Easy, inexpensive, and eco-friendly DIY Halloween box costumes:

The little ghouls and goblins are gearing up for their favorite time of year, Halloween! This holiday definitely isn’t just for the kiddos, so we’ve come up with a few Halloween costume ideas to involve you parents as well. These costumes are a fun and creative way to get your entire family involved this year.

Family of s’mores

Are you looking for a cohesive Halloween costume theme for the entire family? This s’mores-themed get-up allows everyone to be involved and is very simple to make. All you need is:

• 2 large boxes
• 1 dish pack box
• Elastic or string
• Brown paint
• White paint
• 2 white pillows

Begin with taking your two large boxes and cut four square pieces about 2.5’x2.5’ in size. These will become the parent’s graham cracker portion of the costume. Since I was using our TWO MEN AND A TRUCK® boxes, I just flipped over the box so the tan side was up. Next, I took the brown paint and began painting the dashes and indents to transform the cardboard into the giant graham crackers. Then cut two holes about a foot to foot-and-a-half apart for the straps. I used elastic for the straps but you could also use string or Velcro.
Next, take the dish pack and cut two rectangular panels to create the Hershey’s bar. Make sure the rectangle isn’t too big so your child can easily walk and trick-or-treat. Then, spray paint both panels brown. Once one panel is dry, take the white paint and write HERSHEY’S across it. Next, just like with the graham crackers, cut holes or tape straps to the cardboard panels.
For the marshmallow, all you need are two white pillows and string to make transform your child into a plump marshmallow.

Milk & cookies

Continuing with the food theme, I love this idea of having a parent dressed as the milk and all the kids dressed up as cookies. The awesome thing with this costume is it’s perfect no matter how many kids you have. The items needed are:

• 1 medium box
• 1 small box
• White paint
• Black paint
• Brown paint
• Elastic or string

Creating the milk carton is super-simple. All you have to do is cut off the box flaps of our medium box. Even though our TWO MEN AND A TRUCK® boxes are already white, I wanted to cover up the writing so I quickly spray painted it white. Once dry add a few black cow spots and the words MILK. Unlike the picture here, I decided to go without the hat portion. the The last step is to add straps. Same with the s’mores costumes; I used elastic since it’s more comfortable and adjustable.
For the cookie, take the small box and cut out two circle pieces. I flipped them over so the brown side was facing up and added chocolate chips using the brown paint. You can just draw circles but I wanted to have fun and draw the chip shape. Just add the straps and your little tike is ready to become a scrumptious treat.

Lego

If you’re not thrilled about dressing up this year, we have one just for the kiddos as well. For the Lego costume you will need:

• 1 small box
• 6 small plastic cups
• Tape
• Spray paint
• Elastic or string

For the Lego costume I chose to cut off all the box flaps, but you could also tape up the box and cut out a head and arm holes instead. Then I used tape to affix the six cups to one side of the box and spray painted it red. Lastly, I added the straps last. And it’s as simple as that!

Popularity Growing for DIY Moving and Keeping Costs Low:

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With many U.S. homeowners embracing a DIY attitude, it’s no surprise that there’s been a surge in DIY moving as well.

A major reason for the trend toward DIY is that while hiring a full-service mover may be easier on your back, self moves cost about half the price of a van-line move.

In addition, people who handle their own moves have confidence in knowing their belongings will arrive as expected.

If you decide to make your own move, consider these two options: self move or a hybrid move.

Self Moves

When you choose to do it yourself, the burden rests entirely on your shoulders.

Unlike full-service moves that handle your relocation from start to finish, you have complete control how your belongings are handled, packed and moved into your new space.

For example, you’re responsible for securing your own packing materials and moving vehicle.

While this option is the least expensive, you’ll probably need to recruit friends or family members to help do the heavy lifting.

Hybrid Moves

A growing number of companies are offering a moving option to blend the conveniences of the full-service mover with the pricing of truck rental.

Once you make a reservation, a trailer is dropped off at your home. You generally have a few days to pack, load and secure your belongings in the trailer. When you’ve finished packing, professional drivers pick up and drive your belongings to your new home. You then have another few days to unload your possessions.

As with full-service moves, hybrid moves offer the perk of having someone else do the driving. The cost is similar to truck rental, because you pay only for the space you use. Because you pack your belongings in the trailer, you have direct control over your expenses.

You may be able to get a better price during the “off-peak season” from September through April when demand for moving services is lower—and movers can be more flexible in their pickup and delivery dates.

