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Our shoes reveal a lot about who we are, and there are many situations in which we need a wide selection of different shoe styles and colors; for work, for socializing, or just a casual pair to feel comfortable in.
If you have a small closet and a growing footwear collection, fear not. It’s totally possible to organize shoes in small spaces, you just need some space-saving shoe organizing methods and a few products to help.
small closet to allow for further purchases.
Try these organization methods at home to free up shoe space in your closet
After organizing your clothes in a small closet, the next task is always your shoes. The last thing you want to do is to dirty, damage, or even lose your most-loved shoes.
These tips will save you space and time searching for your favorite pair.
(Image credit: Go Modern Furniture)
1. Declutter and prioritize
The first step is to start decluttering your shoe collection, you need to know exactly where all of your shoes are, their condition, and how many you have and need.
Take out all your shoes and assess which ones you truly need and wear regularly. If you notice that there are some damaged shoes or pairs that no longer serve you, put them in separate piles for donating or discarding.
Once you have been through all of your footwear, you will have freed up space in your closet which will make organizing the space easier.
2. Utilize vertical space
Often because we have a small closet we automatically assume that there is no room in it, but that is not always the case. Vertical potential is often overlooked and instead, it should be used to our advantage.
Vertical space is especially useful when it comes to organizing shoes, not only does it allow us to see our shoe collection easily, but it also helps us take up space that would otherwise be unused.
A shoe riser is an effective and simple way to use up your vertical space in the closet and essentially increases the amount of shoe storage space you have on your shelves.
Professional organizer Caroline Guntur says that she relies on shoe risers, available at Amazon, and uses them in all small closets for her clients: ‘It allows both pumps and flats to be stacked instead of just side by side, this automatically increases the amount of shelf space available for your shoe collection.’
Camilla Frederico, one space that is often overlooked is the closet door itself.
‘If the back of your closet door is bare, an over-the-door shoe organizer can make the most of this space,’ she says. ‘They also happen to store several pairs of shoes at once. Additionally, they can also double as storage for accessories!’
Over-the-door organizers, at Wayfair, will help take the clutter away from inside the closet, conjuring up space from nowhere and making it much easier to see everything.
Relaxing Space. ‘It will maximize your storage and you can easily see which shoes you have.’
Stackable clear shoe boxes, at Amazon, not only save space but also protect your shoes from dust. Furthermore, the clear view allows you to simply locate the shoes you want at any time.
Inspire Clean. ‘Store out-of-season shoes in a separate location, such as under-bed storage or a different closet, and swap them out as the seasons change.’
Rotating your shoes seasonally allows you to align your footwear to the clothes in your closet. For example, you are more likely to wear your summer sandals versus winter boots during the warmer months.
Consider how often you are going to be wearing each type of shoe and create space by removing the pairs not needed for now.
washing machine; however, those made with leather, suede, rubber, or vinyl should not be placed in the washer.
When you organize a closet that has limited space, you have to keep in mind that each closet is different, it is best to choose the storage and organizational solution that works for you and your space. These organization ideas will set you up for having a manageable and functional closet in no time.
Source: homesandgardens.com
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There’s more to banking than low monthly fees, high yield savings, and a large ATM network. More Americans today seek banks and credit unions that align with their values when it comes to sustainability and social responsibility.
The U.S. banking system tends to disregard lower income and rural communities, with traditional banks establishing multiple branches in the country’s largest and wealthiest cities. The most socially responsible banks, on the other hand, provide online banking, low monthly fees, and no minimum deposit requirements, making them accessible to lower income individuals and families. They may also support efforts to help lower income individuals qualify for personal loans, auto loans or mortgages at fair interest rates.
But that’s not all that comes with socially responsible banking. Socially responsible banks emphasize financial literacy for those in their local community. They might also consider their organization a green bank, committed to fighting climate change and avoiding projects that support fossil fuels.
10 Best Socially Responsible Banks and Credit Unions
The best socially responsible banking institutions combine sustainability, accessibility, transparency and ethics to help make the world a better place. Yet, you won’t sacrifice top-notch personal checking and savings or even high-quality business banking when you choose one of the financial institutions on our list. You can have the best of all worlds – and do what’s best for the world – by choosing a socially responsible bank or credit union.
1. Aspiration: Best for Online and Mobile Banking Services
Aspiration is not a bank. But it’s one of the best cash management accounts offered anywhere online, with no monthly fee and a host of money management features. The Aspiration Plus Spend Save account that offers 3% interest on savings.
Aspiration is a certified B-Corp that shows its commitment to socially responsible banking with a variety of programs. Aspiration will plant a tree each time you round up a debit card purchase to deposit the difference in your Save account. It pays 3% to 5% cash back on debit card purchases with companies that are members of the Conscience Coalition, a group of small businesses devoted to social responsibility and sustainability.
Aspiration offers two accounts: One asks members to “Pay-What-Is-Fair,” which means you can use the account for free if you choose. Aspiration Plus costs $7.99 monthly or $71.88 annually (save $24 when you pay upfront.) Save accounts in the Pay What Is Fair model earn 1% APY, while Aspiration Plus savings accounts earn 3% APY.
2. Amalgamated Bank: Best for Investment Planning
Amalgamated Bank has branch locations in the nation’s largest cities: Boston, New York, San Francisco and Washington D.C. The bank offers personal checking and savings accounts with no monthly fees.
Amalgamated Bank offers four checking account tiers, including three interest bearing accounts. Two of the accounts have no minimum opening deposit. If you choose the interest earning Give-Back Checking account, you’ll earn a high APY of 0.90% – 0.95%, with an additional contribution of one-half of your interest earnings going to the charitable organization of your choice.
In addition to its choices in checking and savings accounts, Amalgamated Bank stands out when it comes to helping new retail investors choose ESG companies to invest in and plan for their future.
3. Spring Bank: Best for New Yorkers
Hailed as New York’s first B Corp bank, Spring Bank offers personal and business banking online and at branches in Harlem and the Bronx. The Green Checking account offers no monthly fee with direct deposit, paperless statements and no overdraft fees. If you need an account to write checks, you’ll want to choose the Basic Checking account.
Spring Bank deposits are insured by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, up to $250,000 per depositor, per account. But the bank works with the IntraFi Network to also insure multi-million dollar deposits across multiple reputable U.S. banks.
Spring Bank offers CDs with terms from 90 days up to five years with a minimum deposit of just $250 and interest rates ranging from1.50% APY up to 3.25% APY. The bank also has a high-yield Vacation/Club savings account for short-term savings.
Spring Bank ranks in the top 5% of all 3,000 B Corps across the world and earned awards for its Governance and Customer Service in 2022. The company strives to provide affordable financial products, enabling its customers to avoid what it calls “fringe” financial products like check-cashing services and payday loans.
The bank also supports small businesses in New York and beyond with business checking accounts, money market accounts, and business loans.
4. Beneficial State Bank: Best for West Coast Residents
With seven locations across California, Oregon, and Washington, Beneficial State Bank is the B Corp bank of choice for those on the West Coast. The bank’s majority owner is Beneficial State Foundation, a nonprofit organization serving the public interest.
Beneficial State Bank offers three checking accounts, all with a $50 minimum opening balance and a low monthly service charge. eChecking waives the monthly fee if you sign up for eStatements. Checking and Interest Checking products have low monthly service charges that are easy to waive if you meet certain criteria. The bank also has savings, money market, CD, and IRA accounts to help you meet your long-term and short-term savings goals.
With an emphasis on ethical, equitable banking, Beneficial State Bank is a green bank that does not support or lend fossil fuel companies. The bank shows where every percentage of your deposit goes and says that 75% of its lending occurs within its mission categories. The other 25% supports other categories, but never to projects or organizations that cause harm to the planet or the people on it.
