Author: Gayle Edwards
Moving this summer but stuck in a nightmare housing chain? Here are some stress free options to moving that won’t break the bank!
We all know there are some life events that can be stressful. From beginning a new job, to starting a family and then, of course, getting married. But near the top of that list has to be moving home.
It can be a bit of a pain at most, and a complete nightmare at worst – where every step you take to get a new roof over your head feels like climbing a mountain, and you need nerves of steel to survive it.
Stuck in a house moving chain
A friend of mine a few years ago got stuck near the bottom in a chain of 10 buyers. In the end she just had to pull out because she felt stuck, and she missed out on the house of her dreams. When I asked her why she couldn’t wait, she said she didn’t want the stress of moving anymore. The thought of being forced to move out, before she had a place to move into, was too much and all her ‘stuff’ was weighing her down to move easily.
Which, when you think about it, is crazy. You are all moving in the same direction, like a traffic jam on the motorway. Everyone wants to move somewhere else, everyone has furniture and jobs and lives, so why does it feel like you are stuck?
Sometimes you just have to come up with a smarter way to do it and make sure its stress free.
Smarter ways to move house
Summer is a particular busy time for estate agents and house movers. But it’s a little known fact that storage companies are also playing their part in helping people move easily.
For people stuck in that housing chain, one simple option is to put your bulky goods, beds, and wardrobes into storage and then rent a smaller property for six months so you know everything is ready to go. You have the freedom to know what you are doing and where you’ll be, and get rid of some of the moving stress.
Make downsizing your home easier
Keeping your stuff in storage also gives you a bit of time to breath. If you just feel you have to work out the logistics of where everything should go within your new home before you’re surrounded by boxes, keep it in storage. If you’re downsizing, but still can’t bear to get rid of certain pieces of furniture, keep them in storage. Not only is it safe and secure, but unlike lending it to a friend or family member, or storing it in the garden shed, there is very little chance of it getting damp, broken, lost or stolen.
Use a removals team to make moving simple
Then, when it does come to carrying your furniture about, one of the most stress free options (which, coincidentally my friend did eventually do), is to get some outside help in.
While many of us rely on friends and neighbours and our own sheer stubbornness to move house, that’s a lot of favours, and muscles, to pull on the way. So take the strain off the move, and your friendships, and hire in a reputable removals team to help. That way, your belongings, and you, can move from storage to your lovely new home in style while taking the strain out of one of the most stressful life events we know.
For more details of our in-house removals team, call us now.
The Royal Town of Sutton Coldfield is a picturesque and affluent town in the West Midlands, just 7 miles from Birmingham City and near to the City of Lichfield. If you’re thinking of moving to Sutton Coldfield – locally referred to as Sutton – then here is what you need to know.
History of Sutton Coldfield
Despite Iron Age remains and the remains of the Roman Icknield Street running straight through the area, Sutton Coldfield did not exist as a settlement until the 13th Century.
Icknield Street connected the local fort to the settlement of Letocetum, now called Wall, near Lichfield – although its full length ran from Gloucestershire to Yorkshire. Visitors to Wall can see the remains of the Roman settlement, protected by the English Heritage.
The Anglo-Saxon kingdom of Mercia had its capital at nearby Tamworth, and it’s possible that Sutton originated as a hunting lodge, or manor, for the king. Possession of the land changed a number of times over the following centuries, and the first known village finally began.
Sutton Coldfield’s growth truly took off in the 16th Century, when local child John Harman joined the church and was promoted eventually to the position of Bishop of Exeter, changing his name to John Vesey. Through his support and patronage the town was given a royal charter by Henry VIII – thus the town’s full name now of The Royal Town of Sutton Coldfield.
Henry VIII also donated his hunting land – creating what is now Sutton Park. Bishop Vesey’s influence is clearly seen throughout the town, from the grammar school he established, known today as Bishop Vesey’s Grammar School, to churches, cottages and Vesey Gardens, a memorial park.
The town continued to grow in riches, and was seen as wealthy industrialists from Birmingham as the perfect place for their country homes. The advent of the railway also contributed to Sutton Coldfield as a tourist spot for the city folk, and a commuter town for workers wanting to live outside of Birmingham.
