Life – Page 39

Categories: Life

Lessen Your Moving Stress with Hybrid Moving

I am thrilled to bring this blog post to you guys today! As part of a decision I made when I started this blog, I do not do many sponsored posts. There are many reasons why, and one of the main reasons is that I rarely come across an opportunity that piques my interest enough to accept. But a few weeks before my move, I was contacted by HireAHelper.com to use their services in exchange for a review on my blog. I really wanted to accept, but I didn’t feel as if I could give an accurate review as I only needed a few big furniture items moved (my bed and my dresser). Instead, I asked if my roommate could use the service (since she was bringing the big furniture items into the new apartment) and write a guest post for my blog. And they accepted! So, for today, I am handing my blog over to my wonderful Roomie to talk about HireAHelper.com and her experience with the company.

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Hey stephanywrites readers! I’m Briana (or Bri, as many like Steph call me) and you may have already learned who I am – the work bestie, the real-life bestie, and the new roomie. But honestly, we’ve connected pretty deeply in terms of our friendship. I feel comfortable telling Stephany anything and everything, and for that reason (and many others) I knew that if I was going to return to a roommate situation, she was the girl to do it with. And so, here we are. Roommates at last!

However, I can’t lie to you or to myself: I was excited to move in with Stephany…but moving sucks. It’s a lot of purging, organizing, packing, labeling, manual labor, planning, and, of course, it’s generally expensive. Full-service moving companies charge a lot of money for their services! The end result of a move rocks, but the process and expense? I could do without.

While you can’t avoid most of the above moving tasks, it is possible to mitigate some of the expense.

Option one is 100% DIY. You pack, you do all the heavy lifting, and you rent and drive your own truck. But that’s exhausting, and you have to have some help from friends and/or family if you need to carry heavy furniture (like I have) up and down stairs (which I also had at both the new and old place).

Option two is what I did: a hybrid move. With a hybrid move, most of the work and equipment is still DIY except for the lifting, loading, and/or unloading labor. It is a much most cost-effective option than full-service moving packages. It sounded like a good option for me.

Enter: HireAHelper.com. HireAHelper is a unique online service that connects users to moving companies in their area that might be willing to provide labor on the specified moving day. They offered me a solution I couldn’t refuse: strong arms.

Before the Move

HireAHelper’s website is incredibly straightforward, aesthetically pleasing, and very user friendly. It’s really a no-fuss start. You type in your moving date and zip code, and you’re instantly connected to a list of moving companies that provide moving labor. You can customize the specs of your move, including the number of movers you want, the number of hours you want them for, and the number of flights of stairs to get accurate quotes instantly. You can compare prices from different moving companies on the spot, as well as view ratings and reviews from past customers – something that I value greatly. On this page, you can select your company of choice.

I selected a company and immediately got confirmation via e-mail. Good, quick communication. You earned brownie points, HireAHelper!

However, about a day later, I got another e-mail telling me that the moving company I picked declined my move, and that I would have to select a new company. As you might imagine, I was not particularly happy about it. But not even 15 minutes later, HireAHelper actually called me to help me pick a new company. That phone call from HireAHelper was arguably some of the best customer service I’ve ever had.

Two days before my moving date, the moving company I selected gave me a call to confirm the appointment, and HireAHelper sent me another e-mail to remind me to complete my inventory list. With everything packed and ready to go, I just had to wait for the day to arrive.

Moving Day

Moving day! I picked up my U-Haul at 9 a.m., because I scheduled the movers to arrive between 10 and 11. I got a text message from HireAHelper, instructing me to send them a text when the job was completed – the movers would not get paid until I did so. I kind of appreciated that, because it’s almost like insurance that your movers will show up.

At 10 a.m. my movers called to let me know they were on their way, as the moving company is located about 40 minutes from my old apartment. But by 11 they still hadn’t shown. And then 12 came. Still no word. At 12:30 they called and told me they were 5 minutes out. At 12:45 they parked and met me at my U-Haul.

Obviously, I was REALLY not happy at how late my movers were. The reviews they had were all really positive, so I was disappointed. But, I understand life happens – turns out that one of their trucks had been broken into and equipment was stolen, so they had to file a police report. A phone call would have been nice though.