Some of the bank’s top lending categories for businesses and consumers include environmental sustainability, affordable housing, auto loans with fair interest rates, and health and well-being. The bank is also a preferred lender for clean vehicle programs in the state of California.
5. City First Bank, A Subsidiary of Broadway Federal Bank: Best for Commercial and Nonprofit Banking
City First Bank is part of a family of companies devoted to socially responsible lending and personal and business banking in low to moderate income communities. City First Bank, based in Washington, D.C., is a black-led, minority depository institute (MDI), as well as a B Corp and a member of Global Alliance for Banking on Values.
City First Bank offers a variety of personal and business banking products, as well as accounts for nonprofit organizations. The personal checking account has no monthly fee if you meet any of four criteria:
- One monthly direct deposit
- 10 debit card transactions
- eStatement enrollment
- Minimum monthly balance of $100
The bank also offers a personal savings account, CDs, money market accounts and savings accounts for minors.
6. Sunrise Banks: Best for Mortgages
Sunrise Banks offers a full range of personal banking products, including personal checking, savings accounts, credit cards, and a pre-paid Mastercard. But it is best known for its Pathway2Home affordable mortgage product, as well as other mortgages with down payments as low as 3%. The bank also writes VA loans with no down payment required.
By supporting affordable housing and helping Minnesota residents get into homes of their own and begin building generational wealth, Sunrise Banks shows its commitment to socially responsible banking. Like many of the socially responsible banks on this list, Sunrise Banks is a member of GBAV, a Community Development Financial Institution, and a B corporation.
7. Clean Energy Credit Union: Best for Clean Energy Loans
Most of the banks on our list support efforts to reduce climate change, do not help fund or support fossil fuel companies, and run their organization sustainably. Clean Energy Credit Union works to fund renewable energy through personal loans for electric bicycles, solar electric systems, geothermal heat pump systems, and green home improvements. Clean Energy Credit Union also offers auto loans for electric vehicles.
While the credit union specializes in funding renewable energy and other loans, it also offers options for personal checking and savings accounts. Checking accounts offer dividends from .01% APY to 3.56% APY with a minimum opening balance of just $25 and no monthly fees if you meet certain requirements, including having a Clean Energy loan.
Savings accounts include a bank account with a 0.15% APY and a minimum opening deposit of $100, certificates, and a money market account with dividends ranging from 0.95% up to 1.61% APY, with a minimum deposit of $2,500.
As part of its commitment to green living, the credit union offers bio-based, compostable debit cards that are eco-friendly. It is also one of the few banks or credit unions on our list that offers a Carbon Zero Teen Account online, which shows your teen the carbon offsets their deposits can fund.
8. National Cooperative Bank
National Cooperative Bank offers high yield CDs, and money market accounts, as well as checking and savings accounts and business products. The bank offers an interest earning checking account with a 0.90% APY and no minimum opening deposit. There is a $15 monthly fee if the balance falls below $500.
The money market account has a high 2.28% APY, with a minimum balance of $5,000 to avoid the $25 monthly fee. You will need just $100 to open the account. You can earn a 4.34% APY on with a 12-month CD with a $2,500 minimum opening deposit.
While the bank is committed to helping its customers earn money through high interest rates, it is equally committed to its duties as a socially responsible bank. The bank has donated $8 billion to support underserved communities nationwide, and provided loans and investments of $475 million to low and moderate income families, including mortgage loans.
9. Clearwater Credit Union: Best for Previously Unbanked Consumers
Clearwater Credit Union is a certified Community Development Financial Institution and a member GBAV. While most credit unions are devoted to serving their local communities, Clearwater takes it a step further by donating $1.6 million to 290 non-profit organizations in 2022. Employees donated more than 1,340 volunteer hours within their local communities, and the credit union awarded $20,000 in scholarships to students in the credit union’s home state of Montana.
Clearwater CU offers multiple choices in bank accounts, including a basic checking with no monthly fee, a premium checking that pays dividends, and a SmartSpend checking account with a low, $5 monthly fee for previously unbanked consumers.
The SmartSpend account can help lower income individuals and families avoid the fees that come with check cashing services or prepaid debit cards. It also gives them the opportunity to avoid overdraft fees while gaining the convenience of a deposit account, debit card, and access to mobile banking.
10. Carver Federal Savings Bank: Best for Small Business Banking
Many of the banks on our list devote time and money to sustainability, equality, and other social causes. But they don’t necessarily offer the highest interest rates available in online banking today. Carver Federal Savings Bank, however, is a Black-operated, socially responsible bank that also delivers high-yield savings of 4.00% APY.
But there is a catch. You’ll need a $5,000 minimum opening deposit. This might make the Carver savings account inaccessible to many in underserved communities seeking personal checking and savings accounts. However, for those on firm financial footing who want to support a socially responsible bank, Carver’s high yield savings is a solid choice.
Beyond the high yield savings, Carver is known for an array of checking and savings products for small business owners, including a money market account with 2.00% APY and a business interest checking account.
Start-up businesses or those with low-to-moderate balances might prefer the Carver Community Business Free Checking with no minimum balance, no monthly fee, and 200 free transactions per month. The bank focuses on Black- and Minority-owned businesses as well as women-owned businesses across New York City.
Carver is a designated CDFI and has reinvested 80% of every dollar deposited into NYC communities. It also donated $149 million in New Market Tax credit and more than $259 million in leveraged loans across the New York metro area.
How to Choose Socially Responsible or Sustainable Banks and Credit Unions
When you’re shopping around for a socially responsible bank, first consider what aspects of ethical banking are most important to you. Are you looking for a bank committed to serving low income communities, or one that puts a focus on renewable energy? Maybe sustainability is the most significant aspect to finding a socially responsible bank that aligns with your values.
Of course, you also want to think about all the other elements that you would consider for your personal banking needs. These include low fees, online banking capabilities and an intuitive mobile app, early availability of your direct deposits, and a high yield savings account.
Our list of the best socially responsible banks takes all these factors into consideration and showcases banks that back up their values with investments – in their communities and in the environment.
Organizations That Support Sustainability and Social Responsibility
The best socially responsible banks often showcase their commitment to ethical banking through certifications or membership in organizations that support and reflect their values. If a bank is a member of the Global Alliance for Banking on Values, recognized as a community development financial institution (CDFI) or a Certified B corp, you know the bank has demonstrated its commitment to ethical banking.
Global Alliance for Banking on Values (GABV)
The Global Alliance for Banking on Values (GABV) is a worldwide network of socially responsible banks committed to ESG values. GABV banks focus on three pillars:
- Finance change
- Do no harm
- Sustainable products and services
To join the Global Alliance for Banking on Values (GABV), banks must show their commitment to sustainability, and have a balance sheet of at least $50 million. They must be a full service bank and show financial stability and stable governance. Many of the best socially responsible banks are members of the Global Alliance for Banking on Values (GABV).
Community Development Financial Institutions (CDFIs)
A Community Development Financial Institution is a bank, cash management account, or credit union that is certified by the U.S. government. It’s a bank that has shown a commitment to providing banking services in low income communities and underserved communities across the U.S.
Unlike many other financial institutions, Community Development Financial Institutions focus on areas such as economic development, affordable housing and supporting small businesses in their local community.
Certified B Corp
A Certified B Corp is any organization or socially responsible financial institution that successfully balances purpose and profit. Organizations can apply for B Corp certification if they demonstrate transparency, social responsibility, and show high social and environmental sustainability standards. Banks and credit unions must pass rigorous certification standards to become recognized as a B Corp.
FAQs
Still have questions about the best socially responsible banks? Check out some commonly asked questions below.
Which banks are eco-friendly?