House types / Prices in Sutton Coldfield
Sutton Coldfield has been named as the 4th least deprived area in the country and house prices can be high, particularly in the Four Oaks area. The average house price is over £307,000, double that of Birmingham.
The house prices are in part due to the abundance of green space, a beautiful nature reserve as well as a busy town centre and a number of high performing schools.
If you are thinking of moving to Sutton, you are not alone. Being so close to Birmingham, Sutton is a popular place for city workers, and is regarded as one of the best suburbs of the city to live in.
Schools in Sutton Coldfield
There are a number of primary and secondary schools in Sutton Coldfield. There are two grammar schools – Sutton Grammar School for Girls and Bishop Vesey’s Grammar School – and the Independent Highclare School.
Working and facilities
Sutton Coldfield is perfect as a commuter town for Birmingham, and so has very easy access routes via the M6 Toll, M42, A38 and railway to Birmingham and London.
There are two hospitals in Sutton Coldfield, the main one being Good Hope, which provides an A&E facility.
Things to do in Sutton Coldfield
Sutton Coldfield has a main pedestrianised shopping mall in the town centre, with a multi-storey car park. There are a number of smaller shopping centres on the outskirts of the town.
There is a four screen cinema, the Empire, in an art deco Grade II listed building built in 1936.
Sutton Park is a 2400 acre nature reserve, roamed by cattle and wild ponies. Stop by the Visitors Centre for maps and advice about walking routes.
There’s plenty to do for families, with Drayton Manor close by. However, after the stress of moving home, you might prefer the chance to relax in the beautiful Moor Hall Spa.
Food and Drink
There’s plenty of places to eat and drink in Sutton Coldfield, with over 20 bars, clubs and pubs, and a variety of restaurants offering a mix of international cuisine.
Moving home in Sutton Coldfield
If you’re looking for a safe place to store your belongings while you sell your home or decorate your new house, then we can help.
Take the stress out of moving house with our handy storage facilities in Minworth, Sutton Coldfield. We even have our own in-house removals team to collect your furniture and belongings, so all you need to do is settle into your new home.
Call us now for a quote on 0121 250 555.
The weather may be hotting up, and we’re officially heading into summer. If, like us, you didn’t manage to get round to that essential spring clean, don’t worry, there’s still plenty of time.
Here’s our top tips to hack the clean so it won’t take up that valuable summer time and allow you to spend more time with friends and family.
Break it down
One of our main problems with the big annual clean is feeling overwhelmed when we start to think of all those jobs waiting to be done.
In reality, there doesn’t have to be so much to swallow if you make each task more bitesize. Make a list of everything that you want to do, then break it down. Instead of being faced with 1000 jobs, you can create lists of about ten per room that can be tackled over a number of days.
Not only will you start to see progress from the start, you’ll be spurred on to do more.
Call in help
You really don’t need to do it alone. A job shared is a job halved, after all. If you need to do a big deep clean, why not call in a local cleaner. There are plenty of small local businesses and franchisees who can help out for one off jobs, like Merry Maids here at Minworth Business Park. Of course, once you’ve seen how much easier it life becomes, we’re sure you’ll be using them for the weekly clean as well.
Alternatively, why not ask a friend or family member to help – in return for a similar favour from you. Okay, you do end up cleaning two homes, but you can have more fun while you’re hard at work.
Create a donation box
This can be quite difficult for people who like to hoard or keep sentimental items. Creating a donation box and choosing a charity that means something to you will help incentivise you to sort through everything. Knowing that everything is going to a good cause will make it far easier to be ruthless and clear things out.
Dust and bleach
If there is one thing that will make a huge difference, it’s giving your surfaces a good dust. Use a drop of bleach in water to wipe over surfaces, and not only will your home look clean, but it will smell clean too. With a lovely summer freshness to your home, you’ll end up doing more cleaning than you intended.
Declutter using the 12 month rule
Do you still have something in your bathroom, cabinet, cupboard or wardrobe that you haven’t used, worn or eaten in the past 12 months? Then the golden rule is simple. Get rid.
