So the stress of tax season is over and you’ve got your return waiting for you in the bank. Wondering what to do with this additional chunk of funds? We have 10 suggestions for you… some a little more practical than others, while some are just plain fun!

(Photo Credit: Shop at Home)

1. Pay off debt. Before indulging in some fun, put the extra chunk of money toward the looming credit card balance. Who knows, maybe by next year you could be debt-free!

2. Upgrade the home. Do that fix-it project you’ve been putting off or waiting to have cash-on-hand for. It could be hiring landscaping help, upgrading the flooring, remodeling the bathroom, or installing energy efficient appliances. Just think of how much money you could save by reducing those utility bills!

3. Get a new car or fix up your current ride. Does the car need and air conditioning repair before the summer or are you just ready for a fresh set of wheels? Take that cash to the dealership and put down a downpayment.

4. Invest in your career. This could mean enrolling in some courses to advance your education, contracting resume assistance to help you land a new job, or investing in new wardrobe attire.

5. Take up a new hobby. Stretch the extra funds out all year by allocating them to a membership to a golf club or surf lessons.

6. Go for an adventure. Try something new and thrilling like going skydiving, scuba diving, or bungee jumping.

7. Get front row seats. What is your favorite sporting event? A Sacramento Kings game? A favorite football or baseball team? Get tickets to see it in person or maybe even get some front-row seats. Don’t forget the hotdogs! If you aren’t into sports, go to a Broadway show or a concert for a favorite band.

8. Take a vacation. You have worked hard all year so why not give yourself a little respite.  This could be as simple as a weekend getaway with a significant other or a group of friends or as elaborate as a cruise or a trip across the globe. While you’re at it, why not upgrade to a first class ticket?!

What is your favorite way to spend tax money? Share your feedback in the comments section or tweet to @SacramentoTMT using hashtag #taxrefund

TWO MEN AND A TRUCK® Sacramento employs a staff of over 40 Full-Time Movers and Drivers, with a fleet of 10 trucks. We have performed home and business moving services in and around the Greater Sacramento area for almost 10 years. Our award winning services include full service moving and packing services and we also sells boxes and packing supplies.

With comments or questions contact Carolyn Durkee, Marketing Manager at the Sacramento office of TWO MEN AND A TRUCK® at 916-852-7411 or contact us here.

Lay out your clothes on a bed or counter. Begin with the heaviest items like jackets and coats, and work your way down. Continue doing this until all the clothes you plan to bring are spread out in front of you.

Think about the number of days you will be gone and what you really need take with you to avoid any unnecessary inconveniences. Begin eliminating duplicate items and clothing that you’re not certain you plan to wear. For example, if you’re thinking of bringing V-neck sweaters in two colors just because you’d like to have options, this is unnecessary. Choose your favorite one and move on.

(Photo Credit: lifehacker.com)

Make a plan of what outfit(s) you plan to wear every day. Take into account any points during your trip where you will need to change from day or outdoor wear to nighttime wear. Eliminate many of the items you had originally laid out that are not in your current outfit guidelines.

Begin packing your suitcase. Tightly fold all of your jackets and place them in the bottom of your suitcase. Place any bulky jackets on the very bottom, such as ski or snow jackets.

Fold all your pants, again placing any bulky items at the bottom of the pile, which allows the items on top of them to weigh them down, “deflating” them. Place the pants on top of the jackets.

Follow this same pattern with your sweaters, long-sleeved shirts and T-shirts.

Fold any undershirts, tank tops or sleeveless tops as many times as you can. You can do this by folding the shoulders of these shirts together, then folding it horizontally and folding that once more horizontally. Place these items between the various stacks of clothing in your suitcase. They can usually fit on the very sides of your suitcase, acting as buffers between other folded items and the material of the suitcase.

Place your shoes on top of your folded clothes if a separate zippered compartment isn’t present. Put them on top of one another, alternating heel to toe. Remember to also go through your shoes when you’re reviewing your clothes to ensure that you don’t pack too many pairs.

