It’s hard to believe that summer is half over and it’s time to get your kids buttoned up for back to school. The good news is, you don’t have to switch your brain back on…yet. Simply follow this checklist and your gang will be ready when the school bell rings.

Download this form now! (PDF)

Getting a divorce can be one of the most difficult periods in anyone’s life. Aside from the heartbreaking end to the marriage, often there are many difficult decisions that need to be made. Where do the kids live? Who gets the house? How do you divide up the assets? It’s exhausting emotionally and financially and can make an already trying time seem almost unbearable. Sarah and Alicia recently sat down with Alicia’s sister Susan, who after 38 years of marriage was caught off guard by her husband’s plans for divorce and found herself thoroughly unprepared for what came next.

“It was Mother’s Day and my husband of 38 years was in New York on business. I was planning to have a nice day to myself and hopefully catch dinner with him later that evening when he called with the shocking news that he wanted a divorce. I was totally speechless. I never saw that coming. We had raised our family together and were enjoying being grandparents and I just never expected to hear those words. What came next was even more shocking. Sure, I handled the household budget, but he was responsible for overseeing the general finances. I had absolutely no handle on our overall financial picture – things like our bank accounts, retirement accounts, and other financial responsibilities. Worse yet, not a single account or policy was in my name. When he later withdrew money from one of our accounts and then swiftly canceled my credit cards, I was left with virtually nothing. I couldn’t believe this was happening to me. Emotionally, I couldn’t get past the fact that the marriage was over, but then when I was left feeling helpless financially. It went from bad to worse and I was helpless. Luckily, I was able to turn to my supportive family and my sisters were there for me every step of the way, helping me get my feet back on the ground. Now, seven years later, I can’t believe I was that person. I tell everyone I know that even if you’re happy and think it will never happen to you, you need to know the basics when it comes to your finances. You just truly never know.”

No matter how happy you are or secure you feel, here are the basics that everyone needs to know:

1. Be your Own Finance Whiz.

You don’t have to love it, but you do have to learn it. Nobody should be without the basics of their particular financial situation. Don’t let one person handle everything. Set up a recurring “State of the Union” meeting once a year to discuss the entire financial picture with your spouse. It’s more than just the checking account. Find out about your life insurance, retirement accounts, college savings accounts, etc.

2. One-Stop Shopping.

Put together a binder or folder that functions as a one-stop spot for your most important information. Buttoned Up’s Life.Doc binder is a perfect example, but anything that keeps track of your account numbers, contact information, policy numbers, and other vital information will work. It seems rather simple, since it’s really just a compilation of information such as bank names, account numbers, contacts and their numbers, but it’s a lifesaver if ever needed.

3. Shore Up Your Support.

This is not the time to be a martyr and go it alone. If you do find yourself in divorce proceedings, you are doing to need lots of advice. This isn’t just about your best friend’s shoulder to cry on (though you’ll certainly need that too), but it’s about finding the right lawyer, talking to the right real estate professionals, etc. Ask your family and friends who may have gone through a divorce for their advice on seeking the right counsel. You’ll also need support in other ways, so see if you can get your best friend to watch the kids while you schedule your conference with the lawyer. Divorce adds a lot of pressure to already busy lives, so be prepared in advance with the right support system.

4. Divorce File.

If you thought your paperwork pile was out of control before, try getting divorced. It is a serious undertaking with plenty of legal documents, correspondence, meeting notes, and other papers. It can be tempting to throw everything in a box. But we recommend getting a binder or accordion folder to keep everything organized. That way, you’ll know you have everything you need where and when you need to access it and won’t waste precious time looking for a piece of paper you know you have but just can’t put your finger on.

Polyandry – Why you probably never heard of it

Article and illustrations by Alisa Singer, www.AlisaSinger.com

As we approach the season of romantic summer weddings, let’s spend a moment contemplating a different kind of marriage, one that’s not likely to be celebrated with a splashy affair at the Ritz. Imagine, instead, the blushing bride gliding down the aisle to face not one, but a half-dozen or so, eager grooms. I refer to the form of common marriage known as “polyandry”, in which a wife takes several husbands at a time, never very popular but still practiced today in certain remote villages in the Himalayas. There the custom is for a woman to marry all the brothers of a single family. This has the salutary effect of consolidating the brothers’ family wealth into one household and, theoretically, making “sharing” of the wife less of a source of tension. (And yet, somehow I can’t help but envision the mother of all cases of sibling rivalry.)