Many U.S. banks meet eco-friendly requirements in a variety of ways. Some, like Clean Energy Credit Union, refuse to support fossil fuel companies. Aspiration plants a tree whenever customers round up their debit card purchases to deposit into a savings account.
To find eco-friendly banks, you can look up their ESG (Environmental, Social & Governance) ratings on their websites, in their financial statements, or on a website like Sustainalytics.
Remember, ESG ratings are derived from many factors, including a company’s diversity & inclusion practices, sustainability, charitable donations, and more. You may have to dig deeper to see which banks employ sustainable practices to reduce their carbon footprint.
How Can You Determine Which Banks Are Committed to Ethical Banking?
A search on a company website should help you find the best socially responsible banks committed to ethical banking. Check online to see if the bank helps underserved communities or the unbanked or underbanked population. Ethical banks may be recognized as a community development financial institution.
What is responsible banking?
Responsible banking or ethical banking typically focuses on three key areas:
- Banking access and community development
- Environmental impact and climate change
- Holistic social responsibility
What is an ESG bank?
An ESG bank focuses on environmental sustainability, social responsibility and ethical governance.
Source: crediful.com
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This is a guest post from Cathy, who writes about family finances, cooking, and parenting at Chief Family Officer.
I love the philosophy of getting rich slowly by doing the fundamentals: spend less than you earn, pay off debt, and invest wisely. One way that I save money is with what I call The Drugstore Game.
The Drugstore Game involves combining manufacturer and store coupons, and taking advantage of a store’s best deals. When played at the highest level, the Drugstore Game requires only a couple of dollars out of pocket each week to keep you and your family stocked on necessities like toiletries, paper goods and even groceries.
Real-Life Examples
I recently bought an 8-pack of Bounty Basic paper towels, a Venus Embrace razor, and a tube of Aquafresh Extreme Clean toothpaste for $1.81 out of pocket at CVS. If I’d bought the same items at Target (where I used to shop), I would have paid at least $13, even after manufacturer coupons. That doesn’t take into account the $7.99 CVS store coupon I received that I can use on a future purchase.
At Walgreens recently, I bought ten tubes of Crest ProHealth toothpaste, three bottles of Cascade dishwashing gel, a box of two Mr. Clean Magic Erasers, two boxes of 3-oz. Dixie paper cups, two 20-ft boxes of aluminum foil, a small bottle of Dawn dishwashing liquid, a Venus Embrace razor, a tube of Blistex, an Oral B Cross Action toothbrush, four cans of Spaghetti O’s, three cans of Campbells condensed soup, one can of tomato paste, and one box of cereal. I paid only $16.54 for all of these items.
Interested in savings like these? Then read on…
Playing the Game
To play the Drugstore Game well, you’ll need the following fundamentals:
- Have an understanding of how store coupons and manufacturer coupons work together. Most people are familiar with coupons that come with the Sunday newspaper. These are generally manufacturer coupons that can be used at any store that takes coupons. Manufacturer coupons can usually be combined with a store coupon. A store coupon is one put out by the store. For example, if you have a $1 off Pampers manufacturer coupon and a $1 off Pampers CVS coupon, you can use both coupons at CVS to get $2 off a package of diapers.
- Have an understanding of the various store rewards programs. My personal favorite drugstore is CVS, which has the ExtraCareBucks (ECBs) program. ECBs are coupons that print at the end of a receipt after qualifying purchases. The coupons can then be used like cash on a future purchase. Each week, CVS sells items that are “free after ECBs,” meaning that if a toothbrush is on sale for $2.99, you’ll get a $2.99 ECB coupon at the end of your receipt. Walgreens has a somewhat similar program called Register Rewards, as well as the monthly Easy Saver rebate program. Riteaid has the Single Check Rebate program. For a summary of the CVS and Walgreens programs, check out the “Beginners Start Here” section at Money Saving Mom (over in the sidebar). Be Thrifty Like Us has a primer on the Drugstore Game that includes Riteaid.
- Have an understanding of how coupons and rewards programs work together to save you money. This is the tricky part, but it is absolutely worth mastering. In the toothbrush example above, a Drugstore Game pro would never pay the full $2.99. Instead, she would probably have a $1.50 off manufacturer coupon. So she’ll pay $1.49 and receive $2.99 that she can use to buy more items. A typical scenario is the one I described in the introduction, where I paid only $1.81 out of pocket. I used a $7.98 ECB coupon to make the purchase, and received $7.99 in ECBs on my receipt. This process is called “rolling over,” and it is what allows Drugstore Game pros to spend less than $2 out of pocket each week while never running out of necessities.
- Have good sources of information. You could sit at home poring over the weekly and monthly drugstore circulars, or you could simply sit down at your computer and visit the sites that do all the math for you. If you visit only one site for your Drugstore Game playbook, it should be Money Saving Mom, which lists all of the weekly and monthly drugstore deals, puts together sample scenarios for free or “money-making” deals, and has a robust community that supplies updates. There are many other sites that provide different scenarios, and I’ve found it helpful to read them and find scenarios that best match what my own needs (and coupons) are. These sites also link to available printable coupons in case you don’t have one from the newspaper. You can find a list of my favorite deal sources at CFO Reviews.
- Have an understanding and acceptance of the necessity of buying non-necessities in order to maximize store rewards coupons. This can be a difficult concept if you are frugal and constantly ask yourself if you really need an item before you buy it. However, for maximum savings, it’s essential to overcome the tendency to exercise shopping restraint. Mommy Making Money has a good explanation of how buying things she doesn’t need helps her buy those things that she does. (She also describes what she does with those unnecessary items, since they do pile up!)
In my first two months of playing the Drugstore Game, I calculated that I saved over $50. And that’s despite many “mistakes” because I didn’t really understand how to roll over ECBs by buying non-necessities. Now that I have a much better grasp of this concept, I expect to save my family hundreds of dollars before the year is over.
Getting Started
If you want to start playing The Drugstore Game, figure out which drugstores are most convenient for you. Then check out BeCentsable for links to deals of the week for your particular store (click on the ‘Grocery Gathering’ tab, then on the store name.). If you don’t have the right coupons for that week’s deals, don’t worry! Just buy the Sunday newspaper and start with the next week’s deals. (Be sure to cut out all of the coupons, not just the ones for items that you’re interested in. You never know what will turn out to be a moneymaker!)
Also, when you head to the store, bring a calculator in case you have to re-work some of your deals due to some items being out of stock. And take the circulars with you (or pick them up in the store before you start walking around). The stores don’t always mark the shelves properly, and sometimes the only way to tell which item qualifies for a deal is to check the printed circular.
Good luck! May you become a Drugstore Game champion!
Source: getrichslowly.org
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Capabilities and features Zendesk Sell offers numerous productivity tools and features to help mortgage companies surpass revenue targets. Users can sync their existing emails, create customized email sequences, build targeted prospect lists, and utilize the task player to keep track of given leads, tasks, deals, or contracts. Here is a look at some additional features: … [Read more…]
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It’s no secret that mental health is an incredibly important part of overall well-being. From anxiety to depression and beyond, our emotions, moods, and behaviors are impacted by how we take care of ourselves. But with all the demands on your time, it can seem daunting and overwhelming to give yourself the attention needed for good mental health—right? Wrong! There are some simple steps you can take each day that will help keep your brain in tip-top shape!
1. Work Out
One user shared, “Working out. Made all the difference.”
Another user replied, “I swear by this. Worst bout of depression in 2021 until I started exercising. Even now when I have a sh*tty day, an hour of exercise makes all the difference. It’s like the sweat washes away all the negative toxins from your body or something.”
One Redditor added, “This. I can’t stress it enough. I would work out 24/7 if I could as it just blocks out all my thoughts and lets me focus on the gains.”
