you sort and view your possessions in a different light. They can help you be objective and realize that if you haven’t worn a certain shirt in a few years, you can afford to let it go. The same thing for people who keep old clothes from when they were in better shape, who are saving the clothes for when they get down to their old size. The sad truth is that it probably isn’t going to happen.

What to do with a pet you cannot take to your new home?

Pet owners not being able to take their pet with them to a new home is an all too familiar story. You may be moving from a house to an apartment, duplex, condo, or other such facility that does not allow pets on the premises. What is a pet owner to do? You do not want to dump off in the country or somewhere else. That is cruel and in many areas illegal. Some people just leave the animal behind at the old house, but again abandonment is considered animal cruelty.

The first step is to try and find it a new owner. Your first choice should be to try friends and relatives. In this case you will have a chance to still see the animal and you will have a pretty good idea about the people your pet is going to live with. People often put up ads on message board sites like craigslist. Offering to give their pet away to a good home. This is a more risky move, as you have no idea who these people really are, or their intentions. Somebody may just want to get some food for their boa constrictor. Or they may just dump the animal, when they tire of it. You can try to do a little new owner verification, but it may be difficult.

Another option is to give it to the pound or other shelter. But this is often a death sentence for the animal as well. Unless the animal is fairly young, its chances for adoption go way down.

Getting Your Adult Children To Move Out of the House, Part 2

Continuing on from the last post about adult children still living in their parent’s home.

4. When you become your child’s landlord, you need to set house rules for them. If you want them to buy their own food and keep it separate from your food, let them know. Let them know that they will have to clean up after themselves. Which at the very least means having your children, wash their own dishes and do their own laundry. If you want to go as far as having them buy their own cleaning supplies, so be it.

5. The other rules you will need to set down, is that of having guest and entertaining. If you allow your kids to have friends over and parties, set up end times for the parties. Determine if you will allow anyone to sleepover in your home. If someone drinks too much in your home and drives home drunk, the law may put some of the blame on you. Let your child know that they will be hosting, you aren’t going to cater or clean up any mess they and their friends make.

If you do not want to deal with all of this hassle, just tell you kids what they can do to entertain, if anything. Maybe a rule of only a few people over at a time, or just tell your kid that they cannot have any parties at your house. They may not like it, but you are the landlord and have to protect your property. This will also help them to see the freedom of moving out.