January is the month for resolutions and there always seems to be a popular theme of ‘shedding’ in some way. Whether it’s losing weight, cutting out the drink or even the latest trend of ditching meat as part of ‘veganuary’. They are tests of will power that can make you feel great. But habits are hard to change, and temptations plentiful, so don’t beat yourself up too much if you haven’t quite achieved yours.
However, there is one ‘shedding’ resolution that is easy to implement, doesn’t require too much will power and can bring you such joy and mental clarity…I’m talking clearing out the clutter people! Instead of “new year, new you”, think “new year, new home”.
The process of decluttering can be very therapeutic, but the real benefit is the after effect. An organised space brings a sense of calmness and clarity to life. You can then use that positive energy to focus on achieving some important goals in life…and not just those meant for January.
Spotlight on service: Charity runs
When it comes to unwanted items of furniture you have three main options; sell it, scrap it or donate it. We can help you with all of these. If selling or donating, make use of our hourly rate service. However, if you plan to scrap, make sure you use a SEPA registered service to ensure your items are disposed of properly. Our spotlight for this month is donating items to charity.
Our service here is twofold. The obvious one is helping you clear out unwanted furniture if you are looking to declutter, or taking away your old items to make way for the new. An item may be old to you, but one person’s trash can be another’s treasure and with the upcycling trend looking set to stay, there is always high demand for quality furniture that’s begging for a lick of chalk paint!
The second part of our job is helping the charity shops with the logistics of moving furniture between the stores. Just like the high street, charity shops need to ‘manage their stock’ but when your stock is furniture, it takes a little more manpower. Our tail lift vans make easy work of this, helping to keep each store well stocked and ready for the bargain hunters.
Furniture donations are essential for charity shops to do their work. Your donations generate much needed cash to support their charity work, but also provide the opportunity for those with the least in society to create a home at a price they can afford.
So, if you have some furniture that you no longer need that still has a useful life, please always consider donating it first. If you need a hand moving it, just give us a call.
Small but perfectly formed
‘Living Tiny’ is a stateside phenomenon where conventional houses are shunned in order to live mortgage or rent free in a trailer…but a very, very chic one at that! It requires the ultimate commitment to decluttering and rationalising your possessions to all but the very essential and useful items.
Tiny living is still a way off from being a real thing in this country but there are plenty of lessons to learn from the principals of living tiny. Living with less is good for the mind, body and wallet but also the planet. Smaller spaces not only consume less energy but also force people to consume less as there just isn’t the space for unnecessary items.
As rising house prices make home ownership more difficult, getting on the ladder, or getting all your property wish list in Edinburgh may mean serious compromises on space. But sacrificing space doesn’t mean sacrificing on style as we find out in our tiny living blog series.
We take a look at some of the quirkiest compact property types in the city centre and show how size doesn’t matter when it comes to decorating a small space.
20 genius storage tips
Whether you want to re-organise following a decluttering, or perhaps you have recently moved and no longer have the same storage available, we check out some genius storage tricks along with some of the best storage products and gadgets to get your home organised.
Man with a Van Edinburgh storage services
So, there’s definitely a storage theme to this month’s newsletter which is why it only seems appropriate to mention our own storage services.
There are a number of reasons why our customers use our storage services including:
Short term storage of items when moving:
We can remove packed boxes and large furniture items in advance of your move and store them until moving day. Having less boxes lying around makes packing up the rest of the house easier, and come move day, the move can be completed much quicker as there will be less items to move. This helps reduce the stress levels, allows more time for final cleaning and is particularly helpful if you have a strict exchange time to meet. We can either bring your stored furniture to your new home on move day, or at a later date. Delaying the delivery of stored items can give you a little extra time to get your first set of items unpacked and settled in a bit.
Long term storage following life events:
Circumstances change, and you may find yourself in between homes with nowhere for your belongings. You know you will need your items in the future but need somewhere to store them in the interim. Our storage offers a very affordable solution. Our facility is not public access which makes it very secure. But because of this we don’t need to offer the bells and whistles like the customer facing self-storage sites, which ultimately adds to the cost of your storage! Our prices are much more affordable which is very reassuring when at this stage you don’t know how long you will need storage for.
Student storage:
We offer very affordable short-term student storage packages covering the summer months. Often student leases are term time only which leaves the conundrum of what to do with your (or your child’s!) stuff over the summer. You could move it home, to then move it back in September but this can be quite a hassle. So, let us take the hassle out of it. We can collect your belongings from halls or student flat, store it and then deliver to your new flat when you arrive back for term. You won’t have to lift a finger…or worry about the stairs! We also offer competitive long-term packages for students who may be going on a year abroad. Same service applies, we will collect your items and store them until a date that suits you.
Long term storage for renters:
Sometimes you can find the perfect property to rent but it is furnished, and you already have your own stuff. If you’re not willing to miss out on the flat you need to find a solution, or compromise. In this situation we can store your items until you next require them.
These are just a few examples of when our storage services have come in handy for our customers. If you think we can help you, just get in touch for a quote.
Could you be due a council tax refund?
Let’s face it January can be pretty hard going on your wallet following Christmas and New Year celebrations. The only silver lining on the horizon is the council tax break in February and March which can help balance the bank account. But this got us thinking, what if you are one of the millions of people in the wrong council tax band?
Not only could you reduce your monthly payments if successfully reassessed, but you may also be in line for a back dated refund. It only takes a few minutes to determine if you may be in the wrong band and as some people have received refunds into the thousands, it is certainly a few minutes well spent! A word of caution though, your council band can go up as well as down so be sure before asking to be reassessed.
Check out the advice from money.co.uk on how to check your banding.
Thanks for reading!
Dave Burgess MSc
Managing Director
Image Credits: clothes photo by Sarah Brown on unsplash, Edinburgh mews photo by Micheile Henderson on Unsplash, Wardrobe photo by chuttersnap on Unsplash, MWAV removal photo courtesy of Theodor Stefan Asoltanei, Money photo by Josh Appel on Unsplash.