Movers compared to Moving with Life Simplified

Does the word MOVING send chills to you and utter like a curse word!

Does your mind start racing to where am I moving to? AM I downsizing? What will I take? What the best movers? Where do I get moving supplies? I don’t want to take all this stuff? Overwhelmed!!!

Life Simplifed has seen clients go through the stress of the moves and wished they would of reached out before the move.

I hear it all the time movers job is to pack, your job is to organize.

This is not true! Movers offer packing, but they prefer to just move. Yes my job is to organize and to make my client life simplified, and less stress!

Thinking of moving- we can help client start to declutter and organize way before a move or right before a move. The best part about having us come help declutter. We can start to pack the household items to make the house be stage ready for pictures and potential buyers. While we do this we can leave out certain items that can be used for staging. After all that is done then we can suggest a realtors to discuss the move. We provide downsizing questions to help if that is part of your move plan. Every client gets a moving checklist that provides an outline of what needs to be done by weeks and months before the move. Downsizing we can help you decide if your furniture can fit in the new place. We go over the plans and if possible the space to see what will fit in the new place. We then discuss what pieces of furniture can go to the smaller place and what to do with the other pieces of furniture.

Moving to a renovated or new build we can go over the plans to provide maximum storage options in the new place.

Do you have house full of items that need to be sold we connect you with estate sale companies. Not sure if something is valuable we take pictures and ask our antique appraisers. Need items to be auctioned we can connect you with our antique and auction companies we partner with.

Is there excess trash we schedule our junk company to remove the items.

When you work with us we can calculate an inventory of estimate of boxes and what furniture needs to be disassembled and provide estimate to movers we get the estimates and provide you the estimate and the dates available . We do the all the work and have for you. We even order all the packing material for the move.

Once you have contracted with the realtor your house will be ready to be on the market. We have helped you declutter and stage if needed. Once house is sold we can start to pack. We hear all the time I don’t want my house in chaos during the move ok, we respect that. We pack the storage spaces, garages, spare rooms first. Boxes are in not in the way. We pack all items like they are our items. We even will back separately and label differently if items are going to someone else. What difference us from movers when we pack.

We pack everything like it is ours- we take extreme care of each item. We pack the items very well. We will ask you if we are not sure something should be packed such as a cracked cup, or broken toy. We check out expiration dates and only pack the non-expired food. We will mention if we see there is an excess of something like do you really want 10 strainer spoons? We will clean or wipe something down if it is dirty or dusty before we pack it up. Movers just pack they don’t ask. If there is a bowl of nuts they will wrap it and not empty it. We will take pictures of the lamps or cabinets to make sure they are put back correctly at the new house. Movers don’t do that. We unpack and organize the new house. So you can be fully functional in the new place with in a few days. Movers just empty the boxes.

We love movers! We just provide ato z service to help our clients have a organized and less stress.

Do you have a loved one who is in the hospital and can’t come home or a loved one who passed away. No worries we got you. We can work with you tag all items going to certain people or places. Then pack them accordingly. Then we can connect and arrange estate sale if needed. We can help create an inventory list if items are going to storage. We can organize the storage unit or even clean it out if needed.

Moving is hard and can be stressful let us do all the work for you.

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The Christmas Rush is in full swing!

By Annie Kilbride • December 3, 2025

Don't stress! Follow these helpful hints to stay organized and enjoy your time with family and friends. Hosting Holiday Meals Ask your guests to help Lists! Lists! Lists! (grocery, menu, etc.) Remember the batteries Use disposable pans & Plates as much as possible Consider Grocery delivery Service Also, support any local farmers markets or farms by buying any produce from them! Stay focused, Hydrated & keep that protein level up! Have 10 quiet minutes? Wrap a present! Grab a glass of wine Turn on a Christmas movie Be sure to have your camera ready but don’t forget to sit back & enjoy the moments Set the coffee to automatically brew. You'll love having a hot cup of coffee to start your day! Most Importantly... Enjoy this time with your family and friends . Yes, it can be stressful; yes, it can be overwhelming, but it can also be fun! Allow yourself to enjoy it - stress and all!