The actual move went off without a hitch. I thought I needed them for four hours, between all of my flights of stairs and all the furniture I had. However, these guys worked really efficiently. About two and a half hour later, I had every bit of furniture in my new apartment, with not a single dent or scratch to speak of. Which, apparently, is hard to come by.

I sent my text off to HireAHelper, at which time I was prompted through three text message questions to ensure that the movers were paid and that the job was done within the scheduled time limit and didn’t run over. I got a follow-up e-mail to review how my move went.

Overall Feelings

I started off on the wrong foot with the moving company I selected because of the delay. But the actual service I got from them was awesome, so I can see why they were so well rated on HireAHelper and why they were the company that the HireAHelper representative set me up with. Overall, I would grade the experience on my moving day a “B” for the unnecessary stress from my movers.

For my experience with HireAHelper.com, I would give a grade of an “A.” Between all the e-mails I got, the phone call when things seemed to go south, and the ease of use, it gets my vote. I would say to do your homework though – just because they have reviews on their site doesn’t mean you don’t have to research movers on your own. Also, there’s still some responsibility on your end. I’m not sure what HireAHelper communicates to the movers you choose in terms of job specs, but you need to clarify everything with your movers on the phone, well in advance. Nobody (you or your movers) likes surprises on moving day.

Would I use HireAHelper.com again? Yes. Yes I would. But after I do more of my own research and homework.

***

This post is sponsored by HireAHelper.com. They provided a credit toward the cost of their moving service in exchange for an honest review. All words, thoughts, and opinions – unless otherwise stated – belong to me or my guest poster, Briana.

***

Have you ever attempted a hybrid move? If not, would you ever?

Categories: Life

I’m 27 and Scared to Move Out

Like most young adults, I moved out for the first time at the age of 18. At the time, I had been living with my mom and my dog, Minnie.

What followed was the hardest nine months of my life. The first four months, I cried multiple times a day, sometimes while on the phone with my mom. I had a terrible roommate that I didn’t get along with, and I was in an entirely new environment and not coping well at all. I should have spoken to my RA or a school therapist about my extreme homesickness, but I think I felt really embarrassed about it and the fact that everyone around me was doing fine and enjoying college, while I felt like I was drowning. Since I had spent the last two years of high school taking college courses, I wasn’t even in classes with people my age. Everyone was nearing the end of their college journey, not beginning it. Plus, my classes were hard, and I was failing two of them.

Things never got better (though I did pull myself together and make passing grades in the classes I was previously failing – hooray!) and I was homesick for nine straight months. I went home every single weekend and ended up moving back home after a year and becoming a commuter student.

Since then, every time I picture moving out to my own place, I envision being in a similar situation and it fills my entire being with dread.

So I’ve put off moving out. And put it off. And put it off.

It’s only been recently that I’ve felt strong enough to finally take this giant step into adulthood. This step that seems to come so easily for those around me – people who thrive at college and can’t imagine living with their parents past the age of 18 – and yet, has been the biggest struggle of my life so far.

This weekend, I will finally – finally! – move into my own place.

Albeit with a roommate, but I still consider it moving out and being on my own and independent. And I’m excited! I’m so excited to make this huge life change and shake up my comfort zone. But I’m also nervous.

I’m nervous because I don’t know the area well and I don’t know if the area is the right fit for me. I like to think of South Tampa as where all the pretty people live. If you’re a twenty-something living in Tampa, you want to live in South Tampa. It’s where the cool restaurants and bars are, it’s where young professionals hang out. I worry about feeling out of place, of not fitting in.

I’m nervous because change and big life transitions are so difficult for me. My coping skills are better now that I understand myself on a deeper level than I did back when I was 18… but I still struggle with change. I worry about falling into that same level of fear and anxiety as I did in college.

I’m nervous because I’ll have more responsibilities. Though I pay my mom for rent and utilities, she’s the one who takes care of things. It’ll be on my shoulders now to make sure the bills are paid. I’ll have to be super strict with my budget because I’ll be paying more in rent, along with having other responsibilities to pay for, like the water bill and Dutch’s vet fees. I worry about drowning in everything that is required of me to be a functioning member of society.

I’m nervous about Dutch, about his transition to a new living situation. I worry that he’ll spend all day crying in the apartment and disturb our neighbors. I worry about him peeing in defiance on brand-new carpeting (he’s done this before). I worry about how I’ll handle being his sole caretaker.

