City Highlight: Moving to Cleveland

Every month, we try to highlight a city to show savings-savvy consumers how they can save money. Whether people are moving to a new place or just looking for deals for where they live, we hope these prove to be useful for shoppers that are trying to cut down on their monthly expenses.

This month, we take a look at the great city of Cleveland, Ohio. There are lots of great specials to be had with a Cleveland zip code at the moment, especially if you are trying to lock in a natural gas rate just before the temperatures start plummeting.

Here are some of Cleveland's best deals!

Natural Gas

• If you want to get a low natural gas rate before it gets too cold, check out Vectren Source natural gas service. You can find a low variable rate plan that starts at only 5.828 cents per therm.

Bundles

• AT&T is letting you save money with phone and high-speed Internet bundles that start at $29.20 per month. This deal can help save you up to $180 on your bills!

High-Speed Internet

• Order lightning fast Internet from the folks at Cavalier! You can get up to 8.0 Mbps download speeds for the low price of $39.95 per month!

TV

• DIRECTV is offering their Choice XTRA plan for as low as $34.99, which will also net you 3 free months of Showtime and Starz.
• DISH Network is running a special for the America Top 120 package, which has over 120 channels for only $24.99.

Phone

• Sage Telecom has great deals on home phone, starting at just $19.99. This well priced package will give you unlimited local calling as well as 200 free long distance minutes.

Some of these prices and specials may vary by area, and may change at a future date. To find out what you can save, visit WhiteFence and enter your address to get started!

City Highlight: Moving to Los Angeles

We all know that Los Angeles, California is the City of Angels, so naturally, everyone wants to move there, right? I mean, who wouldn't want to be near the epicenter of America's entertainment industry? If you want sports, you can check out USC football games or the Los Angeles Lakers, or even the Dodgers. On top of that, it's located in sunny California, which is statistically proven to be awesome.

It's true, Los Angeles has everything a mover could want in a new destination. That's why we've taken the time to put together a list of some of the best deals you can find in Los Angeles, to see where you could save money on your monthly bills. If you're moving or just thinking about switching, here are some of the best deals available to you:

Bundles

• AT&T is bundling Internet and TV packages for as low as $49.94 per month for both services. This saves you as much as $528 over the course of 2 years.

High-Speed Internet

• Order blazing fast 7.0 Mbps Time Warner Cable high-speed for as low as $34.95 per month!

TV

• DIRECTV is offering their Premiere package for free for 5 months with the purchase of NFL Sunday Ticket for this season of America's favorite sport.
• DISH Network is running a special for the America Top 200 package, which has over 200 channels for only $39.99.

Phone

• Sage Telecom is letting you dial on the cheap with unlimited local and long distance phone plans starting at just $29.99!

Some of these prices and specials may vary by area, and may change at a future date. To find out what you can save, visit WhiteFence and enter your address to get started!

Getting by with a Little Moving Help from Your Friends

If you're like me, then you dread the phone ringing during moving season. Honestly, I will go to all kinds of lengths to keep the moving bug at bay. We've all been in that situation where you know that a buddy of yours is moving, and there's nothing that you want to do less this Saturday than helping him or her carry his or her junk up and down several flights of stairs. In the Texas sun, it's even worse.

However, if you are eventually tackled by a guilty conscience and roped into doing the moving deed with a friend, you know that at least you have a return favor to call in. Apartment Therapy has a recent article with moving tips for friends that gives great suggestions on how to make sure your move goes smoothly if you get some pals to chip in, in order to keep it from becoming a complete mess.

The list includes some very practical and informative tidbits, perfect for anybody that's not always the most organized. It covers everything from providing food and drinks at the end of the moving day, as well as keeping everyone hydrated and fed throughout the whole process. Additionally, it speaks to the importance of delegating tasks to different people, so there's not as much standing around and wondering what to do next.