How Do You Downsize Holiday Decorations

By Annie Kilbride • November 24, 2025

How long do you leave your holiday decorations on display in your home? We hear from a lot of people that they continue to enjoy their holiday decorations well into the new year . We’re all for squeezing every last drop of joy out of the season and we think you should leave your decorations up as long as you’d like! However, when the time comes to un-decorate, we highly recommend that you downsize holiday decorations: take the time to sort and organize them before you put them away. Always edit your collections before you store them. This concept is harder than it seems, but if you decorate your home for the holidays and still have more decor in storage, you may want to donate or re-home anything you didn’t display this year . If you’re ready to apply this principle, try this method: 1) Pull out ALL of your holiday decor and supplies at the start of the season. 2) Decorate your home and set up your gift wrapping area, holiday supplies etc. 3) Box or bag anything that didn’t make the cut this year for decor and supplies. 4) Retain any storage containers that could be useful to better organize the items you want to keep for next year. The pros recommend clear containers so you can see what’s in there! If you’re downsizing or short on space, consider: Choose unbreakable and easy-to-store options when you can. Fragile decorations that need a lot of protection take up a lot of space in storage. We know some downsizers who have chosen to go all-natural (as much as possible) with live garlands, wreaths, tree trimmings, floral arrangements, etc. so that there is less to store at the end of the season. You can always choose fewer areas to decorate , focusing on the spaces where you will most enjoy your holiday trimmings. When it’s time to store: Use the right container for the job . Specialty ornament containers may cost more, but they will protect delicate items. Consider off-site storage . We’re seeing more and more specialty storage solutions for small-space dwellers, including services that will pick up and deliver your holiday supplies on demand.

What’s It Worth: Department 56

By Annie Kilbride • November 23, 2025

How do you decorate for the holidays? For many, transforming their home with elaborate holiday zeal is a seasonal ritual that lightens the mood and brings joy to the whole household. There are lots of ways to go crazy on the holiday decorations, but one of our particular favorites is the Christmas village . These table-top displays tend to grow over the years and can manifest as a full-on miniature town complete with tiny inhabitants going about their holiday errands. Collectibles advisor Charles Tinsley weighs in on What’s It Worth: Department 56. Department 56 Of all the versions of ceramic towns that pop up in American homes every December, the Department 56 Christmas Villages continue to be one of the most popular items in the Christmas collectibles market. The charming Department 56 ceramic pieces, decorated for the holidays and lit brightly behind their tiny windows, were the brainchild of Ed Banzinet , a talented designer who oversaw the Gift Import Department (Department 56!) of the Bachman Company in Minneapolis. The first Department 56 buildings were released in 1976. The Original Snow Village consisted of six pieces: four little houses and two churches. The Original Snow Village was based on an actual town near Ed’s home in Stillwater, Minnesota. Stillwater had a tradition of decorating the houses, stores and churches for Christmas with garlands, wreaths and bright lights. The first Christmas village set the character for the brand: highly detailed ceramic buildings that are brightly lit to create the look that originally inspired him. In the first two years of the collection, nine more pieces were added. These first designs in the collection remain the most highly prized by collectors today. A Focus on Popular Culture Like many decorative or seasonal collectables, Department 56 releases new designs every year, inspiring collectors to commemorate the years and the celebration of family milestones with new pieces. Department 56 enjoyed a popularity boost from an unlikely source: pieces based on the 1989 film National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation . In the movie, Clark Griswold’s boss Mr. Shirley did not give Christmas bonuses that year, but did have a celebration in his large and well appointed home. This scene was the inspiration for the very popular miniature Boss Shirley’s House. The film inspired a whole host of buildings, characters and accessories, including Todd & Margo’s House. The Christmas Vacation series remains among the most popular and sought-after pieces. Over the years, Department 56 has released many other designs based on popular culture and holiday films, including “A Christmas Story” , many Disney characters, a vintage Harley Davidson store and even a miniature Downton Abbey . The greatest challenge for this particular collectible is that they are ceramic, and therefore fragile. The value decreases greatly if they do not come with their original box and packaging . Since they are usually associated with the holiday season, they spend most of the time in storage. They take up a lot of room which means collectors have to sacrifice valuable storage space in their homes. So, What’s it Worth? As is the case with many collectibles these days, the value of Department 56 pieces is not as high as it has been in the past , but they do continue to be highly sought after. Notable online auction sales in the fall 2021 include National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation series . These designs remain at the top of the heap for collectors: • Todd and Margo’s House $2800 • The Department Store $500- $900 • Griswold Family Buys a Tree $375 The Dickens Village pieces are highly collected as well. In 2021 the top prices for pieces in this set were: • Kensington Palace $125 • Norman Church $220 • Dead Creek Village Mill $200 Smaller pieces in the collection such as “The Christmas Carol” may go for $40 to $50. Other sought-after designs include the Halloween Haunted Mansion ($800-$1000) and the Chick-Fil-A Dwarf House ($450). Common Designs Currently, the majority of the Department 56 collectibles are sold in larger lots, in their original boxes. Lots of 8-12 pieces may go for $200-$225 . Large collections of 75 or more pieces in their boxes may sell for as much as $1200 . If you love constructing a tiny village in your home for the holidays, and you have the space to store them, our advice is to continue enjoying your collection as long as you can! You could even scoop up some delightful additions to add a new neighborhood at a relatively low cost. When you’re ready to sell, you’ll probably do best to package them as a lot and sell them online or at a local auction house .