Styles change, food expires and clutter grows. So to clear your head, become more productive in your life and make room for more buys, be brutal and clear it out.
Finally – open those windows wide, get outside and enjoy the sunshine while it lasts!
The bedroom should be a place of sanctuary and relaxation where we recharge for the busy week ahead. But with many of us being time poor and juggling a hundred jobs at once, it can be hard to keep order and make sure your room doesn’t feel like it’s a storage area for clothes, rather than somewhere to sleep.
There is nothing relaxing about being surrounded by yesterday’s outfits, that pile of unsorted clean washing, or mounds of throws and pillows that only have a home once you have made the bed.
Getting your bedroom decluttered and organised doesn’t need to cost the earth. Try some of these simple life hacks to make sure you can retreat to your room for that well-earned rest.
The bedside basket
If you like to dress your bed each morning, then you’ll have a throw and plenty of cushions for a beautiful finish. But at nighttime when your headed to bed, these somehow go from pride of place on the bed, directly to the bedroom floor. There is, however, a simple solution.
A bedside basket will give you somewhere to place them neatly in the evening, and also save valuable minutes in the morning hunting for them before work.
The storage bed
If you are thinking of changing your bed and are short of space, an Ottoman bed maybe the answer to your prayers. Not only can it craftily hide a whole seasons worth of clothes, but it adds another sneaky layer of storage to your room, especially if you are short of space.
If you aren’t planning on changing your bed anytime soon, then make the most of the space underneath. There are plenty of options available, but woven baskets add a little more style than the plastic versions. Make sure you don’t forget where everything goes by attaching a brown string tag to each one. Then, even if you aren’t someone who folds their laundry, at least it’s in some order for when you are hunting for it!
Space saver bags
Space saver bags may remind you of advertisements from the 1990s but they are genuinely a great way to store bulkier items, from the winter duvet to your collection of thick woollen jumpers that you won’t be touching through the summer months. They are relatively cheap to buy, save space, light to pack away and keep everything clean and dust free without the need to re-wash once you get them out again.
Practice the art of Feng Shui
While this may not seem like the easiest way for many of us to get organised, it is a valuable way to declutter your space, and your mind.
The key is to clear away items that serve no purpose – which can be difficult as we attach memories to different things. However, consider whether you have used the item in the last 12 months. Does it remind you of a person you no longer see or care about, or is it just some family ‘heirloom’ that none of you like, keeping only out of obligation? It’s time to get strict with yourself, realign your energy and make that important trip to the charity shop so someone else can enjoy it. You’ll end up with a beautiful new space where you can relax.
As the weather hints at warmer days to come we see an increase in camping enthusiasts collecting their gear from storage.
It’s time to prepare for the season by checking through equipment, replacing anything that’s damaged and trying out the latest outdoor gadgets. As experienced campers will tell you, once you fall in love with holidaying under canvas, you’ll be adding to your camping must-haves every year.
However, if you’re new to camping it doesn’t have to cost a fortune in gear to get started. We’ve put together a few of the essentials for a weekend trip to get you snoozing under the stars in comfort.
The perfect tent
There are so many options on the market that choosing the perfect tent can feel overwhelming. You do need to research tent reviews online, speak to dealers and visit local camping shops to see some on display.
However, you don’t have to pick one straight away. If you can, borrow a tent first to get a feel for the features you like. Plus it’s a good way to be sure camping is right for you anyway. You’ll find that most regular campers have been through a number of tents before settling on a manufacturer and layout they prefer.
A good nights sleep
If you don’t get a good night’s sleep you will never enjoy camping to its fullest. You need to be comfortable and warm – there’s nothing worse than waking up cold or damp.
Remember that throughout the night temperatures fall and the ground gets cold. Insulating your bed from the floor helps keep you cosy. Place a picnic blanket under your bed, or use foam mats. Then, choose between an inflatable airbed, a camping bed or a SIM (self-inflating mattress).