I'm not sure how many of you have been on the receiving end of awful moves with friends, but I know I have. Once, a friend of mine didn't pack a single thing before all of us showed up, and handed out trash bags for us to pack his entire apartment in. I'm kind of wishing he had read this list for himself. Do any of you have any funny moving stories from times you've helped friends?

Source - Apartment Therapy

Moving Your College Student

The summer months are coming to a close, which means that vacations are trickling away and people are returning to school and work. While this is a sad time for parents of college aged youngsters, it is an exciting time for them as they prepare to embark out on their own. Many families I know with college students are saying their goodbyes and taking the kids off.

If you are gearing up to help move a student, or you are a student yourself, here are some helpful tips to make the transition easier:

• Take advantage of back-to-school sales. On top of tax free weekend happening in many states this time of year, there are also a variety of other low budget back-to-school options for students. In fact, you can find a great deal on gear like laptops. CNET even has an article reviewing the best budget laptops, to make your shopping easier.
• Get a moving quote. While moving into a dorm room is typically less of a hassle, some students move into apartments after their freshman year, finding cheaper prices and less noise somewhere off campus. It seems like an easier task, but don't let that stop you from finding moving quotes to make it a breeze.
• Upgrade your phone plan. Whether your student is leaving for the first time or they have been in college for several years, being able to talk to them each week is no doubt an important part of your life as a parent. Find the right home phone service to keep your family connected, even when they are miles apart.

So, how many of you out there are helping students move back to college in the next couple of weeks? Got any tips to share?

How to Find the Right Mover

We're well into the move season now, and millions of Americans are preparing to move. Moving can be one of the most stressful events in a person's life, so taking some time to make sure you make the right decisions is important.

One of the biggest decisions a mover has to make is what moving company to go with. Ask your friends and family and you're sure to hear horror stories about terrible movers. Making the wrong choice here can transform your move from stressful to .

Here are some top tips to make sure you find the right mover:

• Shop around – You wouldn't buy a car or television without getting a few different prices, right? Moving service is the same way. Get mover quotes from at least three companies to make sure you're not overpaying.

• Get referrals – Ask your friends and family if they have any companies they'd recommend.

• Ask for references – Remember, these people will be handling your most valuable possessions and spending time in both your old house and your new house. It's best to make sure someone has been happy with their service in the past. Also, check with the Better Business Bureau and any local licensing agencies to make sure the company doesn't have a history of poor service.

Poll: How Many Times Have You Moved?

Does anyone else feel that 2010 is flying by much too quickly? Now that June has arrived, it means that we are officially in move season. Already, people are packing up boxes, finding moving trucks and calling in every single favor from any friend who owed them anything. My brother is actually gearing up to move in with us this weekend, so our house is filled with that familiar moving chaos and everything that comes along with it.

The nice thing about being settled in our house this year is knowing that we won't have to move anytime soon. I only moved a couple of times growing up, but once I got to college it became a yearly thing. I changed apartments after each year of school, then moved all of my stuff to Tampa after I got married, then to Houston a few months later. Then we changed apartments two times in the next year and a half. In total, I think I moved about 6 or 7 times in 5 years.

That's no great total by any stretch of the imagination compared to some people, though. So I thought I'd make a poll to find out how often everyone has moved in their lives. Feel free to answer away and leave a comment as well!

In addition, if you are looking for help moving, visit the WhiteFence Move Center to get everything you need!

How to Prepare for Your Move This Summer

Summer is on its way, and that means moving season is too. We’ve all had the stressful, thrown-together move experience where you just start throwing things in trashbags and random boxes, hoping everything works out in the end. If you’re moving this summer, you can probably hear that little voice in the back of your head saying “Start preparing now, we promised the next move will be different.”

I have to agree with the voice in your head, a little planning and preparation now can save you the heartburn of a stressful move. Here’s how WhiteFence can keep your move from becoming a nightmare:

• Plan if you’re going it alone or hiring the pros – The first thing you need to do is work out if you’re going to be moving everything yourself or if you’re hiring a moving company. While you’ll save a little money doing it yourself, it can be quite the headache. Unsure if you can afford to hire a mover or just looking for the best price on moving service? Check our Mover Quotes page to get quotes from all of the top movers.