In many ways, I feel incredibly silly for being 27 years old and having so many fears about moving to my own apartment. I am well past the stage of life where it’s deemed acceptable to be living with your parents (though, I do have a unique situation in that my mom and I function more like roommates than parent/child). I don’t know anybody that I work with that still lives with their parents. And I work with a lot of people my age and younger! So it’s very hard to write this post, to admit that I’m scared of this change, to come clean about my anxieties.

But I am. I have many qualms. But I also know I am 100% ready for this. I know it will be hard and I will need to give myself buckets of grace during this time, to allow myself the time and space to settle into this new life of mine. I know this is exactly what I need and exactly the path I need to be on. I know myself so much better than I did when I was 18. Back then, I did not know about introversion, about high sensitivity, about social anxiety.

(If I had, I probably would have opted for a different living situation – an apartment rather than a traditional dorm – or have decided commuting was the best option for my needs.)

What I know is this: I am moving in with one of my best friends, someone who understands me on a deep level, someone who is one of the brightest forces in my life right now. I am moving with a better appreciation of myself and a heightened understanding of my needs and my personality and my brand of anxiety. I am moving with the understanding that if things feel overwhelmingly difficult, I will seek therapy and find better ways to cope.

So, emotions? I have them. By the truckload. I waver between excitement and trepidation and joy and nervousness. This is a huge life change for me and all I can do is be present in the moment, revel in the triumphs, and learn from the setbacks. Move-in day is in three days. I am ready.

Categories: Life

The Month of August

August was a wonderful month. It was a slow month, but also a month of big decisions, new experiences, and tons and tons of time spent lounging lazily reading.

Disconnecting from my blog and the Internet as a whole was exactly what I needed. I needed to get away from blogging and social media, to let it all go for just a little while. I will admit, at a certain point, I began to feel weird, so cut off from what was going on in people’s lives. As I added my social media apps back onto my phone yesterday, I felt as if I was entering this unknown world. I felt awkward as I scrolled through Twitter and Instagram once again. In due time, it’ll become second nature for me. It always does.

We’re two days into September already. We’re a mere eight days away from the kick-off to the NFL season and I’m sure Halloween costumes and candy will be littering the aisles of Target soon enough. Before we know it, we’ll be eating Thanksgiving dinner, decorating for Christmas, and singing holiday songs. This year is passing by in a blink of an eye, but that’s just how it goes. I’m just trying to be present and open to what each day has for me.

Early into August, my roommate and I signed a lease! After losing out on some privately owned condos in South Tampa, we decided to rent from an apartment community. We move next weekend, so August has been a flurry of decluttering, packing, shopping for the new place, and saving up for move-in costs. I have many emotions surrounding this move, which I’ll be talking more about next week.

I celebrated two years at my job last month. I can’t believe it’s been two whole years, and that I still love what I do just as much as I did when I started. Like any job, it has its low points, but generally, I love it. It helps that the work environment is healthy and motivating and that I work with wonderful people who are fun to be around. I had an informal annual review, which was more of a discussion where I could ask questions and give feedback on their processes. It’s truly a joy working at this company and I cannot wait to see what lies ahead in year three!

After more than two months of having a UTI, Dutch is back to his normal self. It was really in August when he seemed to be back to his usual perkiness. He’s not having accidents in the house anymore, though we have been careful to take him out more often. (And, sometimes, that entails waking up at 4 a.m. on a Saturday, which is totes fun.) Last week, he went to the vet for a dental cleaning and his biannual comprehensive exam. He passed his comprehensive with flying colors, and it makes me so happy to know that he is healthy again and not dealing with the pain of a bad UTI. That was such a low point of my year!

Other happenings in August: Dutch and I walked in a race, which was fun even if the race was a little unorganized. I met up with my friend Amber to participate in a Home Depot workshop, where we got to make a decorative shelf (and it was completely free! Score!). And my writing partner and I started meeting weekly to work on our novels. We hadn’t made the time for it in a very long time, so it’s been fun to get together for a few hours on the weekend and have dedicated time to work on my novel.