Fold your underwear and stuff them wherever you can find room, as it shouldn’t matter whether they wrinkle. Some people prefer to put their underwear in their carry-on in case their luggage is lost.

Designate an additional small bag to hold all of your toiletries. Also remember to review your toiletries for items that you can do without. You may also want to buy travel or mini versions of your favorite toiletries.

Now that your bag is packed – its time to enjoy the vacation!

TWO MEN AND A TRUCK® Sacramento employs a staff of over 40 Full-Time Movers and Drivers, with a fleet of 10 trucks. We have performed home and business moving services in and around the Greater Sacramento area for almost 10 years. Our award winning services include full service moving and packing services and we also sells boxes and packing supplies.

With comments or questions contact Carolyn Durkee, Marketing Manager at the Sacramento office of TWO MEN AND A TRUCK® at 916-852-7411.

Easter is a favorite holiday for the children. Make the day extra fun by creating some wacky, fun Easter crafts. You can use household items in creative ways to make little bunny or lamb figurines, candy on a spoon, or some festive place cards for the Easter table.

(Photo Credit: Better Homes & Gardens)

Animal Figurines

Gather lightbulbs or Styrofoam craft balls, yellow paint, colorful markers, and half inch or one inch pom-poms. Leave the creation white to look like a lamb or paint the bulb yellow to look lick a little chicken. Set the lightbulb upside down and draw a face on the small side of the bulb. Glue colorful craft pom-poms to both the top to look like a fuzzy head of hair and two at the base to look like little animal feet.

Spoon Candy

Melt your favorite flavor of chocolate chips over a stove at low heat. Dip a colorful plastic spoon into the chocolate then set on a flat surface so that the chocolate hardens in the scoop of the spoon. Before allowing the chocolate to harden sprinkle colorful confetti sprinkles over the chocolate. Once the chocolate has dried cover the scoop with a tiny cellophane bag available at craft or party supply stores and finish it off with a festive ribbon tied in a bow. Hand out these spoons as favors or set chocolate-side-up in a small jar as a decoration.

Easter Table Name Cards

One of the easiest crafts that kids can help make for Easter is place cards for the table. Use colorful construction paper to cut out the shape of a little chicken, bunny, lamb or egg. Use markers or color crayons to fill in detail on these cut-outs. Next, cut rectangles about six inches by three inches and fold in half to make a “tent.” Paste the colored cut out on the front of the tent. Use a marker or crayon to write the name of a Easter meal attendee just below the cut-out shape. There should be one cut-out for each person eating at the table. The kids will love to be involved in putting on the Easter feast.

TWO MEN AND A TRUCK® Sacramento employs a staff of over 40 Full-Time Movers and Drivers, with a fleet of 10 trucks. We have performed home and business moving services in and around the Greater Sacramento area for almost 10 years. Our award winning services include full service moving and packing services and we also sells boxes and packing supplies.

With comments or questions contact Carolyn Durkee, Marketing Manager at the Sacramento office of TWO MEN AND A TRUCK® at 916-852-7411 or contact us here. 

So you’ve settled into your new home, unpacked the boxes and now you’re on to decorating. The project you’ve decided to tackle is installing curtains over your windows. You can easily purchase curtains from any home store in a variety of colors, styles, textures, and sizes. Or if you want to accomplish a custom look, head to the fabric store and sew your own panels. Whichever you choose to do, the first step is essential to the project: take accurate measurements.

First of all decide what style of curtain you are going for. A café style covering, a light crisp accent, or formal drapery? Do you want them to be floor length or just cover the window area? Next determine where the curtain rod will go. For a standard look you can place the rod two to three inches above the top of the window. If you want floor-length drapes, you may place the rod just a couple inches below the ceiling. Or you may even consider placing the curtain rod just within the window frame. This works well for small kitchen windows where you just need a simple layer of material to cut the sun’s sharp rays.

Once you’ve decided on the style of curtains you are looking for as well as curtain rod placement, you will need to measure your windows. Measure your window for width and height. If you are doing floor length curtains, measure height from the curtain rod to the floor. For curtains that simply extend past the windowsill, measure from the curtain rod to three inches below the window. Next, in order to allow for a full, gathered look, you will want your window panels to be 1 ½ to 3 times the width of the window width you measured.