• Put together a checklist and stick to it – The most important thing you can do now is to blueprint everything you’re going to have to do for your move. Not sure what you’re going to need to do? No problem, just head over to our Moving Checklist page and we’ll build a checklist customized for your schedule and needs for FREE!

• Order your home services in advance – The only thing worse than unpacking all day, is not having any TV to watch when you’re done for the day! Unless you’re planning on going without TV, Internet, a phone line, electricity and natural gas for a while once you get to your new place, you’re going to have to order your services in advance. With WhiteFence, you can shop all the top providers at once to find the best plans for your needs. Just head over to the WhiteFence homepage and enter your address to get started!

Make Your Move Smoother with WhiteFence

Moving is incredibly exciting and amazingly stressful at the same time. My wife and I moved into our first house last year, and it was one of the most daunting projects we’ve ever had to deal with. Luckily, we planned our move with WhiteFence and everything went nice and smoothly.

Here are just some of the ways WhiteFence can help make your move a little easier:

• Organize everything with our moving checklist – Planning is the first step to a smooth move. Our checklist tool lays out everything you’re going to have to do, and when you’re going to have to do it. You may be surprised just how many things you haven’t thought of yet. Get started with the moving checklist now.

• Get quotes on moving service – No one wants to have to lug all of their junk to their next house. Leave the heavy lifting to the professionals and hire a moving company for your move. Visit our mover quotes page, tell us some details about your move and you’ll start receiving affordable customized quotes from moving companies. Get mover quotes for your move now.

• Change your address online – Who has time to waste an afternoon in line at the post office? At WhiteFence, you can change your address for free in just minutes. Change your address online now.

• Set up your utilities and home connections – Getting your new home up and running means connecting lots of services: phone, Internet, television, electricity, natural gas and more. Instead of wasting a weekend on the phone calling a million providers, simply enter your address on WhiteFence.com and you can start comparing offers from all the top companies in just seconds. Compare and order home services now.

• Change your locks – Many people don’t really give their new house keys a second though, but that can be a mistake. Just imagine how many people the previous owner has loaned keys to. Do you want all of those people to be able to open up your house whenever they please? Of course not. WhiteFence let’s you compare locksmith service to keep your home safe for less. Find a locksmith now.

Good luck with your move! Let me know if you have any questions about moving by leaving a comment.

7 Things To Do Before and After Your Move

There's no getting around it, moving is an exercise in multi-tasking and stress management. Sometimes we succeed, and sometimes we turn it into an epic fail. It all depends on preparation.

Having moved just a few months ago, I don't envy anybody that's having to do it in the near future. That's why it's always good to make the transitions as easy and stress free as possible. Luckily, Apartment Therapy has stepped in with two helpful articles listing 7 Things To Do Before Moving Out as well as 7 Things To Do Before Moving In. The second one actually has 8 steps, not 7, but hey, who's counting?

Both articles have a few tips that some people wouldn't even consider before the big day, such as changing toilet seats (seriously, why have I never thought of that). In addition, each one has a checklist of the normal moving tasks like cleaning, changing locks, planning walk-throughs, etc. For nerdy guys like me, seeing everything in one spot with a checklist really helps prioritize and get things done.

Really, the only thing the articles don't mention is taking care of your home services, but I think we've already got you covered there. To read more, be sure to visit Apartment Therapy.

How to Change Your Address Online with WhiteFence

Have you ever had to drag yourself down to the post office and stand in that never-ending line just to change your address? Then right as you get to the front of the line most of the postal workers seem to disappear and you're left with the disgruntled one that is mad at you because they can' go on break.

Well say goodbye to those dreadful days, because WhiteFence can help you change your address easily online. Watch our short video demonstration to see for yourself how simple and fast changing your address with WhiteFence can be.