But as I said, polyandry is a trend that never really took off. This is not surprising. We can safely assume that a man’s preference would be for a marriage in which the wife-to-husband ratio is at least one-to-one. (Of course, his true fantasy would simply involve multiple women – skip the marriage part altogether.) And polyandry clearly presents some unique challenges for women as well.

To illustrate, consider the situation of the Himalayan housewife, let’s call her Chomolunga. In order to satisfy all of her husbands’ carnal appetites she is expected to orchestrate a nightly rotation of her “marital duties”, an arrangement which could easily rival, in terms of intricacy and exhaustion, the most demanding of carpool schedules. And then there are the extra meals, cleaning and laundry, and the overwhelming job of placating all those male egos. And though it’s nice to have a man around the house to operate complicated media equipment, a woman from a remote village in the Himalayas can’t possibly have enough DVR systems in her home to justify that kind of aggravation. And let’s not forget the inevitable debate over exactly whose baby it is and, by extension, who has to get up in the middle of the night to change the diaper. Picture this 2 a.m. dialogue among our Himalayan husband/brothers when 2 month old Mahendra wakes the household with his piercing cries:

Brother Barati: “Brother Paneru, the infant Mahendra is your son – you get up.”

Brother Paneru: “With all due respect Brother Barati, Mahendra was born on January 10th and counting back 280 days we arrive at April 5th, always one of your blessed nights.”

Brother Barati: “Pardon me, Brother Paneru, but please to remember that I switched with Brother Nawang that night because I had playoff tickets.”

Brother Nawang: “Yes, I do recall that Brother Barati, but anyone can see Mahendra has Brother Thakchay’s curly hair and skinny legs … “

I’m guessing that, before this debate ends, the weary Chomolunga will be the one to change Mahendra’s diaper and, since she’s already up, also the one to let the buffalo out. (Factoid – Most of the milk in Nepal comes from buffaloes.)

And so poor Chomolunga spends her days putting down upright toilet seats and cooking and cleaning for a family of twenty, all the while berated by a mother-in-law who, no doubt, thinks she wasn’t good enough to marry any of her sons, let alone all of them.

Which is not to say, however, that our current form of marriage is the best solution. In fact, forward-thinking women would do much better to negotiate an altogether different kind. What I have in mind is a sort of serial monogamy that borrows liberally from the vacation timeshare industry. It would look something like this: A woman marries, or rather “leases”, a man for a certain number of years, the choice of man and the number of years to depend on her particular needs and interests at the time. So, while she’s young and highly hormonal she can go for looks and chemistry. During her childrearing years she’ll seek the family guy who’s willing to read to the kids at night and pick them up from soccer games. (Cooking skills would also be a plus.) When it’s time to start paying those college tuition bills a man’s financial resources come into play. During the empty nest years, compatibility is key. At the end of life she wants him strong and healthy enough to be able to pick her up or wheel her around, if necessary, and good-natured enough to be willing to do so.

By my count that comes to an average of five husbands per woman but, more important than the number, the right man for the right time. And to provide for the possibility that something like love might show up along the way, the bride could negotiate up front for a lease-to-buy option or the right to extend the term. (And one could get very creative with the subletting possibilities.)

So my advice to future brides: When the clergyman asks “‘Til death do you part?” the proper response is, “Not quite – only ‘til the lease expires”.
Alisa Singer’s humorous essays have appeared in a variety of print and online newspapers and magazines across the country and in Canada.

She is the author of various gift books designed to entertain and amuse baby boomers. You can learn more about her work and purchase her books by visiting her website: www.AlisaSinger.com or contacting her at ASingerAuthor@gmail.com.”