All in all, August was good to me. I loved my time away from the Internet, but I was also counting down the days when I could return to it. I missed it so much more than I thought I would, especially blogging. While I needed the time away to reconnect with myself and make some big plans for my life and this blog, letting it go for a little while made me realize how much I love it and what a big part of my everyday life it is. I’m so very happy to be back.

Tell me something good that happened for you in August!

Categories: Life

Rest

In 2012 and 2013, I took a month-long social media and blogging break. I did it in 2012 because my heart had been broken and I needed the time away to just sit in the sadness for a little while without the distraction of social media. Social media is noisy and filled with people giving their opinions on what to think, say, do, feel. I needed to get away from the noise so I could just be.

I enjoyed my break so much that I decided to take another one the following year. I didn’t take a break in 2014, but I decided early this year that I wanted to take one in 2015. August has always seemed like the right month because stuff happens this month. 2012 was the heartbreak, 2013 was starting a new job, and hopefully, 2015 is moving to a new city.

I’m really looking forward to the time away. I’m not necessarily addicted to social media. I scroll through my feeds a few times a day, but I don’t update them as much as I used to. I use Instagram the most, and sometimes I feel pressure with it to make sure I don’t get too behind on my feed. So this break isn’t needed because I’m too addicted to social media. I’m not at all. I just like the idea of forcing myself to completely get away. Of taking off the apps on my phone and not using social media as a distraction when I’m sitting at a red light or waiting in line or watching TV. Plus, social media is so noisy and so opinionated and sometimes makes me feel bad about myself or my life… so these month-long breaks are so good for my soul.

What I’m really excited about, though, is taking a break from blogging. I love my blog and I love writing posts, but it takes a lot of work. I probably spend around 5-10 hours a week on this blog, which isn’t a lot, but it kinda is to spend on a passion project that actually costs me money rather than gives me any. I do it because I love it, but it’s also something that burns me out easily. And I just need the time away from the writing and the planning and the documenting. To do things for the sake of doing them, and not worry about how to spin them into a blog post.

So, here we go. One month away from social media and blogging. I’m so ready for this.

Categories: Life

My Favorite Podcasts (Round 2)

Prepare yourselves, friends! Today’s post is going to be a long one, but it’s one I’ve been wanting to write for a long time. As I’ve mentioned before, I am a voracious listener of podcasts. I started listening around February or March of last year, and it’s an obsession. Currently, I have 26 shows that I am subscribed to and I can only see that list growing and growing. I wanted to take the time to recommend some of my favorites to you guys, just in case you a) want to start listening to more podcasts but aren’t sure where to begin, or b) are as obsessive about podcasts as me and want more shows to add to your feed. I’ve broken these down by categories, so enjoy!

Interview-style podcasts

> The Lively Show: Blogger Jess Lively interviews guests all about their lives and work, with an emphasis on intentional living. She has an eclectic mix of guests (the variety has been even better in the second season, which I appreciate) so she’s not just interviewing bloggers and creatives, but also business leaders, authors, and nutritionists. Her interviewing style is unique, which is what I love about this podcast. I take away something to reflect on from each episode.

> Death, Sex & Money : Host Anna Sale interviews famous people and regular people about their thoughts on – you guessed it! – death, sex, and money. (As the tagline says: “the things we think about a lot, and need to talk about more.”) I love the variety of guests she interviews – one week it might be Jane Fonda and the next week just some regular girl talking about her father’s death. And, like Jess, she has such a unique interview style where she asks tough questions that other people would probably shy away from.

> Nerdist Podcast: One of my long-time favorite podcasts! Comedian Chris Hardwick interviews famous celebrities about how they got to where they are today. Definitely one to listen to if you’re into comedy.

Chit-chat podcasts

> The Shepod: Two girlfriends living in L.A. (Rachael and Sara) come together every Sunday for brunch and chit-chat. They talk about what’s going on in their lives, as well as what made their “gross list” for the week and take a look back to some “90’s nostalgia.” All in all, it’s 45 minutes of fun and I love sitting down with these girls once a week!

> Starr Struck Radio: A married couple – Mary Catherine and Ben – come together once a week to discuss “adulting” topics, like the challenges of buying a home, whether or not to have kids, and being an effective manager of your time. I really like the male perspective this show brings because so many podcasts in this vein are female-focused. Having the two perspectives provides a balanced look at the topics, and they are just really fun together.

