Take inventory of your belongings. Write down the item and a serial number along with estimated value. If you purchase anything new keep that receipt and record the serial number on it if not provided on the receipt. One further step is taking pictures of your property so you can further verify the value and ownership. Print these pictures and keep them in a fire safe lock box with the inventory list. Another place is if you have a bank safety deposit box, place the pictures and inventory list in there.

A good place to begin seeking quotes is with your auto insurance company, since you may get a discount for holding multiple policies. Make sure you are getting a policy that covers at least $15,000 to protect your belongings. Also be aware if they are offering an “Actual Cash Value” or “Replacement Cost” policy. The actual cash value is what your things are valued before damage occurred. A replacement cost policy will ensure you can replace your belongings with new.

Be sure you know what you are purchasing. Some insurance companies will deny coverage if you have a certain breed of dog. Also be aware of a deductible in case of an event you need to make a claim. Some may have conditions; like fire or smoke damage caused by yourself will have a higher deductible than if your property was stolen. They may also have a clause against water damage if you own a water bed. Also be aware you may need a separate policy if you live in a flood zone.

Renters insurance may have a minimal cost; however it provides you with peace of mind. People purchase home owners insurance on their homes, if you rent you should also purchase renters insurance so you and guests are covered. You never know what will happen in your neighbor’s apartment!

Sweep your house for dirty dishes and put into the dishwasher, or into the sink. Wipe the kitchen counters down and wipe the front of the microwave. With that same cloth or towel, wipe any spots off the floor, toss into the dirty clothes hamper on your way into the bedroom when you clean in there. Fold or hand a new dish towel on the stove or fridge handle.

Make the center of the living room look nice. Fluff throw pillows, fold any throw blankets and clear off the coffee table or side tables. If needed grab a laundry basket and put all random things into it.

In the dining room I wiped off some crumbs and I left my computer on and left up a search for post university online in hopes it might deter her from grilling me about my dating life.

In a laundry basket, toss any other random things around your bedroom. Store it into the closet and toss a fluffy comforter over your messy sheets. Put jewelry away into a drawer and hang clothes.

In the bathroom toss any products into the drawer and wipe down the sink, counter, toilet seat, and finally the bowl’s rim. You can use the same cloth, just use it in that same order.

I like to reverse the hospitality when she comes over. I set out a plate of cookies or chips, and start making a pot of coffee. Make tea if that is what your grandmother or company enjoys. I also make a mental note of other things around the house to eat that I can offer my guest.

One of my goals prior to moving is to visit the city I’ve never been to. I picked the dates this summer, traveling there on a Wednesday and returning on a Sunday. I also have been looking at how I will travel there and back, and where I will stay. I have been reaching out to all of my personal contacts on Facebook to see if anyone else is interested in going with me or knows of anyone living in or near NYC and I have reached a dead end. I am going to start reaching out to people online that have inspired me who work in the types of fields I dream of. Maybe I’ll have a back up option and look at executive assistant jobs too. I’ll do whatever I have to so I can survive and become successful.

It is a very stressful to do this alone, but I know I have the strength to do it. My family and friends are trying their best to be supportive despite having fears. One friend is in denial that I am going; he has been rude by interrupting me when I start talking about NYC in my conversations with him. I want to defy everyone that thinks I can’t do it, a small town girl moving to one of the biggest cities in the world. I don’t know exactly how this will turn out, but I feel like I need something drastic to change in my life in order to have a successful future. If I fail, I will return to my hometown and know I tried my best, despite being totally flat broke. But on the bright side, I’ll have some great topics for conversation with others from my town that have never left.

There are a few basic items that I believe everyone needs to entertain company comfortably. One of my friends from out of state called me last week and told me that her and her husband wanted to stop and visit before heading the remaining 2 hours to her family’s house. I quickly ran around cleaning up, mostly picking up random things laying around and wiping down the bathroom counter and toilet.  I’m not sure exactly why I wanted to quickly clean up, but after watching my mother and grandmother do this when expecting company; it has been engrained into my memory banks. There is also a few other things that I remember from them that I followed as well:

I had lit my favorite 3 wick candle from Bath and Body Works to quickly eliminate the stuffiness in my apartment. Candles are great to have on hand for emergencies as well because I had lost power a few weeks ago. My grandma always had a large candle on the coffee table and in the kitchen table; I follow her lead 20 years later.

I turned on the fan. My grandma always had fans running, even in the dead of winter. I felt it helped to mix up the air and get the scent dispersed from the candle quickly as well as help my company feel refreshed after their long car ride.

I was grateful to have a nice couch for them to relax on. Everyone needs a couch either for guests to relax on, for a friend to crash on, or for you to take a nap on. I also fluffed up the throw pillows, something I remember my grandma always asking me to do nearly every day.