Another commenter said, “That’s it. For me it’s really the feeling of being in control and actively working on feeling better. It also does something to your biochemistry that is extremely beneficial but if you just look at factors that lead to depression, losing control or feeling like other people determine your fate is quite at the top of the list. I feel like I’m turning that around somewhat by working out.”
2. Delete Social Media
One user commented, “Not having any social media accounts.”
Another Redditor asked, “Does Reddit not count?”
The OP answered, “I also deactivated all social media except for Reddit and Twitter (which I will soon deactivate too) I feel these two platforms are different in the sense that they don’t lead the users to constantly compare themselves or expose you to falsehoods of what a ‘perfect’ life others have. This wasn’t personally the reason I deactivated, for me it was a useless time suck that I just wanted to eliminate.”
3. Keep a Gratitude Journal
“Journal of gratitude. Writing in it every night before bed. Keeps me focused on positives,” one user replied.
One user added, “I moved to Japan. I originally visited temples and shrines because I like the environment and collecting the official seal from each. Somewhere along the way it turned into an exercise of gratitude. At each place, I think about how the aspect of the place is there for (Love, knowledge, travel, etc) has been good for me and give thanks. It gets really niche sometimes (Last month I went to a shrine about teeth!) but what that means is that there’s so much I realized I can be thankful for.”
Another user concluded, “I love this idea.”
4. Practice Sobriety
One Redditor added, “Sobriety. More than any other single change. Second biggest? Taking one or two meds that could help with the symptoms I couldn’t resolve myself.”
“Same. Got my 2 month chip today. It’s still new but yeah,” another user replied.
One user commented, “Congrats! keep it up! It just gets better.”
Another user added, “I can’t begin to tell you how much of a difference this has made for me. I am coming up on 9 months sober on July 5th. My psychiaTRIST kept asking me to quit the alcohol but I kept drinking for years. Now that I am feeling the benefits I am just blown away. I’ve already decreased my psych meds once and I feel like I am ready for another decrease.”
5. Get Professional Help
“Seeing someone about it,” one user commented.
Another Redditor replied, “Seeing a private therapist about it and starting ADHD medication the past 6 months has helped so much more than 5 years of various medication and therapy in the public psychiatry did it was truly wild the difference it made being properly medicated with something that actually worked for me (compared to all the antidepressants, antipsychotics and anxiety medications i’ve been on) along with a therapist who genuinely was willing to help me, rather than one who just wanted me out of the psychiatric system as soon as possible.”
One also confirmed, “Counseling really helps.”
6. Take Medications
One user commented, “My medication. Thank you Lithium and Seroquel for controlling my type two bipolar which enables me to participate in my life in a meaningful way. It has also made it possible for me to deal with unresolved issues and now I only need the meds listed above. Been almost twenty years now and not a hint of mania or depression.”
Another user replied, “How is your memory with seroquel? I’ve only been on a very low dose for 3 weeks but my memory is horrible all of a sudden. I’m also sleeping a lot.”
Another user shared, “It can take up to six weeks for it to reach therapeutic levels. The sleepiness will abate. I don’t recall specific memory issues when I started but I was also dealing with the memory issues of the depression I was slowly coming out of. Talk to your pharmacist about the side effects. They will know what you should be concerned about and what will pass.
“Getting the right meds at the right dose requires patience but it is so worth it. Hang in there. Being able to meaningfully participate in your own life once you get this sorted is a blessing I can’t describe. I am grateful every day for my meds.”
7. Make New Friends
One Redditor shared, “Leave all my old friends behind and look for new ones to forget my old struggles. I know it’s bad but I don’t care. I love my two only friends and they are enough for me.”
Another user affirmed, “It’s not bad at all; sometimes you must leave people in the past.”
8. Positive Existentialism
One user stated, “Optimistic nihilism. One day I realized I’m not actually going to be here forever, and the things I do now aren’t going to matter in the long run. Did something embarrassing? So what, they’ll forget about it eventually. Made a mistake at work? Dude the bosses make way more money anyway, why should I care if I already gave it my all? I’ve learned that I can be a good person and still not give a shit, that the only opinion that matters is mine, and if someone wants to stomp all over that I don’t need them in my life. Edit: it’s officially called absurdism/existentialism! I recommend looking it up.”
One user responded, “I call this ‘zooming out’. I do it periodically. I think it’s healthy to recognize that each of us is 1 in 8 billion living people, probably 100 billion ever. That only spans a few thousand years. The world has been around billions of years before us, and will last billions of years after we’re gone. Our tiny planet is one of billions (trillions?) of planets that have existed or will exist. We are so small.”
Another user added, “Yes! So many people are miserable because they want to look good for everyone else, but what’s the point when in a year, a month, even a week from now no one will remember what you said or did. Most people are too absorbed in their own insecurities to focus on yours, and the ones that make it a point to focus on yours aren’t worth it. In the end, you’ll be gone and no one will remember you, even celebrities will be distant memories one day.”
9. Delete Toxic Messages
“Deleting my ex-wife’s emails without reading them,” one user commented.
Another user replied, “Boss move. Well done!”
10. Leave Unhealthy Relationships
One commenter posted, “Being single again. Two weeks after being dumped, I was still feeling less emotional distress than what I did on a regular basis while in that relationship.”
11. Plant a Flower
“Moving into a house with a garden after years in a flat, sitting out in nature is so relaxing, being able to enjoy the fruits of my labour by seeing the flowers and plants grow that I planted is so rewarding, especially when you see bees enjoying the flowers. I have honestly gone from around a 2-5 in mood up to a 9-10, even on the most difficult days, the garden is my sanctuary, I didn’t think it could make such a difference, but it does,” one Redditor added.
Another user added, “That’s happy! Nature makes such a huge difference in well being. Being outside pretty much immediately improves/regulates my mood.”
12. Go Outside Near Water
Another user shared, “Going to the beach.”
One added specifically, “Newport Beach, Crystal Cove Beach. . . California.”
“Little Corona,” another commenter responded.
One user suggested, “Rio Del Mar, Capitola, Santa Cruz CA.”
13. Meditate
“Meditation,” one user posted.
Another Redditor confirmed, “Yes meditation has done wonders. For me guided meditation. There are tons of free ones on YouTube. It can take a few times but it does help big time.”
One commenter asked, “Please suggest a good yt video if you can. If you don’t know of a good video, can you please take the pain of writing it? I will be so grateful…”
Another user said, “Look into Dr Joe Dispenza.”
14. Get a Dog
One user shared, “Getting a dog.”
Another user replied, “Ooff, so much agreement here. A dog gives you routine, which is key when your life is disrupted by big events.”
“Honestly, I’ve noticed my anxiety always gets a lot worse when I have no routine. Even little things like going to the gym/walking everyday, getting up at a certain time, etc helps me,” one commenter added.
Another Redditor responded, “I was going to write the same. My furry little friend has made a huge difference.”
15. Don’t Watch the News
One user suggested, “I stopped watching the news about 7 years ago. I cannot describe how blissful ignorance is.”
Another replied, “Fr tho.”
16. CBD
One user posted, “Unironically, smoking a bunch of weed. That’s not saying it’s a healthy way to go about it, but when I’m baked, I want to be as comfortable as possible. To get that, I actually had to clean my living space and do basic hygiene. Over time, taking care of those things was a bit easier because I wasn’t letting mountains of trash pile up. Cleaner space and slightly healthier living gave me a morale boost I wasn’t expecting and it pushed me to be more diligent in cleaning myself and my area. I’m still not in a great place mentally, but I’m leagues ahead of where I was a year ago.”
“Exact opposite for me. Weed takes away any energy I have to actually make my life better. It systematically ends up destroying any good intentions I have,” replied by one user.