> Call Your Girlfriend: Two long-distance besties sit down twice a month to chat about what’s going on in the world. There’s an emphasis on pop culture and feminism, which I appreciate, and I just enjoy their back-and-forth dialogue.

> The Joy the Baker Podcast: One of the first podcasts I ever started listening to and I love it so. Two friends and bloggers – Joy and Tracy – sit down for hour-long chats about… anything, really. It’s always so random and the two of them are hilarious together, so I giggle throughout each episode. Their shows have been few and far between lately (I think they’ve only recorded 4 podcasts this year…) but I’m a loyal subscriber, so anything I get from them makes me happy!

Storytelling podcasts

> StartUp Podcast: This follows different startup companies through the trials and tribulations of forming and developing their company. The first season, which I’m listening to now, follows Alex Blumberg as he starts his podcasting company, Gimlet Media. I didn’t think I’d get sucked into this show as much as I have because business podcasts aren’t my thing, but I love the storytelling format and love the honesty with which Blumberg tells his story.

> Serial: I mean, if you don’t know what this podcast is about, I welcome you back into the land of the living. Listen. Now. Before you do anything else. This is the best podcast out there, hands down!

> Undisclosed: The State Vs. Adnan Syed: This podcast is basically a spinoff of Serial, where Rabia Chaudry (the one who brought Adnan’s case to Sarah Koenig of Serial) along with two law experts, Susan Simpson and Colin Miller, revisit Adnan’s case, piece by piece, revealing new information as they go along. The first few episodes were a little shaky, but it’s gotten really good as they’ve found their footing and they’ve revealed some startling information that wasn’t covered in Serial.

Bookish podcasts

> Dear Book Nerd: Librarian Rita Meade, along with a guest co-host, answers listener questions about “life, love, and literature.” There’s always such an interesting mix of questions, and Rita has made the podcast a safe space for listeners to ask any type of question.

> Book Riot – The Podcast: The editors of Book Riot.com come together for an hour-long podcast each week, talking about what’s new in the world of books and publishing. They can sometimes go off on tangents and I find their ad spots to be way. too. long., but in general, I enjoy the hosts and their camaraderie.

Educational podcasts

> Criminal: A podcast that explores all facets of crime and criminals. It tells the story of people who have been wronged and people who have wronged others. It’s a fascinating look into the human psyche!

> Invisibilia: A show from NPR about the invisible forces that affect human nature. Some of the topics covered in their first season: what would it be like to live a life without fear, whether our thoughts have a bearing on who we really are, and how expectations can limit or empower us. Such a powerful podcast and I am on pins and needles waiting for season two!

> Stuff Mom Never Told You: A podcast all about women! I love the hosts and I love the range of topics covered – from women explorers to pregnancy to the Golden Girls. If you’re looking to learn more about feminism and womanhood, I’d highly recommend this podcast.

> Stuff You Should Know: Consistently one of the best podcasts on my feed. I love Josh and Chuck and I love how I get to learn about the most random topics. Like circus families. And BASE jumping. And ocean currents. Always informative and always very well-researched.

Miscellaneous podcasts

> Mystery Show: A new show from Gimlet Media where the host, Starlee Kine, takes on random mysteries to solve. It’s a little silly but really entertaining. And Starlee is just adorable and funny and I want to be more like her.

> Happier with Gretchen Rubin: I am not a huge fan of Gretchen Rubin the author (I know, burn me at the stake), but I am a huge fan of this podcast! Gretchen and her sister, Elizabeth, get together once a week giving advice on happiness and good habits. I can relate to Elizabeth a lot, which is what I think I love most about this podcast.

> Dear Sugar Radio: Cheryl Strayed and Steve Almond bring back their advice column, Dear Sugar, in the form of a podcast. The questions cover all sorts of topics, so it’s not just about relationships or marriage and family, but also about finances and friendships and personality issues. I always walk away from an episode having learned something, either about myself or the world.

Whew! There you have it. My favorite podcasts right now, broken down by category. Maybe I’ll revisit this post in another year to see how my podcast tastes have changed. 🙂 If you’re a podcast listener, do you have any shows to add to my list? (Because I obviously need more shows to add to my list… haha)