There is sand in your shoes and ice cream melting on the back porch. As you pack the cooler and the boogie board for a trip to the beach, the last thing on your mind right now is stuffing stockings. Christmas may be many months away, but the summer can be a great time of the year to nab some extra time to plan ahead. Work has slowed down, schools are closed, and most people have a little extra time in their schedules. Little things, such as checking your address list for changes so you won’t be panicked for Uncle Bob’s new address in Florida, can make a surprisingly big difference later. Another bonus to planning ahead? Money savings. These days, most of us are looking for ways to save a few bucks, so if you start crafting your gift list, you can pick up items that might be on sale. If you make your list now, you’ll even have the time to check it twice!

Sarah on “stretching the dollar”

“Normally, I’d have to say that I hate the whole Christmas in July thing. I like to enjoy the seasons as they come and summer is a time for surf and sand, not thoughts of snow and Santa, but money is tighter this year, so I want to try to plan my gifts well in advance so I can grab them when I see them on sale. I tend to travel more in the summer too, so I’m planning to stop by all the local boutiques to see if I can find something more unique or special for those on my gift list. It can be festive running around at the Christmas rush, but I definitely spend more money on last minute gifts.”

Alicia on “plan now, enjoy later”

“I’m the first one to say that I am a total lunatic at the holiday season. I am that person running to the stores at midnight and I tend to thrive on that pace, but last year I happened to get a few things done ahead of time and I ended up slowing down and really enjoying the season so much more. Now, I never want to wait until the last minute again and want the season to be about enjoyment, not errands.”
Here are a few things to consider even if your thoughts drift more toward sandcastles than gingerbread houses:

1. Plan your Travel.

If Aunt Sally already begged you to come for Christmas last year and you know you’re going to give in, book your travel in advance. You can save a lot of money (and headaches) by booking your airline tickets, hotel reservations, and car rental bookings now.

2. Make your List.

Next time you’re at the beach, bring a pen and paper and jot down your gift list. Think about conversations you’ve had recently with the people on your list and you’ll likely come up with a gift idea or three. Then, the next time you’re out and see something perfect or even better, it’s on sale, you don’t need to wait. Buttoned Up has some free downloadable forms designed to help you stay on top of holiday gift-giving – and on (or under) budget. You can find them at www.GetButtonedUp.com/tools

3. Off-Season Sales.

You know that cute Christmas or holiday shop that you drive by? It’s probably having a sale this summer. Stop in and see what you can pick up. Maybe you need new lights for the tree or want to select ornaments for your favorite teachers. Holiday décor really never goes out of style, but it does get much more expensive come Fall. You’ll be ready when the season approaches and you’ll feel even better knowing you snagged it all on sale.

The Giveaway:

We are so happy to be able to giveaway a set of parenting books by Jen Singer of Mommasaid.net! They include Stop Second-Guessing Yourself – Baby’s First Year (See the exceprt posted on TuesdayHERE), Stop Second-Guessing Yourself – The Toddler Years and Stop Second-Guessing Yourself – The Preschool Years.

To Enter:

To Win:
This giveaway is open to U.S. residents over 18. Here’s what you need to do to enter to win:

• Fan us on Facebook and follow up on Twitter and post that you have done so!

• Extra Entry: Leave a comment on this blog (be sure to include your email when you submit the comment, so we know how to reach you).

• Extra Entry – mention this giveaway in a post or tweet with a link back and leave a comment letting us know you’ve done so.

• Extra Entry – sign up for Buttoned Up’s e-newsletter.

• Please post a separate comment for each extra entry so we know it’s been done!

• Entry period closes at midnight PST, Sunday, July 25th, and the winner will be announced Monday, July 26th.

**Note winner will be picked at random using Random.org and announced in the newsletter on Monday, July 26. Winners will be contacted by email. Winners will have seven (7) days to contact us and claim the prize before another winner is selected.

You can go here to purchase the books, and be sure to watch the trailer below!