(Photo Credit: BedBathStore.com)

Bring along your measurements and any color swatches you’re working with whenever you go shopping so that you can make a wise purchase. If you are also in the market for a curtain rod and hardware, just make sure to find a rod that measures the width of the window itself plus a couple inches on either side. Often curtain rods are sold with installation hardware as well as directions for installation.

Curtains can be fairly simple to install but they make a big difference when it comes to the coziness and completeness of your decorating scheme. Once you’ve taken the time to take measurements, do the shopping, and finally make the installation, you will be able to enjoy shade in the summer and warmth in the winter!

 TWO MEN AND A TRUCK® Sacramento employs a staff of over 40 Full-Time Movers and Drivers, with a fleet of 10 trucks. We have performed home and business moving services in and around the Greater Sacramento area for almost 10 years. Our award winning services include full service moving and packing services and we also sells boxes and packing supplies.

With comments or questions contact Carolyn Durkee, Marketing Manager at the Sacramento office of TWO MEN AND A TRUCK® at 916-852-7411.

If you are doing a move across the state or even across the country and have kids in tow… a little planning in advance for the car ride can go a long way. Here are some ideas to keep the little ones busy on the drive.

Individual activities. Bring books, toys, and music to keep kids engaged. You may consider getting small portable DVD players so that they can watch movies. Just don’t forget the headphones!

Family activities. Another way to keep things interesting is to engage everyone in an ongoing game. Here are a few examples of games that can involve the whole family.

• The alphabet game. Players must look at signs along the road to find words that contain each letter in the alphabet. Players must go in order from A to Z not skipping any letters. The first one to spot every letter in the alphabet in order wins! Keep in mind that license plates and other words on cars do not count. Only words found on signs on the side of the road, billboards or buildings count. Also no word can be used twice.
• The license plate game. Make a list of every state and give it to each player. When players spot a license plate from another state they get to cross that plate off their list. The first player to spot all of the (or the most) license plates wins!
• Slug bug! Every time a player spots a Volkswagen Beetle that player yells, “slug bug” and gets a point. Volkswagen vans get 5 points. You can also choose a wild card vehicle worth 10 points. The player with the most points at the end wins!

Bring along snacks. Minimize stops at the service station by packing snacks for the road. You can also pack lunch and save money on going out to eat. Try to choose food items that do not leave too may crumbs in the car or messy fingers. Bring along a favorite candy as reward for winning a family game or just for good behavior!

TWO MEN AND A TRUCK® Sacramento employs a staff of over 40 Full-Time Movers and Drivers, with a fleet of 10 trucks. We have performed home and business moving services in and around the Greater Sacramento area for almost 10 years. Our award winning services include full service moving and packing services and we also sells boxes and packing supplies.

With comments or questions contact Carolyn Durkee, Marketing Coordinator at the Sacramento office of TWO MEN AND A TRUCK® at 916-852-7411 or contact us here.

It’s the beginning of Spring and the flowers are blooming. Why not bring a little Spring color and cheer into the home and set hand-picked bouquets of flowers in personalized DIY vases and flower pots? You can take clear glass vases and add some personality to them or create your own vases out of common household materials.

(Photo Credit: Ruffed Media)

Woodsy Vase

Take a plain flowerpot or vase and gather a handful of relatively straight twigs and a sturdy craft glue. Stand the twigs upright around the flower pot or vase and glue each piece to the vase. To add a finishing touch, wrap a string of twine around the center of the vase and tie off in a bow. Your custom vase will look like it came straight from a forest cabin.

Poolside Party Vase

Create a fresh, exciting DIY vase by taking clear glass vases or even glass water glasses and wrapping twine around it several times. Use a bottle of spray paint in any color you like and spray evenly around the vase. Once the paint is dry, remove the twine to reveal an artful crisscross of clear glass cutting through the bright color.

