The moving industry is rife with horrifying tales of relocations gone wrong, often in the area of cost.  Uncertainty about your moving costs is definitely a worry – wouldn’t it be nice to know that your movers are reliable with their moving quotes?  Jay’s Moving and Storage provides accurate moving estimates; here’s how to get one.

Many people look to online moving services brokers for moving quotes, but Jay’s doesn’t recommend this approach.  These brokers are often just the middlemen who pass your information on to as many movers as they can (for which they are paid a fee) so they are not necessarily motivated to get ALL the info from you that is needed to make an accurate moving estimate.

Get Accurate Moving Quotes from Jay’s

When you work with Jay’s, we prefer to send one of our moving consultants to meet with you at your home (or office, if that’s what you’re moving) so that we can see exactly what items you need to transport.  If a home visit is unfeasible, we will conduct a very thorough phone interview to determine the size and makeup of your shipment.  An accurate moving estimate is dependent on knowing EXACTLY what you need to relocate so we can calculate both moving weight and volume of your load.

Your Jay’s Moving consultant will also ask for your preferred dates of shipment and, of course, where you are moving from and to.  They will discuss what kind of services you need from Jay’s, like full or partial packing and unpacking, as well as determining if you require any third party services, such as appliance disconnection and reconnection or specialty shipping for especially valuable or difficult to ship belongings.

Using all of this information we are able to calculate your moving costs very accurately.  At Jay’s, your Calgary moving company, we are so confident in the accuracy of our moving quotes that we offer a 10% over guarantee! Call us for your moving estimate at 403-775-6066

Are you retiring soon?  Are you making plans to move after your retirement?  Many people take advantage of their new freedom to relocate once they no longer have regular employment tying them down.  As a moving consultant for Jay’s Moving and Storage Calgary I have helped more than a few folks who have decided to retire and move and boy, are they happy folks!

Often, these new retirees are moving to be closer to family or friends.  These days, it seems that once the children are grown they move to other cities, sometimes even further, usually for employment, leaving their parents behind.  For a while this is all good, but eventually, once the grandchildren start arriving, Grandma and Grampa begin to suffer pangs of grandchild withdrawal and yearn to live closer so that they can be more than just ‘holiday Grandparents’.

Sometimes people who are retiring from a lifetime of work just want a change of scenery.  If they’ve spent most of their life on the Canadian prairies, they might want to move somewhere with a more amenable climate… I hear Victoria BC is nice!  For those who want to escape winter altogether, there’s the option of becoming ‘snowbirds’, the term for folks who winter elsewhere, often in Arizona or Florida, where they NEVER have to shovel snow again.  Snowbirds often downsize into condos or townhomes so that their property is maintained and more secure while they spend winters in the sun.

Then there are those who are afflicted with wanderlust and desire nothing more than the open road.  These are the people who sell their home, put most of their belongings into storage, buy a movable home of some sort and embark upon an open ended adventure.  If you’ve been tied to one place for years, even decades, sometimes all you want is to travel around and experience as much of this wonderful country as you can.

Whatever your retirement plans, if you’re moving house, call Jay’s Moving and Storage, we provide superior moving services and short or long term storage as per your needs.

Jay’s Moving and Storage believes strongly in giving back to the communities in which we live and work and we have been supporting the Kinsmen Telemiracle Foundation for many years.  In fact, 2013 will see the 22^nd Annual Golf Classic take place at the Harbor Golf Club in Elbow, Saskatchewan in June.

The Kinsmen Telemiracle Foundation provides funding for people who may not otherwise be able to acquire the special equipment and access to medical assistance that they need.  This might be in the form of covering travel expenses for those who are receiving medical treatment, assessments or organ transplants in another city or province, or the money may go towards the purchase of communications or technical aids, wheelchairs or electric scooters, wheelchair lifts for vehicles or other physical aids that people need.

Over the years, thousands of people have received funding from Kinsmen Telemiracle and Jay’s is proud to have contributed to the cause.

The 2013 Kinsmen Telemiracle Telethon, broadcast live from TCU Place in Saskatoon on March 2nd and 3^rd, raised a total of $5,546,712, with the 37 year grand total for Telemiracle surpassing $100 million dollars!