Book Excerpt from Baby’s First Year

by Jen Singer of mommasaid.net

Chapter Nine

Just a Few More Minutes: Balancing Baby with “Me Time”

The first time I left my baby with my mother-in-law for a weekend, I cried the whole way home. He was eight-months-old, and we hadn’t been apart since I left him in the NICU when my insurance company kicked me out of the hospital two days after giving birth. My husband and I were going to tour the mansions of Newport, Rhode Island, for the weekend. But on our first trip as parents, we pretty much ate and slept the entire weekend. After all, we were tired.

While we were gone, I missed my baby and I probably called my mother-in-law too often. I wanted to hear about his every move. What did he eat? Did he play with his favorite toy moon? Is he sleeping at night? Is he smiling? Does he miss me? She humored me by giving me the full run-down each and every time I checked in.

In time, though, I learned how to let go a little and give myself a break. A real break. I learned how to turn off my internal Mommy Monitor (or at least to put it on Snooze) and to give myself some time off from motherhood. And it did me – and my baby – some good.

If this is your first baby, you’re probably thinking I am a bad mommy. What kind of a mother leaves her baby and goes away? Or maybe you’re secretly jealous that I could even pull off a weekend sans baby in the first place. If it’s your second or third baby, you might be thinking, Where can I sign up?
This chapter is all about balancing your baby’s needs with your desire for a nap and, perhaps, some hands-free eating. You can do it. It just takes some planning and protecting your “me” time.

It’s all about the baby.

You will change, on average, about 2,700 diapers in your baby’s first year. You will lose up to – brace yourself – 750 hours of sleep, or about a month. You will have less sex, more worries and a whole lotta guilt. You will be all about the baby, just the way nature intended it. Or did it?

Long before airplanes, the Internet and branch offices, families lived together so that several generations could help new parents raise their babies. I remember watching an Oprah show about how moms were not intended to go it alone when it comes to raising children. The expert on the show claimed that mothers were not meant to get up with their babies all night alone, take care of them all day alone and feel solely responsible for every little thing that goes awry alone. Well, I added that last part, but really, we mothers, especially new ones, put an awful lot on our shoulders. Or maybe society does it. Or both.

Anyhow, it all means for entirely too much focus on our babies and entirely too little on us. That’s how come a good friend of mine wound up with walking pneumonia when her four kids were little, why moms put themselves dead last, and why I was cheering at the Oprah show, “Amen!”

Now, I’m not saying that you should put your baby down and go outside for a joy ride. (Can you have a joy ride in a mini-van?) Nor do I believe that your baby is better off if you spend your day watching Flipping Out re-runs and mixing pomegranate martinis. But I do think that there’s room for more of you and less of all that baby stuff in your schedule, but only if you make it happen. I also think that a little “me time” for mom is good for you and for your baby. Remember, OSHA has rules about working hours and mandatory breaks for workers so that no one gets hurt. And you need a break, too.

How to Get Your “Me Time” Now

Here’s my Five-Step Plan for finding “Me Time” when you’ve got a baby at home:

1. Trust other people.

I put this one first, because I know it’s the hardest one for most new moms. First, nature gave you hormones that make you fiercely protective of your baby. Then, the media added fear to the mix by telling of horror stories about bad things happening to kids when they’re not with their mothers. Soon, guilt seeped in, and then your husband went and did something really dumb, like putting a diaper on backwards or not heating up the bottle before feeding the baby. Your conclusion? Only you are qualified to care for your baby.

But that’s not true. All it takes is some trust and a gradual lowering of your standards, and you can safely and successfully leave your baby with other people. Really! Whether it’s a daycare teacher that you’ve vetted through interviews and background checks, or your mother, who raised you and you turned out just fine, you can leave your baby with trusted family, friends and childcare providers. And yes, Daddy. I’ll go over more in detail on your baby’s relationship with other family members in [a later] Chapter. But for now, remember these important points:
• Hubby is not an assistant mother. As long as your baby is safe, let him parent his own way.
• Some of the baby care rules have changed in the past few decades. Certain rules, such as putting Baby on her back to sleep, must be enforced, no matter who’s watching the baby. Others, though, aren’t as important.
• Some folks have more parenting experience than you do. Trust them. They might know something.