17. Get a Better Job
“A better paying job with more interesting work, better coworkers, less hours and a boss who believes in making sure people have what they need to function instead of putting pressure on them. Give me far more time to be at home to take care of things there (and to chill, mind you) plus a bigger spending range and so much more happiness in the job itself,” one Redditor shared.
18. Quit a Toxic Job
One online user shared, “Quitting my job!! I’ve been at a new job for about three months now and have really been doing so much better. I had previously worked in an animal control facility for about 3.5 years. I had been promoted several times, was the head of my department and several unrelated projects and was completely overwhelmed. Asking for help because I didn’t have time to do everything I needed to was met with unhelpful answers about figuring out how to balance everything. Not having any ideas of how to balance it, I was literally told, ‘It’ll be easier when you figure out how to balance everything.’ I took a $4 pay cut to go to a new job. I’m the newest and dumbest person in an art department, have no customer interaction, and don’t see animal death daily. This is the best pay cut I’ve ever taken. I’m only now starting to notice how much the compassion fatigue at animal control was affecting me.”
19. Set Boundaries With Family
“Pulling away from family. I love them, truly, but no one needs constant reminders of mistakes in their teens when you’re almost 30. Not to mention I have the kind of family if I return such a favour that I am told I am a child for bringing up the past. I used to call my brother and sister almost daily and I stopped last month. Best decision I have made in a long time,” one user commented.
Do you have more healthy ways of keeping up your mental health aside from the list above? Share it in the comment section!
Source: Reddit.
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About the Author
Source: financequickfix.com
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We all want our homes to look attractive and reflect our personal style, and we choose décor items to achieve both goals. Sadly, that sometimes means facing a substantial decorating or renovation cost.
If you plan to live in the house you own for years and years, decorate as you see fit. However, if you live in a rental and could move at any time, or if you plan to sell your home, think twice before investing in furniture, art or any fixtures you can’t take with you. The décor you choose today might not fit the vibe of your next home — forcing you to start all over — and if you plan to sell, some of the choices you make could turn off potential buyers.
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GOBankingRates reached out to people in the real estate and design fields to ask their advice about which décor items are a waste of money. Eight of their ideas follow.
Wallpaper
Wallpaper was a staple in homes in the 1960s and ’70s — look for it the next time you watch a rerun of “The Brady Bunch” or “Columbo” — but it fell out of favor. While you’ll see designers on HGTV shows incorporate wallpaper on some projects today, it’s usually on a sparse basis.
“Wallpaper patterns can quickly become outdated as design trends evolve. Opting for wallpaper with bold patterns or motifs that are currently in vogue might be appealing to you at the moment, but it could potentially look dated in a few years, making the room feel less attractive and in need of updating,” said Boyd Rudy, Michigan real estate associate broker with the MiReloTeam through Keller Williams.
Avoid These: 6 Household Staples That Are a Waste of Money
Themed Décor
Wendy Wang, a home design and renovation specialist, said it’s wise to resist the temptation to decorate according to a theme.
“For instance, a nautical theme with anchor accents, a sailing artwork or a beach theme with shells everywhere; they may seem appealing at first, especially to complement a certain environment or to show personal interests,” said Wang, owner of F&J Outdoor. “These items usually make a room look tacky rather than chic and sophisticated. They also age a space pretty quickly as the novelty wears off.”
Instead, she said to use the themed pieces as a complement, not a focal point.
“I would recommend investing in timeless, classic pieces and incorporate smaller accents to bring out the theme subtly. It’s really about balancing taste and personality with broader appeal,” she added.
Expensive Window Treatments
When it comes to covering windows, one home-design expert thinks you should keep it simple.
“Many people waste money on buying expensive and elaborate curtains to decorate their homes,” said Jessica Wilson, the editor and co-founder of InYouths LED Mirrors. “While these pieces may add visual appeal, they are often a wasteful investment. Fancy curtains can be difficult to clean and maintain, leading to a shorter lifespan compared to simpler window treatments. Additionally, these curtains may not complement future home décor, making them bad for resale value. Their intricate design can also make a room appear cluttered and unattractive. Instead, opt for simpler and more cost-effective window treatments to create an inviting and timeless home.”
Artificial Plants
If you want greenery in your home, real estate industry veteran Pete Evering said you should grow and care for real plants instead of buying artificial ones — especially if you plan to sell your home anytime soon.
“While faux plants may not significantly impact resale value, they can leave a negative first impression on your home, making it look cheap and lacking authenticity,” said Evering, the business development manager at Utopia Property Management. “Their manufactured appearance doesn’t give a natural feel and diminishes the overall visual appeal of the space. Visitors or potential buyers may perceive them as a sign of neglect or a shortcut taken in decorating. Instead of providing the freshness and vitality that real plants offer, faux plants can make a room feel lifeless and uninviting.”
Wall-to-Wall Carpeting
On some of those older TV shows, you’ll see carpeting — not wood, tile or luxury vinyl — on the floors. Sometimes even in the bathrooms. But real estate expert Roman Smolevskiy, the owner of A+ Construction and Remodeling in Sacramento, California, recommended making another choice.
“From a resale standpoint, wall-to-wall carpeting can be a detriment. Many buyers today prefer hardwood or tiled floors, both for their aesthetic appeal and their durability. Carpeting is often associated with allergens and can hide dust, dirt and other pollutants, causing potential health concerns. This can turn off health-conscious buyers or those with allergies.
“Design-wise, carpeting can make rooms appear smaller and dated, affecting the overall attractiveness of the house. With the current trend leaning toward minimalist and modern interiors, carpeting can seem out of place and hopelessly old-fashioned.”
Ornate Light Fixtures
“Picture a lavish crystal chandelier in a minimalist living room or an industrial-style pendant in a classic Victorian. It seems stylish at the time of purchase but is a waste of resources because it can clash with the home’s overall design,” said Zackary Smigel, the founder of Real Estate License Wizard.
“Aside from the aesthetic discord, such a statement piece can be a double-edged sword regarding resale. Potential buyers may find it overbearing or at odds with their taste, forcing them to consider the replacement cost even before purchase. I’ve had clients who loved a house but hesitated because of an ornate, expensive lighting fixture that needed to match their style.”
Water Fountains
Like wallpaper and light fixtures, beauty is in the eye of the beholder when it comes to water fountains.
“Yes, a beautiful water fountain near your home’s entrance or in the center of your backyard can add a touch of elegance to your property and promote a relaxing ambiance,” said Benas Leonavicius, the founder of HomeCaprice.
“However, water fountains can be very expensive décor items in terms of initial expense and installation. If you plan on selling the property in the future, you should also know they don’t add any monetary value to your home. In fact, they could even decrease the value of your home in the eyes of some homebuyers since prominent water features like this require frequent upkeep that could easily outweigh its merely aesthetic benefits.”
Throw Blankets
“One item that I often see people wasting money on when decorating their home is expensive designer throw blankets,” said Pieter Runchman, a Los Angeles interior designer who is the founder and CEO of Floor Theory. “Sure, they may be made with luxurious materials and have a trendy design, but the reality is that most people don’t want to deal with the hassle of getting them professionally cleaned every time they need a refresh. It’s like having a beautiful piece of art that you can’t touch or enjoy without fear of ruining it.”
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This article originally appeared on GOBankingRates.com: 8 Home Decor Items That Are a Waste of Money
Source: finance.yahoo.com
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It’s 2021. A group of Redditors has inflated GameStop’s share price by 2,100% and investors have poured $280 million into BUZZ, an ETF based on social media hype.
Backed by the founder of Barstool Sports, BUZZ is currently outperforming the S&P 500.
What a time to be alive.