Jay’s Moving and Storage is excited to be approaching a milestone of our own; we are approaching the 1 million dollar mark and would love to reach our goal in 2013.  In addition to our annual Golf Classic many of our locations across Saskatchewan and in Calgary have already or are planning location-based fundraisers like steak nights, dances, comedy nights and cookbook sales.

Our grand total stands at $878,612.53, only $121,387.47 more to achieve our million dollar goal!  Can we do it?  We are taking a poll; let us know what you think here: http://community.jaysgroup.ca/telemiracle-donation-grand-total/

We are seeking hole sponsors for our Golf Tournament, trying to surpass last year’s total of 256 sponsors.  If you would like to help by sponsoring a hole or making a donation please contact Selene at head office: scyca@jaysmoving.com

Packing your books and magazines? That’s simple, just don’t use big boxes.  Are you packing dishes and fine china?  Wrap well and use the proper containers.  What about clothing and other textiles (blankets, sheets, towels etc.)?  Too easy…

For many of your household belongings it’s quite obvious how to pack them up for a move, it’s not exactly rocket science!  But there are some things that may leave you scratching your head, wondering exactly how you can pack them up securely and efficiently.  As an experienced moving consultant with Jay’s, your Calgary movers, I’ve seen all sorts of unusual household belongings and learned a few packing tips that our professional movers use to ensure safe and efficient crating of certain odd items.

Packing Tips for the Tricky Bits

You might be tempted to put each oddly shaped item in its own box and leave it at that, but that could increase the volume of your shipment considerably, leading to higher moving costs.  Sometimes it’s necessary to pack certain items on their own, but frequently you can include other things, even if just some of your towels or linens, which can be used to pad and protect the item inside the moving box.

Packing Tips for Lampshades

Almost everyone has a number of lampshades, and they are big and bulky but not usually heavy.  If the shapes of your lampshades are not too dissimilar, nesting them can work very well.  Choose a moving box that will accommodate the largest, clean each lampshade thoroughly first and then stack as many together as will fit comfortably, layering plain paper between each shade to prevent scuff marks or colour bleeding.  Label the box fragile so that the movers don’t place a box of books or some other heavy item on top.

Packing Other Awkward Items

Many of our tricky to pack items seem to be the decorative objects we use to beautify our homes, and many of these are both bulky and fragile.  Things like decorative baskets, large vases, sculptural art, tabletop fireplaces or fountains, globes and dried or faux plant material take up a lot of valuable space and don’t take kindly to being squished or crushed.  If you can disassemble anything to reduce its volume that can be helpful, just make sure to photograph it first and label the bits and pieces so that you will be able to reassemble it. For other things, try to make use of the extra space around your odd item within the packing container, wrap and tuck smaller items all around it, taking care to segregate heavy items from lighter ones to prevent damage in transit.  It might take a little forethought to make efficient use of the ‘spaces in between’, but it can save you money if you pack efficiently.

Of course, if it all sounds like too much work, you can have our professional packers to do the work for you.  Jay’s Moving and Storage knows how to pack ALL your items, even the tricky ones, efficiently and securely, just ask us!

When you’ve been living in one community for a number of years, you may not realize how many connections you’ve established and how many you will need to re-establish when you leave town.  Moving long distance involves much more than just organizing the transfer of your belongings from one city to another.  My experience as a professional mover in Calgary has taught me just how complex it can be to restore that level of connectivity when you relocate your family across the province, the country or even further.

You undoubtedly have a long list of professionals that you trust to provide services and goods to you and your family, and I’ll bet that it’s a longer list than you think it is!  Here is a list of those important folks, or at least most of them, each family has its own needs and a list to match.

People You Will Miss When You Move Long Distance (and need to replace)

• Family doctor (and any specialists or therapists you regularly see)
• Dentist (and possibly orthodontists or periodontists)
• Veterinarian (plus a dog walker or pet sitter, if you use these services)
• Babysitter/Daycare provider
• Mechanic
• Plumber
• Electrician
• HVAC technician
• Florist
• Landscape maintenance provider
• Eldercare provider
• Housecleaner
• Renovation handyperson
• Piano teacher (vocal coach or instructor for whatever instrument you are studying)
• Someone who cuts your hair just the way you like it
• Housesitter – so you can enjoy your vacations

The list is almost endless and we haven’t even begun to think about the things that make your life really worthwhile like friends, social groups and service clubs that fulfill your need to participate in the community in which you are living.