2. Give yourself permission to think about yourself.

Starting with the first Baby on Board sign, which probably went on a 1985 Volvo, our society has been particularly child-centric. Too child-centric, if you ask me. Granted, the younger your kid, the more attention he requires. But our generation of mothers has taken baby care to an unprecedented level — a level where there’s little room for mom or her needs. As a result, we’re burning out, and it’s not good for us, let alone for our kids.

If you’re among the more than 55% of moms who are home full-time with their babies, you might find yourself falling into the same trap that I did. You might think, Well, this is my job now and I’d better be the best ever at it. And so you sign up for baby classes, create “teachable moments” out of folding laundry and work really, really hard at giving your baby every opportunity possible, because you’re fortunate enough to stay home full-time, darn it. But sometimes, your baby just needs to lie on the floor and study her fingers. And sometimes, you need to do the crossword puzzle and attempt to reach the bottom of your coffee mug for once. And guess what? That’s okay. Really.

If you’re working from home or at a job away from home, you might get caught up in the idea that if you’re not working, you’d better be with your baby and vice versa. But that leaves little room for you, not to mention haircuts or showers or sleep. If you’re spending your lunch hours at Baby Gap or putting off your doctor’s visits, you’re not thinking about your well-being. Your husband likely doesn’t feel guilty for working, so why should you? Don’t take it out on yourself. Rather, think of yourself as the CEO of the house. You need to take care of yourself so you can take care of everybody else, too.

It worked for me!

“Don’t do everything for your kids. Don’t make them the sun that you orbit around, find some balance.”
– Annie, Honolulu, Hawaii

3. Give your baby some room.

Contrary to popular belief, you don’t have to fill your baby’s day with Beethoven, flash cards and vocabulary building. You don’t have to micromanage every moment of your baby’s life. The sooner you teach your baby a little independence, the more she’ll learn how to entertain herself. And if you’ve ever spent an afternoon with 10-year-olds who don’t know how to play, you’ll understand why that’s so important.

While it might look like your baby isn’t doing much when she’s lying on her back, staring at her monkey mobile, she’s actually learning. And she doesn’t necessarily need your running commentary on “the pretty monkey, the brown monkey, the smiling monkey…” to get it, either. Sometimes, she just needs to stare at the monkey and, perhaps, attempt to suck on her toes. While this might seem to you the road toward a spot at the Village Idiot, it’s not. It’s your baby, taking in colors and shapes and mmmm, toes.

By the time your baby is old enough to lift her head, she can benefit from tummy time in the playpen, crib or on a blanket on the floor (assuming you don’t have a dog or a toddler to run her over). Meanwhile, you can catch up on reading your e-mail or watching the news. If she fusses, turn her back over and let her grab her toys, babble to herself or watch the cat clean herself. But don’t give up on giving her some room. She needs to learn a little independence and you deserve some time off.

MommaSaid

We asked: What’s the worst part of having a baby?

“Losing who I was, body mind and spirit, and morphing into a stranger. I turned into super mom and lost all independence.”
– Paula, Worth, Illinois

4. Make time for yourself and then guard it like a pit bull.

Until my kids started preschool, my mother-in-law watched them one day a week for me. I knew that Thursdays were my days, and I made sure it stayed that way. That meant that when Omi showed up, I left. I didn’t return every hour to see how things were going. I didn’t even call (well, in time I learned not to call), unless I was running late on my way home. That was their time, and it wasn’t my place to get in their way. It was also my “me” time, and I made sure I used it wisely.

Omi-time was easy to take, but leaving my baby with Hubby and going out was harder for me. I knew he needed his time, too, and it’s difficult to mow the lawn and watch a baby at the same time. But if I made plans to go to the gym, I tried not to skip the elliptical machine in favor of a pharmacy run or a trip to BJ’s to find itty bitty socks and a jumbo box of diapers. I could get those things on the way home, and the extra 15 minutes wouldn’t kill my husband. Or I could order them online later along with the bazillion other things we needed.

It’s so easy to fill your free time with errands, and yes, I did that sometimes. I got my hair cut, went to the supermarket, picked up the dry cleaning and all sorts of other errands that seemed much easier to do without a baby (or a baby and a toddler) in tow. But you need your time, too.