However, most people move during the peak spring and summer months when weather is warm—and they have time off from work and school.

DIY Moving Basics

As always, you need to stick to the fundamentals of a smooth move—plan ahead and enlist the help of others when you need it.

Your choice to do it yourself will boil down to dollars and whether you’re willing to drive your belongings to your new home. You might find hiring someone else to drive your goods is a burden on your budget. Or you might be leery of driving a big truck, especially if you’re moving long-distance.

Whichever option you choose, make a mental note of how happy you were with the moving process as you settle into your new home. The average person moves 11 times in a lifetime, so if you weren’t satisfied by your first choice, there will likely be plenty of future opportunities for you to change your strategy for your next move.

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Roommate Moving Out – Problems & Solutions:

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Living with a roommate could be great – you could be friends, relatives, colleagues, a couple, or even strangers. Anyway, we live in a dynamic world and people often decide to move out. It could be because of a new job, may be the rent has increased or for some other reason, but either way taking the decision to move out from a roommate is binding and has legal consequences. Sometimes a roommate moving out early before lease is up could be problematic if he/ she refuses to pay the rent, utilities and damages caused to the house or apartment. What are your rights and what can you do?

Co-tenant Moving Out

If your co-tenant is moving out of the rental unit and wishes to go by the rules, then you are lucky because this is the best situation possible. Your roommate should send a notice to your landlord about moving out – usually your rental agreement will require a 30 days notice before leaving. Read your rental contract together to work out the details. Usually the roommate leaving the house or condo will have to cover the rent and utilities until the actual date of the move unless someone else takes his/ her place in which case the rent and utilities are to be shared with the new tenant from the date of the moving in. The best thing would be to work out the details of the move together with your roommate and to ask him/ her to sign an agreement. Whether your roommate has already left without notice or hasn’t yet, it would be best to get his/ her signature. Your roommate should agree in writing to pay for any damages caused (if any), for rent and utilities, and all of these should be paid by a certain date. If you don’t do this, the remaining rent and utilities will have to be paid by the remaining tenants, including yourself.

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If you decide to move out as well, give notice to your landlord, according to your rental agreement.
Roommate Moving out Before Lease is Up

From a legal point of view, when one or more roommates decide to move out, this breaches the rental agreement which has been signed for a particular length of stay. In this case your landlord has the right to evict the rest of the tenants as well, including you. If you or any of the other tenants has been causing problems like damages to the rental unit, this could be just the right excuse of your landlord to get rid of this person. But usually if you are paying your rent regularly and in time, and you are bringing in roommates that don’t cause damages, the landlord will let you stay. You can now begin to search for someone to take the place of the roommate who has left so you could hare the rent and utilities.

My Roommate Moved out and Refuses to Pay Rent & Utilities – What Now?


Before giving the keys of your rental unit to your landlord, remember to book your movers!
This is a very unpleasant situation that you should be ready to handle. You are not responsible for your roommates damages to the rental unit, utilities and rent. If your roommate refuses to pay because of money problems, you can sign an agreement between all tenants for a longer period of notice giving more time to your roommate to move out. In any case, don’t move in anyone, even if he or she is a very reliable person, just because you want to share the costs of living in this place. This is against your rental agreement and again, because you are breaching it, your landlord could evict you. Don’t give him/ her such a chance. If you cannot find anywhere your ex roommate and/ or cannot reach an agreement regarding the costs that this person must cover, you can take him/ her to small claims court. It will take your time and energy but at least you can get back what you are due, plus costs for finding a new roommate (like advertising costs).

Roommate Moving out Early & Moving Yourself

If you cannot afford to pay the rent or you don’t want to deal with the issues of a roommate suddenly moving out, you can move out as well. Send a notice to your landlord and mention that you cannot afford to pay the whole rent yourself. You can also ask to use your ex roommate’s security deposit to cover the rent until you move out or find new tenants. Get ready to put your rental unit in the state that you found it and be ready to show it to potential tenants – this is not just a good effort on your behalf for your landlord to appreciate, but it is also going to give you benefits as well. The sooner you find new tenants, the sooner you are no longer obliged to pay rent and you can also get back your security deposit.

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8 Things Really Efficient People Do:

Most everyone would like to be more efficient. Just think, you would spend less time doing the things that you don't enjoy and more on the things that bring satisfaction, happiness and profit. Some people are actually very adept at efficiency.  They manage every manageable moment so they have more time for themselves to do the things they love. Here are eight techniques efficient people use to gain that freedom.

