Relocating your family and your life? Here are some tips to
save your finances and your sanity, from the career coach who
literally wrote the book.
“ Job Needed
Desperately ”
1. Hire the pros. Resist the temptation to save a few bucks
by hiring Uncle Larry and his pickup. You need a genuine
receipt to deduct moving expenses and, if Uncle Larry drops
a box, you'll find that one crushed toe can be very
expensive.
2. Move small -- but conserve. Toss the boxes that haven't
been opened in the last five years. Keep expensive,
hard-to-replace items. You may need a parka in Florida
someday. If not, you'll find a Salvation Army there, too.
3. Let the movers pack as much as you can afford, especially
mirrors, pictures, glass and other breakables. Movers pack
faster than you do and they don't stop to reminisce about
Aunt Gertrude and her crocheted lampshades.
4. Find a temporary place to live. You'll feel less
pressured if you can say, "No problem. We have reservations
at the Sumptuous Suites Inn." If you get lucky, you can
always cancel.
5. Get clear on what you want. Before you move, visualize
your perfect new home. -- or at least the "must haves:"
"room for a garden," "sunny windowsills for the cats," "a
door wide enough to accommodate my couch."
You'll be more likely to make the right decision the
first time.
6. Don't be bullied into a housing decision. Better
to lose an opportunity than be trapped in the
house-from-hell. Breaking a lease or just moving to a
different address will be expensive and time-consuming.
7. Have a friend on call. Your friend will be able to say
things like, "That house doesn't sound like you. Are you
sure?" and, "Hang in there!"
Want more? A coach, counselor or consultant will be more
objective -- and you won't have to worry about imposing on
someone's good nature.
8. Get a driver. You have ten addresses and a map. You feel
like taking the first place you see just because it's such a
hassle to find your way.
Well, search no more. A taxi or car service usually will
allow you to book two or three hours. Ask for an experienced
driver who knows streets and neighborhoods.
9. Get references. Sure, the person advertising "Job Needed
Desperately" might be the best handyman you ever hired --
but why take the risk? Ask the key questions: "Who have you
hired? What happened?"
10. Keep a camera handy. If you're renting, take pictures
of the yard (half-mowed?), the kitchen (cracked tiles?) and
the entire unit. You'll have a good case for getting your
deposit back. Did the movers throw something into a box
without padding? Get a picture.
Take pictures of you and your family moving into your
new home, boxes and all. Six months from now, you may
actually want to look at them.
Cathy Goodwin, Ph.D., is a career coach, speaker and author
of Making the Big Move: How to transform relocation into a
creative life transition. See
http://www.movinglady.com/book.html . Free monthly Career
Freedom ezine:
http://www.movinglady.com/subscribe.html .
Email
cathy@... or phone 505-534-4294.
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