Crinkled Can Vase

Take tin soda or energy drink can and gently crunch the can to create a wrinkled surface. Spray paint the can with a color of your choice and place a flower stem or two in the spout.

Message On A Bottle Vase

Take a wine glass, beer bottle, mason jar or any other glass vase and use a hot glue gun to write a word or phrase across the side of the vase. When the glue has dried, paint the entire vase and your message will stand out against the solid glass.

Shadow Box Vase

Hang your floral creations on the wall right along with the artwork by using shadow boxes as vases. Insert a picture mat with a precut opening into the shadow box. Next take a small bowl or saucer to set inside the box. Fill it with water and set the stems of the flowers in the bowl. The shadow box can be hung on the wall with the flowers peeking out through the center of the frame.

TWO MEN AND A TRUCK® Sacramento employs a staff of over 40 Full-Time Movers and Drivers, with a fleet of 10 trucks. We have performed home and business moving services in and around the Greater Sacramento area for almost 10 years. Our award winning services include full service moving and packing services and we also sells boxes and packing supplies.

With comments or questions contact Carolyn Durkee, Marketing Coordinator at the Sacramento office of TWO MEN AND A TRUCK® at 916-852-7411 or contact us here.

It can be easy to let things go around the house. Before you know it the kitchen counters are piled high with dirty dishes, the floor is covered in crumbs, there is clutter in every room. It seems like it will take you a full day of cleaning just to get everything back in order. It does not have to be that hard. In fact you can cut the clutter in just 5 minutes. I know what you’re thinking…how on earth?

First of all enlist help. Call together the whole family and announce that it’s time for a 5 minute clean up. No one is allowed to go back to their homework, TV or internet until they have helped clean the house for just 5 minutes. You could turn on some fun, upbeat music to make it feel little less like work and more like a fun game. It goes by quick but you’d be surprised what can be accomplished in this short bit of time.

Ask everyone to tidy and clean as much as they can in 5 minutes. It might help do quickly delegate tasks. For example ask little Susie to pick up all the toys and put them away, ask little Johnny to sweep the kitchen floor and vacuum, while you tackle those dishes. Or you can just ask everyone to clean anything in sight and let them decide what chore to do. Once the 5 minutes are up… clean up is over. Everyone goes back to their activities. Does the house look better already? Thought so!

Now what if you’re not sure where to start? There’s no way a full day’s worth of tidying and cleaning can be done in 5 minutes. So pick the most essential areas and tackle those. For example here are some tasks that only take a minute or two but can make all the difference for getting your house to feel at least semi-clean until you can find time for the bigger cleaning projects.

• Grab a few disinfectant wipes and hit the bathroom counter
• Gather toys and clutter into a laundry basket to get it off the floor
• Sweep the entry way, kitchen and bathroom
• Make your bed
• Start the dishwasher
• Start the washer
• Take out the trash
• Clean the kitchen counters

Try to build preventative habits so that you can maintain the cleanliness of your house rather than letting everything build up. For example find homes for items where it would make sense to put them. The easier it is to put something away, the more likely you will be to actually put it back in its place right after using it. Keep a bottle of shower spray in or near your shower so that you can prevent build up with a few quick squirts before or after your daily shower. Shake out entryway rugs to cut down on the sweeping and vacuuming. If you shake out that rug at least once a week, it does a better job capturing dirt before it enters your home.

As you notice areas in the home that get dirty often, try to think through ways that you can build preventative habits to keep that area clean longer. Also try to find ways to clean that area quickly. As you work on these habits, teach them to the kids. They will never know how to keep things clean unless they participate in house cleaning regularly. Just a little bit of cleaning and tidying from everyone in the family can go a long way.

Our Sacramento Moving Company employs a staff of over 40 Full-Time Movers and Drivers, with a fleet of 10 trucks. We have performed home and business moving services in and around the Greater Sacramento area for almost 10 years. Sacramento Movers also offers packing services and we also sells boxes and packing supplies.

For more information call Carolyn Durkee, Marketing Coordinator at the Sacramento office at 916-852-7411 or visit us on our website at www.twomensacramento.com.