More Long Distance Moving Tips

Ask your present connections for referrals to professionals in the new city.  This is often easy for locating a new doctor, dentist and vet, but certain pros have very little contact with their counterparts in other places.  Check online resources like Angies List for reviews and ask your new neighbours for recommendations.

The Welcome Wagon in your new community can provide information and sometimes even discount coupons for local services so that you can try them out.

Join a newcomers club or some type of service club (Rotary, Lions, Kinsmen and the like). You’ll meet a ton of new people, great for your social life and also a further source of referrals to local services.

Jay’s, your Calgary Movers knows exactly how to move you and your family, locally or long distance and we are pleased to offer this advice to help you re-establish your life in a new location after your long distance move.

Moving, whether local or long distance, offers the perfect opportunity to de-clutter and organize your belongings.  The pros at Jay’s, your Calgary moving company suggest that you should take the time to thoroughly sort, cull and consolidate your household during the course of your move.  Fewer possessions means a smaller shipment and a less costly relocation!

You may have lived in your present home for years, even decades, and during that time you’ve probably accumulated a lot of things, some of which you no longer use or need.  Paying the movers to take these items to your new home is a waste of your hard earned money, so DON’T!

Begin well in advance of your move, sorting through your things and separating them into those which you can sell, items you want to give to friends, family or charity and things that need hauling to the dump or recycling centre.  You might want to advertise more valuable items for sale in local classified ads, Craigslist, Kijiji or UsedEverywhere.

One of the best ways to get rid of things you no longer need is to hold a garage sale.  You can lighten your load AND raise funds to finance your move (or maybe for renos to the new place!).  When you hold a garage sale, make sure to:

• Schedule it on a non-holiday weekend;
• Try to hold the sale IN your garage or under cover in case of bad weather;
• Enlist all family members to help with sales;
• Price your items clearly, and
• Be prepared to haggle, after all the idea is to get rid of your extraneous stuff!

Organizing Requires a Plan

Make an organizational plan for your new home so that you know exactly where all your things will fit and don’t forget to measure the furniture to make sure it’s suitable for the space you have in mind.  Determine ahead of time whether you will need to purchase new furniture, shelving and storage bins for the new place, but don’t actually make these purchases until you have relocated so that you don’t need to pay to ship these items.

If you are doing your own packing, make sure to label absolutely everything so that the movers place the boxes in the right place in your new home.  Of course if Jay’s does the packing for you, we will do the labelling too!

After the move, your well organized belongings should be simple to unpack and put away exactly where you want them.  The tricky bit is keeping up this level of organization over time.  Of course, you can always call Jay’s to help you move again, if that’s what it takes!

See on Scoop.it – Living in Saskatchewan

Saskatchewan Premier Brad Wall remembers watching the very first Kinsmen Telemiracle in 1977 and realizing it was “a big deal” because Bob McGrath from Sesame Street was hosting the show.

See on www.thestarphoenix.com

Moving a business, whether it’s across Calgary or across Canada comes with an entirely different set of concerns than those involved with a household move.  Of course, your business move may also include household moving; if you are leaving the community in which your business is located you may need to move your own family and perhaps also those of your employees. I’m sure you can see how it can get complicated in a hurry!  Not to worry, Jay’s, your Calgary moving company has helped businesses of all sizes relocate and we know what needs doing.

As with any complicated task, the first requirement is a plan.  In the case of moving a business, assuming that you want to ensure continued viability, you need a business continuity plan (BCP).  If you neglect to formulate one you’ll almost undoubtedly experience some level of ‘down time’ which, if it goes on for too long, could prove disastrous to your bottom line.  If you are looking for an excuse to shut the thing down and retire, this could be your chance!

Joking aside, we’re sure that you wouldn’t bother to move your business just to let it go down, so we’d prefer to advise you on establishing a thorough business continuity plan.