1. Stop Multitasking

Many people fool themselves into thinking they are good at multitasking. But actually very few can solidly focus on more than 1 or two tasks, particularly if they require focus and depth.  They fool themselves into believing they are getting more done when in reality they are accomplishing less and the quality of the work is poor. Really efficient people know that concentrated effort with few distractions leads to better work product in faster times. Otherwise the work may not be up to par, which means wasting even more time and energy going back to fix the mistakes.

2. Delegate

So much productivity is lost when people take on more than they can accomplish. Don't be inspired by CEOs and leaders who overload their schedules and burn the midnight oil. Really efficient people are extremely good at delegating tasks to others who will perform them better. When you know how to break down a task and empower others to contribute effort, you can choose the tasks most suited for you and crank through them in record time without distraction.

3. Use Appropriate Communication

Poor communication is a huge time-waster. A fast email transmitting bad instructions or an offensive attitude can end up adding many unnecessary hours to a project. The masters of efficiency take a little extra time to think through their communication in the beginning. They consider their objectives when deciding to get on the phone. They craft their emails with purpose using the exact language necessary to get the desired effect.  It takes a little more time at the beginning but can actually shave days from a project.

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4. Apply Structure to the Schedule

With all the available scheduling and productivity tools you would think more people would feel they have a handle on their schedule. And yet often people feel their schedule drives them instead of the other way around. Efficiency fanatics create standard routines in their schedule so they can achieve a disciplined approach and be ready for the important events. The more you control the calendar, the easier it is to make room for the unexpected.

5. Give Everything a Proper Place

A lot of time is wasted chasing down lost items. Keys, pens and clothing hunts can cause distraction and frustration, especially when you have something important to do or somewhere important to be. People get really efficient from being organized. Establish a home for all the items you have.  Factories that practice LEAN create common homes for necessary tools of the trade. You can do the same. Organize clothes, papers and electronics in a way that you can easily find what you are looking for.  It may take you a few extra minutes to put things away but you'll save a ton of time and irritation from having to search for what's important.

6. Time Activities

Do you really know how much time you spend productively versus how much time you waste? I often know that I am talking on the phone with someone who takes efficiency seriously because they tell me when the call is almost over. Efficient people set a time for each of their tasks and work to keep the schedule. Try logging your time on conversations and activities for a week.  Then spend the next week setting specific times for similar activities and work to reduce the times with similar output.  You'll be pleasantly surprised at the gains.

7. Commit to Downtime

Tired and overworked people don't perform well. People pleasers will sacrifice their own downtime thinking they are benefitting others, but in truth they detract from productivity. Really efficient people make sure they get rest and recuperation so they can perform at their peak. Since one amazing employee can do the work of three average employees, best to let the team rest up and be top performers.

8. Plan Projects

Effort is often wasted when people don't have a clear path to success. Impatience is the direct enemy of efficiency. Really efficient people know they must take the time to research and break down a project into basic steps in order to achieve success consistently. Yes, planning takes a little time. But considering the challenges, process and responsibilities in advance will make for clear direction with the team. With good communication everyone can move confidently and efficiently to achieve all the objectives in record time.

Recycle your moving boxes with these fun tips:

Day of the Move box/car washing kit

 Day of the Move Box is perfect for keeping essential items and clothes for the day/night handy during your move. You will be exhausted after the move, and when it’s time to get ready for bed, you won’t want to dig through multiple boxes.

This time of year it’s finally getting nice outside and time to park your car in the driveway and give it a wash. Our Day of the Move Box is great for keeping your car washing items all in one spot. The Day of the Move Box makes it easy to grab your car washing essentials and you don’t have to worry about the cardboard getting wet if you waterproof the box.

Dish Pack Kit/wrapping station

Our Dish Pack Kit is the strongest box available and is ideal for packing fragile items such as china and other kitchen essentials. The cardboard inserts create cubicles that are excellent for keeping the items safe and secure during the move.

After your move, the Dish Pack Kit can easily be reused as a wrapping station. Since the summer months are an ideal time for parties, whether its graduation, baby showers, children’s birthdays, or weddings, make sure you’re organized by creating a wrapping station you can pull out when needed for access to wrapping paper, tape, scissors, and decorative bows and ribbon. This is a perfect way to keep all wrapping essentials in one spot.