The winter is winding down and sunny warm days are becoming more and more common. This is the season to do that spring cleaning or get out in the garden and work with the soil. And you can brighten up your time indoors by adding a touch of spring-time décor.

(Photo Credit: decor4all)

You can easily give the home a fresh look for spring by adding pastels or floral prints in strategic places. There is no need to redecorate the entire house. Just liven up neutral areas with a little added brightness. For example pick a few lively spring-time fabrics and sew cases for decorative pillows. Add throws, vases and curtains to go along with your spring-time color scheme.

If you want to take the decorating a step further and freshen up wall with an old coat of paint, pick a color that will blend with the items you already have, no matter what time of year. Neutral tones such as cream, tan, and brown go with just about any decorating scheme. You might also try using a lighter shade of a color that you predominately use to decorate. For example if you use navy blue as an accent color in one room, try using a light blue for walls or a complimentary color such as a pale yellow.

One of the simplest most affordable ways to transform your home for the spring is to add a few houseplants. Without adding paint or changing pillow cases, you home can still look fresh and springy with a little bit of live greenery. Find out what types of plants do best inside the home on our previous blog post about choosing houseplants.

Another temporary solution to bring springtime indoors id to place flesh flowers on dining tables, side tables, or shelves. Flowers, the ultimate symbol of spring, can add colors and aromas like no other spring-time decoration. While you may not want to keep replacing fresh flowers all season long, it can be a good way to add a cheery appearance to the home when entertaining company.

TWO MEN AND A TRUCK® Sacramento employs a staff of over 40 Full-Time Movers and Drivers, with a fleet of 10 trucks. We have performed home and business moving services in and around the Greater Sacramento area for almost 10 years. Our award winning services include full service moving and packing services and we also sells boxes and packing supplies.

With comments or questions contact Carolyn Durkee, Marketing Coordinator at the Sacramento office of TWO MEN AND A TRUCK® at 916-852-7411 or contact us here.

Not sure how to make Valentine’s Day sweet for your sweetheart? Try sweetening up one or all of his or her meals for the day. Prepare a nice breakfast with heart-shaped pancakes or toss a few of your loved one’s favorite candies in with their packed lunch. Get festive, romantic ideas for every meal of the day here.

(Photo Credit: Cake And Allie)

Breakfast. Start the day off on the right note by serving up heart-shaped eggs, pancakes, toast, bacon or even cinnamon rolls. To make a heart shaped egg or pancake dish, just use a heart-shaped mold available at kitchen supply stores or online. Set the mold onto a warm skillet then just pour the egg or pancake batter into the “heart.” Toast can easily be cut into a heart shape with kitchen scissors, a knife or a cookie cutter before popping the slice of bread into the toaster. Spread the toast with raspberry or strawberry jam. Cook some bacon in heart shapes by placing the bacon on a parchment lined baking sheet placed in the shape of a heart with the edges touching in the top middle right where the heart dips down. Bake at 400 degrees for 15-20 minutes. Want something a little extra special for breakfast? Try making cinnamon rolls but rather than rolling up the dough as usual, roll both ends of the dough toward the middle where you pinch the dough down into a point.

Lunch. Prepare a peanut butter and jelly sandwich for your Honey and use a knife or cookie cutter to cut into a heart shape. Include some fresh strawberries or cantaloupe and honeydew melon cut in heart shapes. Or just throw their favorite fruit or candy into their lunch sack with a sweet note from you. If it’s sunny and warm outside, perhaps consider packing a picnic and spending some time together outdoors. This way you can skip the restaurant rush for Valentine’s Day and still share a special meal together.

 (Photo Credit: Pinterest) 

Snack. Use a small heart-shaped cookie cutter to cut up a cucumber for a healthy fresh mid-day treat. Another option would be to include some chocolate covered pretzels for a salty/sweet treat. Another healthy and refreshing snack would be to thinly slice an apple with the core in the center. Cut a heart right over the seeds of the apple then sandwich two apple slices with peanut butter in between.