The market madness of early 2021 has given everyone from retail investors to the Chairman of the Fed plenty to think about. For investment firm VanEck, it highlighted a golden opportunity to resurrect a wacky idea from the mid-2010s: an ETF based not on rising price, but on hype.
The VanEck Vectors Social Sentiment ETF (BUZZ) is made up of 75 stocks chosen by their “social media sentiment,” i.e. their levels of buzz online. It’s a bit of a wild concept since investors don’t traditionally associate hashtags with a rise in share price. But if the GameStop explosion is any indication, hashtags matter now.
So how does BUZZ work? Why is it controversial? And why are ETFs in general considered a better long-term investment than individual stocks?
Let’s investigate BUZZ.
What’s Ahead:
What makes BUZZ such a unique ETF?
On paper, BUZZ looks like a pretty normal ETF. It consists of a healthy number of stocks (75) including many blue chips like Ford, Tesla, and Twitter. Plus, it has a high bar for entry: all stocks in BUZZ must have a market cap of at least $5 billion, so no volatile newcomers are welcome here.
If BUZZ’s appearance seems normal, it’s the way these stocks were chosen that’s so fascinating.
How ETFs are (typically) built
ETFs have themes that link the underlying securities together. The first ETF, built in 1993, was SPY, and was launched to reflect the overall performance of the S&P 500. An investment in SPY, therefore, is like an investment in the S&P 500 index itself.
Today, there are over 7,600 ETFs bundling commodities like gold or oil, sectors like IT and healthcare, and emerging markets like Africa and India.
While ETF themes can range from the obvious to the creative, all ETF managers follow one basic principle: to build a fund that will increase in value over time. Case in point, you can’t just make up an ETF and get it listed – you have to get it approved by the SEC and sell your underlying logic to investors.
That’s what makes BUZZ so unique and controversial: some investors think it’s based on nothing at all.
How BUZZ was built, and why it’s getting mixed reactions
The Van Eck Vectors Social Sentiment ETF (BUZZ) gets its 75 stocks from an algorithm called the Buzz NextGen AI U.S. Sentiment Leaders Index, which identifies companies getting “bullish social media sentiment.”
In short, it picks stocks based on rising popularity, not price.
Many investors aren’t too keen on BUZZ because they struggle to link social media mentions with share price. Earnings, growth potential, demand… these are factors that should indicate a rise in share price.
But Reddit mentions? Really?
Case in point, BUZZ isn’t the first hype-based ETF. The Sprott Buzz Social Media Insights ETF (BUZ) launched alongside the aforementioned AI index in 2015. But most agree that BUZ was just too ahead of its time. Due to a lack of investor interest, it closed.
Does that mean the naysayers are right? That social media mentions are a terrible predictor of a rise in share price?
Well, if BUZ had stayed open, it would’ve outperformed the S&P 500 in four of the last five calendar years.
BUZZ is not a “meme stock” ETF
Some in the media are quick to label BUZZ a “meme stock ETF” full of stocks that saw skyrocketing share prices thanks to the subreddit r/WallStreetBets. However, the two most notorious meme stocks, GameStop and AMC, are nowhere to be seen on BUZZ.
“This is not a Reddit meme stock ETF” says BUZZ originator Jamie Wise, as quoted in CNBC.
While GameStop and AMC support the logic behind BUZZ, that hype can drive share price, both stocks were way too extreme to be included. Among other reasons, they weren’t mentioned in enough places for a long enough period of time.
BUZZ isn’t trying to predict memes, but rather, find companies that might see a tick in share price due to positive social media sentiment. Hedge funds have been monitoring social media for years, but BUZZ represents the first time this intel is being shared with the people.
If learning about BUZZ has piqued your interest in ETF investing, here’s a quick refresher of the basics, and why, according to the experts, ETFs are often considered a better long-term investment than individual securities.
What is an ETF?
An ETF, or Exchange Traded Fund, is like a bundle of investments that you can buy and sell on an exchange. To illustrate, you can buy shares of BUZZ right now on Webull – for example – just like you’d buy shares of TSLA or GOOGL.
An ETF can include a mix of individual stocks, commodities, bonds, and other securities. And unlike mutual funds, ETFs can be traded all day, so their share prices constantly fluctuate.
ETFs offer a convenient way to invest in a broader concept, commodity, or even an entire sector
Let’s say you want to invest in the clean energy sector. You could go buy, say, 88 individual company stocks. It’ll just take hundreds of hours of research, 88 trades, and fees, and leave you with 88 tickers to track in your portfolio.
Or, you could just invest in a single clean energy ETF. That way, the research is already done for you, you make one trade, and you only have a single ticker to track in your brokerage app of choice.
ETFs have lower expense ratios
Expense ratios are a funds management costs, which are typically taken out of the fund’s assets.
Generally speaking, ETFs are passively managed and have significantly fewer operating expenses than something actively managed like a mutual fund. This means that ETF managers can afford to charge shareholders like you fewer fees (if any).
ETFs are more diverse and stable than individual securities
Because they represent bundles of securities, ETFs are naturally more diverse and stable than individual stocks. If the market is like a big, wide ocean, ETFs are like cargo ships. Sure, they can be a little slow, but they’re resilient to crashing waves and the occasional hurricane.
If you invest in a single stock and it tanks, you’re out of luck. But if you invest in a sector ETF and just one out of 108 stocks tanks, your investment will barely be affected. In fact, you might not even notice as the share price continues to rise with sector performance.
ETFs don’t always go up, of course, but their inherent diversity makes them a superior long-term investment than most individual securities.
Summary
BUZZ’s hype-based indexing logic is certainly avant-garde, but it still follows a traditional ETF philosophy: to provide a diverse, convenient, and stable pathway to long-term growth for investors.
Whether or not this ETF will continue to perform remains to be seen, and only time will tell!
Read more:
Source: moneyunder30.com
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Mumbai: Bandhan Bank invited offers from asset reconstruction companies (ARC) for its Rs 500-crore distressed retail mortgage portfolio to lower the share of bad loans, said people aware of the development.
The bank has proposed to sell a portfolio of home loans comprising about 5,800 accounts. The aggregate principal loan book in these accounts is about Rs 500 crore, one of the persons cited above said.
The private lender has not set a reserve price but indicated that it would prefer an upfront cash offer, the same person said. The bank also informed ARCs that it would prefer to close the sale transaction by August. Bandhan Bank did not respond to ET’s request for comment.
Shares of Bandhan Bank declined 13% in the past month. Its shares closed at Rs 211.7 at the Bombay Stock Exchange, down 1.3% over the previous day.
The Kolkata-based private bank has a mortgage loan book of Rs 26,950 crore as on June 30, this year, according to the disclosure made by the bank on its website. This comprised retail home loans, loans against property, construction loans and purchase of performing retail loan books. The gross non-performing asset of the mortgage loan book is Rs 1,090 crore as on June 30.The bank had around Rs 21,000 crore in its retail home loan book at the end of first quarter. In October 2019, the bank acquired Gruh Finance, a housing finance company, from HDFC, which had a retail loan book of Rs 17,600 crore.After the lockdown due to Covid-19, the central bank permitted banks to not classify an account as a non-performing loan if the equated monthly instalment was not paid between March and August 2020. The regulator also allowed one-time restructuring of loans of retail borrowers.
In the case of Bandhan Bank, a spike in defaults in retail home loans is partly due to the impact of Covid since it acquired the Gruh portfolio a few months before the nationwide lockdown. Bandhan Bank has regularly sold its distressed loan book to ARCs to clean its books.
Source: economictimes.indiatimes.com
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From its variety of parks and bike trails to its fresh produce and amazing restaurants, Minneapolis is the place to be. Locals will quickly rattle off important facts about the town in which there’s always something new to discover. This includes places to eat and shop along with outdoor areas to explore.