1. Identify key staff members and gather all their contact info so that you can keep in touch throughout the relocation;
2. If any of them can work from home, or an alternate business location, to keep your business operational during the move, organize whatever they need to do so;
3. Make a contact list of essential contractors or vendors
4. Document equipment needed to carry on day to day business so that you can ensure access to it a.s.a.p. or even rent replacements to use while your equipment is in transit;
5. Gather all critical documentation, legal papers, banking information, tax returns, licences and permits – everything that you will need to resume your business;
6. Establish a contingency location where you can conduct business until your new digs are ready for use, this might be a warehouse space, hotel, or your own home office;
7. Create a ‘how to’ list that includes what needs doing, who is responsible, when to do it and how.  Then make another, listing each person and what their responsibilities are.  Then, if you need to know “who is supposed to call the electric company?” you can look up “electric company”. And if you want to know what Jane Doe is supposed to be doing, you can look under Jane for that information.
8. Collect all of this information; this is your business continuity plan!  Make plenty of copies and hand them out to all your people, keeping extra copies at a safe off-site location, in a safety deposit box and at your home.
9. Mandatory staff training to familiarize everyone with the BCP and their role is, well, mandatory!

Your BCP will help you move your business with a minimum of disruption to your day to day operations and it will also serve as a functional disaster response plan in case of fire, flood or any other catastrophe.  For more detailed info about business continuity plans, visit Jay’s Moving Calgary.

If you are moving long distance, whether across the country or even further it may not be feasible to transport your pet(s) yourself.  Jay’s Moving and Storage isn’t equipped to transport animals safely either, but we can recommend pet shipping services whose business it is to relocate your pets safely and with a minimum of stress to your furry (or scaly or feathery) family members.

Pet shipping services are equipped to manage your pet’s relocation no matter where they need to go.  They are familiar with all the requirements and regulations of shipping pets by air, ground or sea and across provincial and international borders.

Reliable pet shipping companies will ensure that health protocols and requirements are met and will be able to provide the following:

• Custom kennels or cages that meet International Air Transport Association (IATA) guidelines;
• Boarding and care as necessary until you are ready to receive your pets;
• Door to door collection and delivery of your pets;
• Any and all required import and transit permits, government or consular endorsements, and
• Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) Export Permits for exotic animals/species.

Every licensed veterinarian practising within Canada is accredited and approved to complete the requirements for the international export of your pets. Your animal transporter will work with the veterinarian of your choice to ensure that all health requirements are met.

If your pet’s journey is long and involves layovers or multiple modes of transport your pet transporter should provide secure comfort stops, including:

• Collection at arrival (both domestic and international);
• Secure & comfortable accommodation;
• Walks and exercise for your pet;
• Meals and access to fresh water;
• Clean and refresh your pet’s travel crate, and
• Check in service for onward travel.

If you require pet shipping services in the course of your move, ask Jay’s, your Calgary mover for a referral.

Regular household moves are one thing, but if you need to organize corporate relocations, whether for your own organization or as a representative of an organization, it can be exponentially more complicated.  Jay’s Moving and Storage, has established corporate relocation programs with a number of companies directly and through our affiliation with Atlas Van Lines.

Jay’s has a lot of experience helping companies of all sizes move employees in Alberta and Saskatchewan, across Canada or even further and we are confident that we can work with you to create a corporate relocation program tailored to your specific needs.  Our goal is to get your people to their new location with as little disruption as possible so that they don’t need to worry about the move and are able to concentrate on getting to work.

Our affiliate, Atlas Van Lines conducts an ongoing survey of relocation practices and publishes a report each spring with the results.  Jay’s Moving incorporates the findings into the design (or redesign) of our corporate relocation programs so that we stay on top of industry changes.  This can be helpful when prospective employees are comparing your corporate relocation policies to those of other employers in your industry. Click here for the most recent relocation practices survey results.

All of Jay’s clients are offered Atlas Van Lines exclusive ‘President’s Gold Leaf Service’, a relocation management program providing superior service and complete accountability. With PGL you will have a personal moving consultant and a PGL coordinator overseeing all aspects of your corporate relocation.  You can learn more about PGL here.  Jay’s Moving Calgary provides employee relocation services that are second to none!