Wardrobe Box/storage organizer

 Wardrobe Box allows clothes to be transported on their hangers by having a metal bar along top of the box to hang clothing.

Recycle your Wardrobe Box and use it to store your out-of-season clothes. A waterproofed wardrobe box is perfect for storing your winter items in the off season. You can place it in your basement and waterproofing it allows you to be worry-free in case of flooding. You can hang coats, hats, gloves, and scarves and place your boots at the bottom. Seal up the box and they will be safe and waiting for you come next winter.

The Wardrobe Box can also help keep your garage free of clutter this summer. Hang your towels after a day at the pool or running through sprinklers, and baseball gloves or bats after a weekend of baseball tournaments. The box is also handy at keeping your sports balls from rolling under your parked cars. Your kids can just run into the garage and easily grab what they’re looking for.

Truckie’s Treasure Chest

Our Truckie’s Treasure Chest is a unique box designed for kids to pack their own items. The box is easy to carry and can be personalized.

Not only is Truckie’s Treasure Chest useful for keeping kids’ belongings close and safe during the move, but it is also convenient when traveling with pets. You can keep your pet’s necessities in one, easy-to-carry spot. Just place leashes, bowls, treats, and any favorite toys in the box and you’re good to go!

I hope these tips have inspired you to recycle your old moving boxes instead of throwing them away. For more information and moving tips, visit our website.

Learn more about Florida Movers for your relocation:

Florida moving companies allow you to to advance products from a single place to an additional safely and quickly. No one likes to experience the stress of moving products. In fact none of us such as the activity of packaging and moving products. Hence the moving companies existing higher top quality companies to advance products.

Florida moving companies give moving companies all through California and to other states in USA. Some companies also focus on moving products to other countries and other major regions. The products will get to the specified destination safely with no any loss to products.

As a way to shift products out of your home to other place you just make a phone to any one of the moving companies in California. A representative in the organization will contact you in particular person and figure out your moving desires. Terrible allow you to to pick out numerous possibilities obtainable in moving. You will be able to choose the dimensions of the truck in compliance for your require.

Florida moving companies grant moving solutions to commercial family and commercial products. You will be able to also utilize the multiple storage containers to carry significant number of products. California moving companies is among the top most companies which support you to to advance products. They cost some reasonable prices for their companies. There aren't any disguised costs right here.

Florida moving companies support you to to shift products in the complete residence or apartment or just one piece of furniture. They will enable you to to prepare to package and shift products. If you need they will prepare professionals to package your products safely. They will support you in meeting some immediate need.

Florida moving companies supply extended range moving solutions. They will also existing storage providers for maintaining products secure. You are able to shift products ideally to extended range by selecting any one of many moving companies in California. Overseas moving can also be possible with all the support of the moving companies.

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All about workplace moving in San Jose:

If you are looking to live in one of the most secure places in the U. S. Declares, then you should consider moving to San Jose. Due to the places wonderful climate, up and coming developing facilities, and the fact that it is very fantastic, it is a preferred among both visitors and individuals looking to transfer. Travel and leisure is not the only reason people should select to transfer to this town, as one can transfer to this safe town for a variety of other reasons.

No matter the case, to be able to get your valuables moved to this town, you should highly consider using a local moving company. Discovering the best one is not so challenging if you know what to look for.

There are different ways available to help you get the right moving company, regionally. These options include looking the phone book, categorized ad sites, evaluation results on Howl or Vendor group and, of course, looking on search engines like Google, yahoo or Bing.

In purchase to discover the best transfer support, you first need to perform a thorough analysis on all the moving company in the focused town place. The first thing that your analysis should begin with is gathering the reports of prices these San Jose moving company will charge you to transportation your valuables. The company should be able to effectively assess all your home goods.

To ensure the of the moving process, efficient moving companies should ask you for the deal with that you are moving from and the deal with that you are shifting to. If the deal with that you are shifting to does not have enough space to provide large shifting automobiles, then the moving company should be able to organize for small automobiles to move your valuables. The transfer services company that you select should also organize to get you all of the necessary appearance components, hard physical work and the proper equipment that will be needed to be able to deal with moving your valuables.

There are quite a number of efficient San Jose moving companies that will be able to provide you with quality support for your local and long-distance shifting. You can either select to look for the listing for a moving organization in local area or you can ask a buddy, buddy or affiliate who lifestyles in the place to suggest you some efficient moving company, ideally ones with opinions that are positive and recommendations.