Whether you need a new coffee shop, a new pub or a new place to take a walk, our expert locals have dished out their favorite spots. Where will you try first?
1. Harriet Island
There are plenty of outdoor spots to spend the day in Minneapolis. With the largest parks system in the country, there’s never a shortage of options for outdoor fun. But, with so many options, where to go can leave some locals unsure.
An outdoor spot big with locals for its picturesque views is Harriet Island. “It has amazing views of the river and the St. Paul skyline. The paddle boats along the river are fun to see, and you can make reservations to go out on them for dinner or lunch,” shares Jeannine Marie from Jeannine Marie Photography.
2. Lyndale Park Rose Garden
For a walk among the flowers, check out the Lyndale Park Rose Garden. This local gem is the second oldest public rose garden in the country. Jessica Strobel from Jessica Strobel Photography says the more than 3,000 plants make the garden feel “magical.” Plus, the spot is near the Harriet Lake bandshell, “where there is always something going on.”
3. Mill City Museum
“I enjoy St. Anthony Main and Mill City Museum for walking around in Minneapolis,” says Erin Johnson from Erin Johnson Photography.
The museum is a great spot, alongside Mill Ruins Park in Downton East. It sits right on the banks of the Mississippi River as well, so you’ve got plenty to see all around the area.
4. Greenway Bike Trail
When it comes to the best biking trail, the team from City Paws Pet Club suggests the Greenway Bike Trail. Stretching through Longfellow, and running parallel to Lake Street, this particular trail follows along a former railroad track.
5. Any local lake
Even with these specific spots, you can’t talk about the outdoors in Minneapolis without discussing the city’s lakes. Walking around any of them is a favorite pastime of Amy Lamphere, Founder of Storyline Collection. Walking lakeside is her favorite because she, “thrives on people-watching, and listening…and I get my steps in!”
6. Mr. Paul’s Supper Club
You’ll find fantastic food in every part of Minneapolis thanks to the foodie-friendly vibe throughout the city. But, locals will always have their favorites.
For those in Linden Hills, Ashley Becerra from Everyday Ejiji suggests grabbing a bite at Mr. Paul’s Supper Club. It has an, “absolutely amazing menu, unique NOLA eats and a killer cocktail list.” If you visit, she suggests you try the frozen French 75.
7. Sociable Cider Werks
When you’re craving a refreshing drink that’s crisp and clean, check out Sociable Cider Werks. This hot spot located, in Northeast Park, is a favorite of Devin Abraham from Once Upon a Crime Bookstore. It’s where you’ll find, “great drinks and atmosphere, and they have a delicious food truck on site.”
8. A day of dining in Minneapolis
Planning a whole day around food is certainly possible as well. For Julie Thornburg, Corporate General Manager at The Buttered Tin NE, finding the right is the key to a great day in Minneapolis.
“We would start the day at The Buttered Tin NE for a delicious breakfast, of course!” says Thornburg, “Then we would venture over to the Minneapolis Farmers Market to pick up some fresh goods. Throughout the day we would visit some of our local favorites: Kieran’s Food Building and Centro. For spirits, later on, we love Tattersall Distilling.”
This tour of hidden gems takes you through Northeast Minneapolis and will keep your belly full all day long.
9. Spyhouse Coffee
Josh Olson from J. Olson Weddings believes that every great day begins with Spyhouse Coffee. “My ideal day starts in the morning, spent with a friend, reading a book at Spyhouse Coffee on Nicollet.” This is a perfect stop for those in or near the Whittier neighborhood of Minneapolis, although the coffee shop does have other locations throughout the city.
10. Penny’s Coffee
A great spot for morning commuters trekking through downtown is Penny’s Coffee. Just ask Rachel, the Shop Manager at Anna Bé Bridal Boutique. “I have been obsessed with Penny’s Coffee lately. They have a great outdoor + indoor space with the best coffee, crepes and pastries.”
11. Hunt and Gather
There’s no shortage of hidden gems in Minneapolis when it comes to shopping, and locals all have different favorites. According to Max Zdon, from Corazon, the best thrift shop in town is Hunt and Gather in the Fulton neighborhood.
12. Southside vintage shops
Meghan Kujawa-Smith from Fox & Loon Photography prefers to hit up the vintage shops. They include Carousel and Folk and Southside Vintage in Standish and Tandem Vintage just a little to the south.
Discovering the hidden gems in Minneapolis
Seeking out those small, locally-owned spots throughout Minneapolis is a worthwhile endeavor. Make the effort to find these hidden gems and reap the rewards. Where you call home will impact what hidden gems you adopt as your own, but from outdoor fun to fine dining and stellar shopping, you won’t have any shortage of options in Minneapolis as you explore.
Source: rent.com
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Packing your kitchen items for moving is really so much bigger than just your dishes — it’s everything in your kitchen. We’re talking pots and pans, small appliances, silverware and serving utensils. We’re talking about oddly-shaped items and bulky items and items that don’t seem to fit into any sized box. It’s also about all the fragile items from water glasses to stemware.
If you’re afraid to even start packing your kitchen, don’t be. With the right materials, boxes and some tips, there’s nothing you can’t pack. So, stop procrastinating by packing all the other rooms of your home. It’s time to tame the beast.
How do you pack a kitchen for moving?
To get your kitchen ready for a move, you’ll need all the standard supplies — boxes, tape, some kind of paper and bubble wrap. The secret to not feeling overwhelmed, though, by the sheer amount of stuff in your kitchen, is to separate everything by type. You’ll more easily see what you’ve got to pack, and can estimate what will fit together in boxes so you can get an accurate total. It also lets you work in stages so you don’t feel like everything is happening at once.
How many boxes do I need to pack a kitchen?
For the average-sized kitchen, you’ll need a variety of different boxes. These include:
- 2-4 small boxes
- 5-6 medium boxes
- 4 large boxes
- 2 extra-large boxes
- 4-6 dish boxes with specialty dividers
With a breakdown like this, you should end up with a box to fit anything from larger appliances like a stand mixer to small items like the contents of your spice cabinet. The trick is to use your space wisely, packing little things in the smaller
boxes, saving those extra-large moving boxes and specialty boxes for those items that really need them.
You also should remember to label all kitchen boxes as fragile, whether they’re holding breakable materials or not. Chances are you don’t want the non-breakables getting jostled around too much during the move, so handle all boxes with care.
What can I use instead of packing paper?
Packing paper is often your best friend when packing, but to save some trees and use items around the house that also need to get packed, you do have some options. Alternatives that will work in a moving box in the same way as the all-important paper include:
- Linens
- Towels
- Clothing
- Bubble wrap
If you’re using linens, blankets work the best. They’re a bit thicker than sheets. The same goes for those winter sweaters if your moving supplies consist of your own clothing. T-shirts will work well, too, especially with plates, but don’t use anything nice, just in case.
When should I pack my kitchen when moving?
Since it’s a big job, starting early to pack your kitchen up is pretty important, however, you don’t want to lose the functionality of your kitchen either. To avoid saving the entire room for the last minute, create an essentials box. These are the items you’ll pack up right before you move that allow you to use your kitchen even as you’re packing it up.
What kitchen supplies belong in your essentials box?
- One table setting for each member of the home
- A wooden spoon and a pair of tongs
- Oven mitts or dish towels
- A medium-sized frying pan and pot with a lid
- A strainer and mixing bowl
- A coffee maker or any single appliance you really can’t live without
These are the items you’ll clean and pack up the night before your big move in some standard boxes. Keeping them out until then lets you continue to go through all your perishable food as you pack other rooms.
