MOVING IDEAS Tips To Help You Plan A Smooth Move

(NAPSI)-Some say it's a period of time that's worse than rush hour or tax time. What is it? It's moving season. Each year, 40 million Americans move, with half of all moves taking place between Memorial Day and Labor Day. Although the average American moves 12 times in a lifetime, it never gets easy. HGTV's Libby Langdon and David Gregg--she is a home design expert; he's a new-product specialist--say "moving stress" stems from a lack of planning and preparation. "Nobody likes to move; it's a complete upheaval of your life," said Gregg. Both agree that by incorporating the right technology with the right design elements, you can eliminate much of the stress. Here are their tips: Clear Out The Clutter Gregg suggests that moving is a great time for introducing new technologies to organize and de-stress your living environment. "The average person has five to six remotes sitting around on the coffee table," he said. "Moving is a perfect time to clear out the clutter and get rid of them all, except for one. Upgrading to a universal remote can help; they've gotten a lot simpler to both program and use." Hide The High Tech Also, Gregg recommends hiding all your tech equipment behind closed doors or in other, less-traveled rooms. By using a device called a radio frequency extender, you can keep your DVD player and other electronics hidden and still operate them from up to 100 feet away. Create A Familiar Feeling As a designer, Langdon believes the key to a seamless move is to focus on creating the feeling from your old house in your new home. She notes this can be done in a number of economical ways. "Think vertically when it comes to your drapes and hang them where the wall meets the ceiling instead of at the top of your window frame," said Langdon. "This draws your eyes upward, making the ceiling seem higher and your rooms feel bigger." Update With Paint Langdon also points out that when it comes to paint, people tend to be fearful of picking the wrong color. "Painting your walls is an inexpensive way to update the look of a room with your existing furniture," said Langdon. Creature Comforts First Above all, Gregg and Langdon say you can eliminate a great deal of moving-related angst by making sure creature comforts, such as your cable television, your Internet and your phone services, are transferred prior to your move. You can even schedule this transfer at no cost at www.cablemover.com, where you'll find additional tech and design tips to "smooth your move."

If the thought of moving has you feeing boxed in, experts say planning and using the right technology can help. Word Count: 452 Copy/Paste HTML Article