If you make plans with your girlfriends, your mom, your husband or just by yourself, don’t be so quick to cancel them for every little thing that seems so much more important. So your baby was a little fussy before you put him down for his nap. He’ll probably wake up fine, and if he doesn’t, what’s the worst that can happen if you’re not the one who’s there to get him? Unless you’re nursing exclusively, there’s no reason why someone else can’t spend a few minutes un-fussifying your baby while you get a much needed break.

5. Ditch the guilt.

Okay, it’s really easy to say and so much harder to do. Motherhood is fraught with guilt, often over things for which we have no control anyhow. I remember feeling like a terrible mother because my baby had circular marks down his chest and stomach. What did I do? I put him in pajamas with nickel snaps. Turns out, he was allergic to nickel. I felt bad that I had exposed my baby to nickel, but really, how the heck was I supposed to know it was going to do that to him? In fact, the pediatrician said he hadn’t seen a nickel allergy in years. And my son’s hands have never broken out in a rash while making change, so perhaps he’s over it now.

You can’t know everything there is to know about parenting, and you shouldn’t have to. You won’t be there for every little thing your child accomplishes or fails, learns or achieves. My niece’s mother was just feet away from her when she fell off a swing and broke her arm. I’m sure she felt guilty anyway. Imagine if she was at the movies or a spa or watching TV when it happened? Oh, the guilt. And yet, it wasn’t her fault, no matter where she was standing.

The sooner you cut yourself some slack, the calmer you’ll become. Motherhood will come more easily to you if you lower your expectations a bit and recharge every now and then.

Jen Singer is the author of these wonderful parenting books: Stop Second-Guessing Yourself – Baby’s First Year, Stop Second-Guessing Yourself – The Toddler Years and Stop Second-Guessing Yourself – The Preschool Years. Go HERE to purchase Baby’s First Year or any of the books in the series. But make note that we will be giving away the trilogy! Come back on Wednesday to get the details!

10 best shortcuts to get your house ready for a move

By moving expert Becky Harris of blog.upack.com

After six years of helping coordinate cross country moves, I’m a firm believer in preparing your house ahead of time—whether it’s a self-move or you’re hiring someone to do it all. I don’t know about you, but when I don’t have a plan, and the things around me are disorganized, my life feels a little out of control. And when you’re dealing with the stress of a move, the last thing you want is to feel out of control. Besides that, in most cases, the more stuff you move, the more your move costs. That could mean preparing your house is a money saver too. Maybe it sounds intimidating, but really, if you do it right, it doesn’t have to monopolize all your time. Here my top 10 shortcuts to getting your house ready to move:

1. Purge, eliminate…whatever you want to call it, just get rid of stuff you don’t need.

Don’t do it all at once though. Make it a goal to clean out one room a day…or week (depending how much time you have before your move day). Pick a room and clean out all drawers, cabinets, boxes—anything that holds “stuff”—and separate it into donate boxes, garage sale boxes, keep boxes and trash. If you haven’t used it in the last year, purge it. If you won’t use it at your new home, purge it. If it’s stuff you want to keep, but won’t use right away, go ahead and box it up.

2. Have a garage sale.

Or give it all to charity…whatever you prefer. Garage sales are a lot of work, but if you’re looking for a way to make a little extra money—maybe to pay for a couple of nights on the road while you’re moving—they’re a great idea. If you decide it’s not worth the hassle and prefer a charitable donation, make sure to get a receipt for a tax deduction.

3. Organize the stuff you keep.

It’s OK if you’re not ready to box up the stuff you’re keeping. Just organize it. You’ll find that if everything has a place, it’s much easier for you and your moving labor crew to pack safely and in an organized manner (where you know what box everything is in when it gets to your new home).

4. Clean as you go.

The cleaner your home is when it comes time to pack and load, the easier it is to get it done efficiently. After you’ve purged and organized a room, clean it and close the door. You’re done. This is especially helpful if you’re close to move-out day and leaving a clean house or apartment is a requirement.