How to pack almost anything in my kitchen
There’s a lot to get into those boxes before crossing the kitchen off of your packing list. To streamline the process and make it easier to get even your kitchen appliances boxed up, here’s what to do.
Dishes
To pack dishes, start by doing a little triaging. Recycle or throw out any broken or chipped dishes. Donate anything else you’ve really never used or is a duplicate dish.
Next, you should reinforce each box before packing it up. To do this, add an extra layer of tape across the seam inside the bottom of the box. Then, make sure to pad the bottom with some crumpled packing paper or bubble wrap so the dishes aren’t coming into direct contact with the box itself. Make sure you pack and store all your dish boxes on a flat surface, away from any edges.
To optimize box space in each separate box, create stacks of same-size dishes to pack together. Then, begin wrapping and bundling. This process has you wrap every single item in packing paper first until you get a stack of three or four dishes. Wrap the stack up, as well, seal with tape and set the bundle in the box vertically. Even though this is counterintuitive to how you lay them on shelves, packed flat, dishes have a higher chance of breaking during the move.
Remember to stack from heaviest to lightest with your dishes, using crumpled packing paper for padding in the gaps. You should also consider nesting items that naturally come in groups, like mixing bowls, once each individual piece gets wrapped.
Cups of all kinds
From glasses to those heavy coffee mugs to your stemware collection, cups are probably the most fragile thing on your kitchen packing list. Luckily, these items are some of the easiest to pack if you have the right box. Look for new or used boxes that have specialty dividers in them, most likely meant to hold bottles if they’re used. New boxes for packing dishes are known as cell boxes.
Packing glasses, like those you use for water, is pretty straightforward. After laying a few sheets of packing paper down on the bottom for insulation, place each, individually wrapped glass into the box in an upright position. This is the best position to keep them safe.
Packing mugs follow a pretty similar pattern as glasses, the only difference is the handle. It’s best when packing mugs to wrap the handle separately. Doing so reduces the risk of it breaking off at any point. Most mugs do fine in packing paper, but if there’s a special one you want to protect, use bubble wrap instead.
Packing stemware requires a more delicate touch. Those stems are fragile and it’s pretty easy for a base to snap off a wine glass. Use smaller boxes for these items to ensure it doesn’t get too heavy. Then, pad the box a lot, on all sides. Stemware should go into the box vertically, once wrapped, with extra paper stuffed in the gaps to ensure nothing really shifts around once the box is full. To properly wrap stemware, gently fill the globe with tissue paper before wrapping the entire glass in packing paper or bubble wrap.
To get a perfect wrap every time, no matter the cup:
- Set out a few sheets of packing paper
- Place the cup in the corner of the sheets and roll
- Fold the ends back toward the cup
- Apply a small piece of tape to the bundle
This keeps each cup contained and protected. For extra safety, make sure to place a layer of paper between each row of glassware so you’re not stacking one directly on top of another.
Silverware
When it comes to packing silverware, you can most likely fit everything into a small box. Start by making sure everything is clean and dry, then divide everything by item. You should end up with a pile of spoons, forks and knives. Next, arrange by size. Once done, stack each pile and wrap tightly with plastic wrap, a rubber band or packing paper.
If you keep your silverware in an organizing tray, the bundles can go back into it. When that’s full, stuff any empty spaces with packing paper and then, wrap the whole thing before it goes into a box.
Serving utensils should also be grouped and wrapped in the same way, although you may just have to put those bundles directly into the box. For larger cooking utensils, like wooden spoons and silicon spatulas, wrap them up in plastic wrap.
If you have any sterling silver, you’ll have to individually wrap each piece to protect it.
Make sure when you pack flatware of any kind that it’s securely situated within the box. Although they’re not fragile items, you don’t want them to get bent out of shape.
Knives
For kitchen knives that are actually sharp (not butter knives), you’ll need some special packing supplies. Ideally, you’ll have a protective sleeve for each knife to prevent anyone from cutting themselves. Bubble wrap does make an OK substitute.
Wrap each knife separately. Then, you can group them together and bag them up before putting them into a box. You can also add them to your silverware box if there’s room. If you do wrap any knives in paper, make sure to label them so you know what you’re grabbing out of the box.
Heavily pad the area in your box with knives with crumpled packing paper to prevent knives from shifting around.
Pots and pans
You might want some heavy-duty boxes when it comes time to pack the pots and pans. Even with just a few of them in a medium-sized box, they can still get heavy fast. To pack pots and pans, you can stack them from largest to smallest, but you’ll still need to separate each item with packing paper. You’ll also want to wrap each handle separately.
To get a good set of stacked items, set down the largest pot or pan first and put a few sheets of packing paper inside, add the next largest pot or pan and continue the process. Once done, wrap the entire bundle using at least three sheets of packing paper and seal with tape.
It’s also a good idea to line the inside of the medium box with packing paper for extra cushioning.
If you’ve got cast iron pans, make sure to distribute the weight, putting only one in each box at the very bottom. Cast iron pans also need more protection so use bubble wrap or dish towels to cover them up.
For non-stick pots and pans, wrap each individually in paper or bubble wrap and try to pack them facing down. This will prevent any scratches. Since stacking them is out of the question, save your non-sticks for the top of any kitchen box. It will actually protect them more this way.
Wrap any glass lids with bubble wrap or packing paper individually so they don’t bang against anything. You can even use a dish towel to wrap each lid. Pack these in a vertical position so they’re not as vulnerable to cracks.
Kitchen appliances
All the kitchen appliances you’ve added to your apartment, like your coffee maker or toaster oven, will also need to get packed up. While they’re not necessarily breakable, they’re fragile items, so moving them in their original boxes is the most ideal solution. If that’s not possible, you should put them each in a separate box since they’ll often take up most of the space anyway.
Packing appliances is always a lesson in packing oddly-shaped items so you may need some additional packing materials. One of the best is packing peanuts. They work wonders when filling in tiny empty spaces inside a box, don’t weigh a lot and provide protection for our appliances without having to wrap them up.
Some key packing tips for appliances include:
- Packing complementary accessories in the same box as the appliance
- Using packing tape to seal all doors shut on appliances (like a toaster oven)
- Stuffing packing materials like paper or newsprint into all gaps with a box to secure the appliance and prevent jiggling
A moving company can also pack these items and any large appliances up for you if you’re concerned about them making it to your new home safely.
Pantry items
Dealing with perishable food items should also be on your list when packing up the kitchen. For things already in containers, you can bag like items together and use canvas grocery bags to transport them. If you’re trying to preserve food from half-eaten bags of chips or open boxes of cereal, transfer them to food storage containers. Some perishable food items, like condiments or salad dressing bottles, can get sealed in plastic wrap and boxed or bagged for the move.
For food that you don’t want to make the trip with you, consider donating anything not opened to a local food bank. Ideal food items for donating include:
- Peanut butter
- Canned fruit and vegetables
- Canned soup or stew
- Canned fish
- Pasta
- Rice
Just make sure nothing you’re donating has already expired.
Packing tips for the rest of the stuff
Tackle everything else in your kitchen with your remaining packing supplies. Grab a few medium boxes, plastic bags, packing paper and packing tape and dig in. This portion of your kitchen pack should go quickly since by now you’ve packed all fragile items.
Most miscellaneous items can get wrapped in packing paper, so make sure you have plenty on hand. Use full sheets for most items, and tape closed heavier bundles, as well. If wrapping up small items like spice containers, you can put a few into a single sheet of paper, but make sure each is fully wrapped before you add in another one.
Getting that kitchen packed
Yes, packing your kitchen is serious business. There’s so much to keep track of among all the details that make up a successful move. And, even though there’s a lot to get packed up safely, with the right materials and some focused time, you can pack your kitchen items for moving as fast as any other room in your home.
Source: rent.com