I always keep bottled water in one of the salad crisper drawers, I was glad to have stocked it a few days prior. I also had some cans of coke and sprite in the closet that I had offered. I remember grandma always had a pot of coffee on, a pot of tea on the stove, and Kool-Aid in the fridge for company and family. I’m not a coffee drinker but I did have a pot of water on the stove for tea if they desired. I also have coasters strewn about to prevent the wood from warping.

Be sure to turn the TV either down or off. If I hadn’t I might have missed some of our wonderful conversation, including her telling me about her newest adventure, taking an online nursing program! You don’t want loud distractions from the conversation, but a little background music isn’t a bad idea.

One of the last things I did was grab a deck of cards out and put them on the coffee table. My grandma had her favorite deck that never left the kitchen table she would play with friends or alone. I thought that they might want to play a game of cards to relax, but didn’t want to be forthcoming and directly ask. Instead I felt leaving them in an obvious place might be a more subtle way of helping them feel comfortable.

Some people choose to not decorate at all. A male friend of mine has a huge 54 inch TV on display of a stand with the DVD player and cable box hidden below the cloudy glass. I asked why he didn’t put up pictures or any sort of decorations and he said because he wants the TV to remain the focus. He stores his DVDs and Xbox in the bedroom so it will not distract from the size of the TV.

How do you decide to decorate? Once you have decided about where the furniture should go, it’s up to you. Your home should always be changing as your life does. Styles change and eventually need to be replaced, such as plastic covered furniture from the 1960s. My entertainment center looked empty before I found frames and games at a yard sale. I may decide to redecorate and get a whole new entertainment center this summer as I browse yard sales.

One of my friends always pulls inspiration from decoration websites, like Home and Garden. When she moved in, there was a large window with bookshelves underneath it that were horribly dingy and gross looking. She positioned the TV along the opposite wall with a mismatched blue couch and brown chair on a large cream colored rug in the middle of the room. She placed a wooden side table between the couch and chair with a blue lamp from a yard sale with a new cream shade. Behind the couch she put a small desk and chair for her laptop, and uses the living room lamp as an office lamp too. She used some command hooks to install thin curtain rods on the two far ends of the bookshelves. She super glued a cut bed sheet that was blue, brown, tan and cream colored around the rods to hide the storage. In the middle is canvas bins that store things for school and business supplies. To decorate next to the TV on either side we purchased framed blank canvas and painted acrylic paintings that replicated the bed sheet’s design and colors. For throw pillows, she simply sewed the matching pillow cases onto the throw pillows she already had.  It took about a whole Saturday to complete all of her decorating, but I think it turned out beautiful and looked like an adult’s living room. Too bad we never took a picture and she moved out of state for grad school!

A friend of mine recently posted this picture on her Pintrest. It is a wonderful storage idea that can be easily moved from one home to another when storage is needed. I looked for the items that claim to be found at Ikea. I know some of the items could also be found at Home Depot or Lowes as well. I found the shelving unit and learned it is also available in a light wood color and black. The lazy Suzan part can be found at Home Depot. I would build the base with a 2X4X6. They can cut the wood for free, ask for two pieces at 17.25 inches, and two at 15.25 inches. Get a piece of flat wood as well, they can recommend which type. I met a nice college student that helped me, he was very informative and mentioned that he received an Eagle Scout scholarship; it left me with a positive opinion of Home Depot. Be sure to mention that the piece of wood needs to support at least 200lbs however with all of your stuff. Screw the pieces of 2×4 together to form a box, and attach the flat piece of wood. I would paint it at this point; when dry attach the lazy Susan piece to your base and the shelf.

A floor length mirror can be found at Home Depot as well as the cork board, white board or chalk board paint, coat hooks, and screws. Altogether, you have spent under $200 for materials, or you can spend nearly $600 for the inspiration piece. I would like to build one, since I have nowhere to hang coats. I would love to have one spot to coral things that seem to disappear as soon as they enter the house. I would place the mail, sunglasses, my keys, hats and gloves on it. I would also love to have the ability to look myself over before leaving the house, and a place to put any notes or papers that I need to grab before leaving.

If you have any storage ideas please share below!

CNN lists Louisville, CO as the best for 2011. They say the unemployment and crime rates are low, there are plenty of outdoor activities, and schools are good.

Charlottesville, VA was listed as the top because of the combination of the good quality of life and promising economy.

Cambridge, MA was listed by Self magazine as one of the best places because of the over quality of health of its citizens.

These cities are listed all over the country. How do you choose the best city for yourself? One of my friends was recently offered a job promotion in Ohio with her company. As an engaged woman with little job opportunity in the small town we live in, she made the decision to go for it! She looked up the job opportunities for her fiancé to find work, and it is good. She also inquired about the crime rates, and was relieved to find they were nearly half of what we are used to.  She only has a week to move however, so she will be living in a motel for the first few weeks until they can settle down into their own home.