5. Use things you can’t take with you.

Most moving companies have a do-not-ship list that includes items like perishable foods, household cleaners, candles and propane tanks. So, have a packing party complete with candles, perishable foods, and burgers on the grill (to use up the propane). Then, finish off the cleaning chemicals when they leave. Seriously though…use it up, so it’s not wasted.

6. Begin an inventory.

If you’re doing a do-it-yourself move, the moving company won’t require an inventory, but it’s a good idea to have one for your own file and for insurance purposes. You can do a room-by-room inventory on paper, but a video or photo inventory may be more useful. Get serial numbers and any other identifying information and keep it in a safe place (preferably with you instead of in a moving box).

7. Create a “move file.”

When you’re moving, you’ll have tons of paperwork—quotes, estimates, receipts, contracts—and it’s all important stuff that you don’t want to misplace. Put it all in a labeled file and keep it with you. You’ll definitely need it during your move, and you may need it after your move for tax purposes.

8. Gather all important forms and documents.

As you’re purging, organizing and cleaning, locate all school records, dental records, medical records, bank records, tax information, birth certificates, social security cards…any paperwork you may need to start a new school, change residency, register to vote, register your vehicle or visit a new physician. Put it all in a “forms and documents” file that you keep with you throughout your move.

9. Begin collecting boxes and moving supplies.

If you’ve decided on a do-it-yourself move or you want to save money on a full-service move, you’ll need good sturdy boxes. I’ve heard of people using throw-away grocery store boxes, or dumpster diving behind liquor stores for boxes, but I don’t recommend this practice —these kinds of boxes are not designed to protect fragile household goods. Instead, use boxes that were designed for moving. Start looking early, you may find good quality used boxes online.

10. Return any borrowed or rented items and pick up any items you’ve loaned out.

If you hire packers to put your belongings in boxes, they won’t know what’s yours and what’s not. You don’t want to take rental DVDs, library books or something you borrowed from a friend with you. So, while you’re purging make sure you give back the things that don’t belong to you. At the same time, don’t forget to pick up things like dry cleaning and things you’ve loaned out to friends.

About Becky and blog.upack.com
Becky Harris is a moving expert for ABF U-Pack Moving, a nationwide “you pack, we drive” moving service based out of Fort Smith, AR. The What Moves You? moving blog serves as a forum where consumers who are searching for moving companies, are seeking information about moving, or who have specific questions about moving can get their questions answered and find useful moving tools.

Be sure to check out Buttoned Up’s Moving.kit, Valuables.doc and Life.doc products to help you in your move!

Insurance Quotes: A Guide For First Time Homeowners

Difficulties Arise When Shopping For Homeowners Insurance Quotes

When it comes to searching for homeowners insurance quotes that fits your budget, it can be similar to selecting the perfect home for you and your family. You shop endlessly, until you come across:
• The right coverage that fits your lifestyle
• The right price that allows you to save
• The right insurance agent who will tell you your best options

But as you shop for those homeowners insurance quotes, you have to be careful or else you could run into future problems with your insurance policy. With today’s economy in turmoil, you may be more determined to get the lowest quote to save money on your coverage plan, but doing so may put you at risk of coverage gaps. Another possibility that could happen is that you choose homeowners insurance quotes that are too expensive and still don’t have the coverage you need to protect your property and assets.

Many homeowners do not know that they can negotiate rates with homeowners insurance agents by asking for ways to lower their monthly premium, instead of going with the flow. As CNNMoney.com reports, homeowners insurance policies can be settled between homeowners and insurers, before insurance claims are filed. Unfortunately, the opposite happens: homeowners end up being dissatisfied in the aftermath of a peril, and due to the insurer’s legal and contractual obligations, homeowners lose out on saving money.

The Right Way To Look For Homeowners Insurance Quotes

As you browse for homeowners insurance quotes, make sure that you compare them and select the best price that fits your means. However, remember that sometimes the most inexpensive quote is not necessarily the best, which is why you should also compare the coverage options of each insurance company.

