After working as a contractor for years, I never had vacation time, but now that I do, I plan to make use of it.
No one likes to move
I’ve helped friends move and they’ve helped me in return. However, this past year the number of friends available to help was small and I was tired of killing myself for a weekend then trying to recover the following week. There had to be a better way. Our move was going to be far enough it would be cumbersome to make multiple trips. I have a small one bedroom apartment so a professional moving company was overkill and too expensive. So I consulted the Great Sage Google and found MapDispatch. The site allowed us to list what I wanted to move and about how much I wanted to pay and it offered a reasonable suggestion.
Make them come to you
Then once our move was listed, various movers around the area sent us bids and I found one from a reputable looking person who had a very competitive bid. I contacted him and finalized the details hours later. It was the best decision I could have made. When the mover arrived he brought a truck I was convinced was far too small. However, he was quick and professional and made short work of my worldly possessions, expertly packing them into the truck.
Not just for big moves
The site covers all sorts of moves from entire houses to single items like furniture and appliances. At the end of the weekend, we spent less than the cost of a truck rental and we didn’t have to lift a thing. I was unpacked and ready to start life in my new place and I could still feel my legs and my arms didn’t ache. Now that you’ve saved money moving, use it on a nice vacation.
Vacations are vital to sanity
Everyone needs a vacation and summer is the perfect time to take one as work slows down and the beaches beckon me. While the cold winds were blowing the hunt for the summer vacation began. I didn’t want to spend a lot of money for a hotel room and renting a house for a week was not in the budget. After some searching, I found HomeAway which lists rental condos and houses from all over the United States. The benefit of this is the rentals are all done by the owners of the properties and not a real estate company so prices are lower and perks are higher.
Spend less and get more
I was able to locate a condo in beautiful Hilton Head, SC that came equipped with linens for beds, towels, beach chairs, a fully stocked kitchen and so much more. The condo was perfect and my wife and I were able to afford a weeklong getaway for the price of a long weekend in a hotel room. HomeAway keeps tabs on the people renting and there’s an extensive rating system that gives you an idea of what you’re getting. Craigslist is the king of buying and selling but MapDispatch and HomeAway are the champions of moving and vacation planning. Featured photo credit: Moving via Shutterstock and inline photo by Jocelyn via Flickr (CC BY 2.0)