As I am about to graduate soon, this makes me wonder about my future. I wonder if I should take the jump as well and search outside of the state for employment, or stay behind and accept what I can find. This decision has to be made by many college graduates as they seek employment in a difficult economy. At the end of the day, as long as you can be happy with the decision you’ve made, that is what counts. Things will be difficult at first because of financial constraints from moving, but will get easier once you’ve settled into your new home and you determine a budget to stick with every day.

Search online for basic things, like the local library, hospital, mall, pharmacies, and post office. Using Google, search for restaurants and you will find a list of local restaurants, often times with reviews from past patrons.  You can find most major things online, but you also want to get to know others around you.

Go knock on a neighbor’s door and ask them what their favorite restaurant is. When I moved into an apartment, I tried to stay out in the common area as much as I could, so I would eventually run into neighbors. In the summer I used to sit in the front yard in a chair with my laptop doing homework as I was attending an online college. As neighbors passed I would introduce myself and explain how I had just moved to the area and asked about good places to eat and for entertainment. You want to get to know your neighbors; they are the people that despite being nosy sometimes can help save you in a jam. When my car wouldn’t start, a neighbor helped to jump start it. Another neighbor also helped me a few times with car problems, such as my car doors freezing shut.

Go exploring like a child would. Be sure your phone is charged, and leave the ear buds at home. Take some daily walks around the area so you can get to know the area and possibly meet more neighbors. In a complex I lived in one time, I got to meet most of the neighbors and some of the women would gather to drink wine on summer nights, relaxing and enjoying one another’s company.

Garden to make your area look nice. At my previous apartment, I enjoyed having pretty flowers growing on the porch. It helps to keep a cheerful environment, and is another conversation starter. Even if you purchase planted flowers, or get a hanger and plant them yourself. Get to talking to your neighbors and people around town so you can gain new friendships.  These are the flowers I had at my last apartment, they were purchased as hanging plants and I took the hangers off and set them along the steps.

1. Determine the date, and recruit help. If you have friends or family with a pick up truck, ask for their help. Be sure to mention gas money and that you will buy pizza or feed them in some way. If needed, reserve a rental truck. Check around, sometimes local companies are cheaper!

2. Gather boxes, you can get them for free usually from stores, they usually rip them up and recycle them. Inquire when the best time is to go seek them out, or if the night crew can save you some. Get a few rolls of packaging tape and black sharpie markers to label boxes. Also gather old newspapers or plastic grocery bags to pack delicate things.

3. Pack up things that aren’t needed immediately, such as decorations and baking pans. As you sort through your things and pack them, put things into black garbage bags that are unwanted and able to be donated. Set aside a designated area in your home for the boxes to gather, labeling which room they will go into and a memo of what is inside.

4. Try to not grocery shop as often, you want to only take the things necessary. Nothing is worse than unloading a freezer full of food to drive across town or half way across the state with.

5. As the date gets closer, leave out things that are needed immediately, but pack the rest. I would set aside a duffel bag with a change of clothes and pjs, contact lenses, face wash and lotion, shampoo and body wash, a towel and hand cloth, medications, and Tylenol. This bag will go into the cab of the truck with a blanket and pillow so if anything goes wrong, you will at least be safe and comfortable.

6. Before moving anything in, take a quick video or pictures to record the condition of the place as you are moving in. As friends move your boxes and things into the rooms, try to have a designated area for all of the boxes to go into coordinating rooms. For instance, all things labeled for the kitchen should get stacked up in the dinning area.

7. After you have moved everything and it is the first night in your new place, take time to relax. Make up a bed and get comfortable. I would recommend taking some Tylenol if you are in pain or swelling anywhere from the strain of moving, apply something cold to any painful joints.

8. Take your time unpacking, it isn’t a race. I usually try to accomplish one room at a time. I like to clean the bathroom and unpack that first. I then usually will clean out all of the kitchen cupboards and disinfect the fridge. As you go through each room, make note of the condition if renting.

For a childhood room, sort your clothes out. Set aside any clothes that don’t fit right or you have no intentions to wear again. If they have so much meaning you should consider making a blanket with them. Only take things that will be practical! Try to fill a plastic storage box with only the most meaningful memories, that will be stored easily.

Talk with your parents, they may wish to keep your things elsewhere and use the room for another use, such as a guest room or office. If they wish for you to keep it as your room, put things away. If there are things that are useless and meaningless, you should toss or recycle them. Keep out pictures of yourself and a few friends in frames on a desk or dresser, but put away the collage of friends taped up to the wall. If there are lots of items that are cluttering the dresser, desk, or bookshelf, pack them away in a box in the closet. I would empty the dresser drawers so anyone spending the night will have a place to put clothes away.

If moving from a dorm room, you should empty the space of all your belongings. When you get to your destination, you should get rid of anything that is not useful. Try to find a place for everything in your space after emptying all boxes, weather renting a room in a house or unpacking in your first apartment. If you have too many things, consider priorities of space and belongings. One of life’s lessons is that space and time are always expensive. Also remember that you can find scholarships for graduate school after moving out of state.