Since each insurer differs in both homeowners insurance quotes and coverage options, you should:
• Thoroughly investigate every insurer’s background
• Ask your family and friends for recommendations
• Ask for discounts to lower your monthly premium.

Finding homeowners insurance quotes can be a frustrating process, but nothing can be more frustrating than encountering problems in your policy after you file a claim. To ensure an easy claim filing process and to secure its validity, make sure you record any valuables that are included in your policy (i.e. jewelry, furniture, electronics, appliances, etc.).

Last but not least, be sure to keep your eye on the fluctuation of homeowners insurance quotes annually. Even if you have an affordable homeowners insurance policy, there could be another company that has a better coverage plan at a lower rate. Practicing these tips will aide you in selecting the right insurer and reduces the chance of you running across surprises in your homeowners insurance policy in the future.

InsuranceAgents.com, an Inc 500 fastest growing company, provides consumers with expert articles and insurance quotes from up to five local agents.

Enter to win!

Win your autographed copy of 168 Hours: You Have More Time Than You Think by Laura Vanderkam of www.my168hours.com

The author has agreed to give away ONE signed copy of her book. Be sure to check out the post based on the book HERE. Enter today to win!

To Win:

This giveaway is open to U.S. residents over 18. Here’s what you need to do to enter to win:

• Leave a comment on this blog (be sure to include your email when you submit the comment, so we know how to reach you).

• Extra Entry – mention this giveaway in a post or tweet with a link back and leave a comment letting us know you’ve done so.

• Extra Entry – sign up for Buttoned Up’s e-newsletter.

• Please post a separate comment for each extra entry so we know it’s been done!

• Entry period closes at midnight PST, Sunday, July 4th, and the winner will be announced Monday, July5th.

**Note winner will be picked at random using Random.org and announced in the newsletter on Monday, July5th. Winners will be contacted by email. Winners will have seven (7) days to contact us and claim the prize before another winner is selected.

Why you should write your family Christmas letter…now

adapted from the book by Laura Vanderkam, 168 Hours: You HAve More Time Than You Think
www.my168hours.com

It’s June. It’s hot outside. The kids are out of school and in the midst of a vacation that puts winter recess to shame. So why am I asking you to think about December as you’re cranking up the AC?

Maybe because doing so will make the rest of 2010 your best six months ever.

If you’re like many of us, you probably send out an end-of-year letter with your holiday cards informing friends and family of what your brood has been doing. This genre is known for its tedium (“John is still working at Acme Corp., John Jr. is now in fourth grade and is playing soccer, and Sarah is in 2nd grade and starting piano lessons…”)

That’s because most people’s lives are pretty tedious.

But picture, for a minute, a letter that’s a little different. What do you dream of being able to recount in the Christmas letter? Maybe your husband has finally started taking the community college classes he’s been talking about for years. You’ve quit that job that’s just paying the bills and launched your own business. You took that trip to Yellowstone as a family and went camping. You and your daughter are singing in a choir together. And, by the way, here are some great pictures you’ve taken now that you’ve rediscovered photography as a hobby.

Wouldn’t it be nice to write a letter like that?

So write it. Now. Imagine it’s December. Write down what you wish you could tell the world about how you and your family have spent the 168 hours we all have each week creating the lives you want. You don’t have to send this letter to anyone. But read it as often as you can. Because once you know what you’d like to do this year, you can start breaking these goals down into actionable steps, and then getting organized about putting them on the calendar. You can research that community college open house and make time on your schedule to show up. You can ask around to see who has camping equipment you can borrow, and start watching air fares. You can use the 20 minutes the carpool is late bringing your kids home from soccer practice to take a series of photos of your in-bloom June flowers, and bookmark a photography website to visit later.

When we think about what is important to us, we start thinking about ways to make these things happen. Writing your end-of-year letter in June is a great way to figure out what you’d like to be doing with your time. Think of it as an early Christmas gift – to yourself.

Laura Vanderkam is the author of 168 Hours: You Have More Time Than You Think (Portfolio, May 2010) Buttoned Up will have a giveaway of the book on Wednesday, June 23, 2010 – come back to enter! Or if you want to purchase one now, click HERE.