Each type of bed has pros and cons. Airbeds can be very comfortable, but are prone to deflate. They can also be cold as the air inside cools, so you’ll need a blanket between your sleeping bag and the bed. Camping beds can be quick and easy to erect, but quite restrictive on space and quite firm, while a SIM can be comfortable, if you’re prepared to pay more for one thick enough to keep you from feeling the hard ground. Laying your SIM on top of a camping bed is a great alternative, but costs more in equipment.
The final ingredient to a good nights sleep is a thick sleeping bag, wide enough to allow movement, or if you prefer, a large, warm duvet. Take a couple of extra blankets in case you need them.
Something tasty to eat
All that fresh air helps you build up a healthy appetite so remember to take your cooker. A simple portable gas cooker is fine, and most come in their own carry case. Don’t forget the gas.
Then you’ll need cookware – a saucepan and frying pan, a kettle, plates, cutlery and a large mug for your morning cuppa. Unfortunately camping holidays do mean you have to do your own washing up, so a bowl, tea towel and washing up liquid.
As well as food – most camping trips involve a proper English breakfast – you need a cool box to keep your milk and bacon in.
Evening entertainment
One of the best things about camping is settling down by the campfire (if you are allowed one on site). A portable firepit is a lovely luxury – don’t forget the wood. Lightweight folding chairs and a table are perfect for an evening playing cards, and you’ll need a some powerful camping lanterns for light to play by.
Finally, make sure you pack some warm clothing, a change of shoes in case you get wet – well, we are talking camping in Britain – and your bathroom essentials.
And one more thing – don’t forget the bottle opener for the wine, to toast the success of your first trip.
Despite the month ending in storms, there are signs that spring is on the way. Snowdrops and daffodils are poking green shoots up through the snow and there are more birds about, ready to start building their nests.
After a long cold winter we’re all ready to get out and about – some fresh air, long walks and even cycling ahead. We know that there are some fabulous places to visit in the West Midlands, so we’ve asked you to share some of your favourite with us. Here’s what you recommended.
Park Lime Pits
When you live in the middle of a town, it can be hard to imagine beautiful countryside a mile or two away. Park Lime Pits is just that – a stunning nature reserve only 3 miles outside of Walsall, complete with tranquil pools, mature woodland and a diversity of wildflowers and birds. We’ve been told you can even see wild parakeets – make sure you take a camera.
Barr Beacon
If you feel like a good walk to stretch your legs, then set off to the top of Barr Beacon. One of the highest points of the West Midlands, you’ll find outstanding panoramic views of 11 counties.
One of the focal points is the War Memorial, lovely in the daylight and magical at night for the clear night sky views. In fact, it’s a popular place for stargazing and has been designated a Dark Sky Discovery Site.
Red House Park
The Red House is a listed building standing in 27 acres of parkland. While the house itself has been converted to apartments, the park remains open to the public. Two pools – or small lakes – and beautifully maintained gardens provide a lovely area for walking, while the woodlands, park and playing fields are the perfect place for children to blow off some winter steam.
Kingsbury Water Park
With 15 lakes to explore, you could send the whole day here cycling. There’s fishing, sailing, pedal boats – everything you would expect from a water park, in fact. Children will love the farm and donkey rides, as well as the usual play areas. Hop onto the Echills Wood Railway for a fun way to explore more of the park’s wooded areas.
Shustoke Reservoir
Shustoke Reservoir is a lovely place to hike or bike, and is certainly popular with nature lovers for the abundance of wildflowers. There’s an on site café if you need a hot chocolate in the crisp spring air – but we particularly liked that this recommendation came with the suggestion of stopping in at The Plough after your hike for a well-deserved pint.
Sutton Park
The most popular place you suggested by far was Sutton Park and it’s easy to see why. 2,400 acres of Nature Reserve, with heathland, woodlands, lakes, marshes, cattle and wild ponies sound amazing already, but on top of that there are playgrounds, restaurants and cafes, sailing and fishing, as well as plenty of room for walking and cycling.
Whether you’re walking your dog, exploring the woodlands, looking for group fun or peace and quiet, this really is a place for everyone. Make sure that when you visit, you stop by the donkey sanctuary.