Dinner. For dinner, skip the restaurant crowd and prepare a personalized meal at home. Find out what your Sweetie’s favorite meal is and surprise them with a homemade feast. Light a few candles turn on the music and pull up a chair. Whether your dish of choice is simply spaghetti with Caesar salad and garlic bread or steak and lobster, simply taking the time to prepare their favorite dish will melt their heart.

(Photo Credit: Pinterest)

Dessert. Dessert is the most traditional Valentine’s Day treat. It could be conversation hearts, chocolate dipped strawberries, homemade cookies made in heart shapes, or it could be a decadent chocolate cake with a sweet message frosted on top.  It could be a homemade treat or something from the corner bakery, either way, the thoughtful action will be a sweet ending to a Happy Valentine’s Day!

TWO MEN AND A TRUCK® Sacramento employs a staff of over 40 Full-Time Movers and Drivers, with a fleet of 10 trucks. We have performed home and business moving services in and around the Greater Sacramento area for almost 10 years. Our award winning services include full service moving and packing services and we also sells boxes and packing supplies.

With comments or questions contact Carolyn Durkee, Marketing Coordinator at the Sacramento office of TWO MEN AND A TRUCK® at 916-852-7411 or contact us here.

Feeling the winter blues? Getting lazy and out of shape? Get back into the routine of jogging and don’t let the cold weather slow you down. Just think, once swim suit season rolls around you will be ahead of the game if you’ve kept conditioning your body throughout the winter months. Just be sure to observe a few safety tips for jogging in the winter.

(Photo Credit: Grown and Flown)

Gearing Up

Be sure to wear the right clothing. Avoid wearing cotton because once you begin to sweat, the cotton will hang wet and cold on your skin. Instead wear a thin layer of synthetic material such as polypropylene, to keep the sweat off of your skin. In most cases all you will need in addition to this is a windbreaker which is also waterproof to protect you from gusts of cold air and moisture. If the temperature is abnormally cold, you might throw in a warm fleece insulator between your base layer and outer windbreaker. Gloves and a beanie or headband are also great to keep your ears and fingertips from going numb. You may also make changes to the type of socks you wear on a winter run. Depending on how cold it gets and of course if there is room in your shoes, you might want to layer up the socks. Do so using a thin wicking liner with a thick wool outer sock. Keep in mind that once you get moving it will feel about 20 degrees warmer out, so it’s important not to overdress.

Taking Care of Your Body

Just because its cold doesn’t mean you won’t get sun burnt or dehydrated on your run. Be sure you drink plenty of water. When it’s cold it’s easy to forget to keep up on fluids. If you do not have layers warding off the winter sun’s rays, apply some sunscreen before getting going. Wear sunglasses especially if there is snow or water on the ground that may reflect the suns rays and cause a glare. On the flip-side if the temperature is particularly cold, you should also be wary of frostbite. Check continually that your fingers, ears, and nose have not formed hard, pale patches of cold skin that could turn to frostbite. Last, before and after every run, remember to do warm-up and cool-off stretches.

Road Safety

If jogging alongside a road, be sure to watch out for a few safety hazards. Winter cloud cover reduces visibility for divers making the sidewalk or crosswalks less safe for runners. Wear reflectors on your gear or headlight to get the attention of passing motorists. Watch out for black ice on the road, avoiding shiny, wet looking patches of the road. If there is snow on the ground, keep to areas where the snow is firm or already trodden upon.  Remember not to go out for a run if the temperature reaches zero degrees.

While it may be difficult to gear up and get moving when you’d rather sit inside and drink hot cocoa, just think of the satisfaction of having broken a sweat and got your heart rate up. And of course you can always curl up with some hot cocoa and a blanket after the run!

TWO MEN AND A TRUCK® Sacramento employs a staff of over 40 Full-Time Movers and Drivers, with a fleet of 10 trucks. We have performed home and business moving services in and around the Greater Sacramento area for almost 10 years. Our award winning services include full service moving and packing services and we also sells boxes and packing supplies.

With comments or questions contact Carolyn Durkee, Marketing Coordinator at the Sacramento office of TWO MEN AND A TRUCK® at 916-852-7411 or contact us here.