According to AAA’s Daily Fuel Gauge Report, the national average price for regular gas has gone up 40 cents from one month ago.  If you’re planning a move sometime within the next six months, and you believe that gas prices will continue to climb, then now is the time to lock in your move.

By booking your move now, America’s Moving Services will honor a fuel cost quote based on today’s gasoline prices, regardless of the price of gas at the actual time of your move.

For interstate moves, this could very well save hundreds of dollars – for purchasing the same high level of relocation service!  Additionally, if you’re move is to take place during Spring or Summer, you’ll be moving in the height of season, which means that the country’s best moving services will be busy, with a finite number of moves that can be booked – another reason to reserve your move earlier rather than later.

If this sounds like a pitch, it’s not (okay, maybe a little), but the bottom line is that at America’s Moving Services, we’re always looking out for our clients’ best interest and delivering the  biggest bang for the buck.  Whether it’s the purchase of moving supplies, packing services, vehicle transport or any of the other moving service offered, our clients always get a fair price coupled with unparalleled service.

So take control of securing a great price for your upcoming move.  Book now and lock in fuel prices before they go sky high.  You’ll also have the peace of mind that comes from knowing you’ve secured a move with one of the country’s most reputable moving companies!

Don’t despair, if you flick on your television, you’ll notice that you’re not alone.  It’s been a brutal winter so far for our friends in the Northeast − and apparently the Midwest states are currently getting a healthy dose of snowy winter mix as well.

But, the good guys of moving companies have good news for you!  No longer must you lie on the couch waiting for spring to arrive so that you can get moving. At times like these, you need a healthy outlet.

We’ve come across an efficient form of exercise that you can do in the home and it takes very little time.  It’s called The Tabata Protocol, named after Dr. Izumi Tabata, a Japanese researcher who developed a highly effective form of interval training for the Japanese Olympic speed-skating team.

Best of all, it takes only four minutes to get a first class workout, with cardio benefits that will last you the whole day.  Don’t believe it?  Check out this video!

So, don’t let the weather or a busy schedule get you down.  Now that you know about the Tabata Protocol, you’ll never be without the time or space to get a great workout.  Hope that this helps!

If you live near a 7-Eleven, you probably realize that your “real estate convenience value” is greatly impacted as a result of being in such close proximity to a place that’s stocked to the gills with goodies, available to you 24 hours each day.  In an unrelated coincidence, we’ve chosen to share our top seven predictions for 2011.  We realize that the odds of us being accurate with our predictions are remote, so we’ve decided to base them on things we’d like to see happen, as opposed to things we’d actually wager on.

1. Carolina Panthers will win eight games in 2011 – For this to happen, we’re going to have to include the two pre-season games they manage to take from their sleepwalking opponents.  Nonetheless, this means six regular season wins, thereby tripling their 2010 win total.  Pipe dream you say?  Never underestimate a hungry team of Panthers (especially those who are no longer led by a Fox).

2.  Cellular phone companies reduce prices – Why not?  The cell phone companies have had systems in place for years and they’ve cornered the market.  If the companies are not colluding with each other (wink, wink), stringent competition in the marketplace would seem to indicate a strong likeliness for declining service pricing.  A girl can dream, right!

3.  Social media gets a new name – It has to happen, just to keep our attention.  Not long ago, you couldn’t go ten minutes without hearing the term Web 2.0, which morphed into “social media.”  Our vote is to call it “OSN” – Over-Sharing Networks.

4.  Betty White is cloned – This just makes sense.  As anyone over the age of forty will tell you, getting old is rough.  To be Betty’s age and possess comic timing beyond the comprehension of an Adam Sandler or Ben Stiller is astounding.  We missed our chance by not cloning George Burns, but maybe the technology was not in place, now it is!

5.  The Gender Translator – To help bridge the communication gap between men and women, Apple will develop the i-Talk-Correctly, a device that translates language from one gender to the next.  You tell your girlfriend that her new hair color “looks nice,” and the device translates it to, “I love that color for you, it’s gorgeous!  Add some blond highlights and you’ll be Jennifer Anniston’s twin.”

6.  Spinach Bacon – Sure to put the obesity epidemic on the run.  New food product, tastes like bacon, but it’s 100% spinach.  We’ll get all the benefits of spinach – Iron, lutein, antioxidants, Vitamins A, C, E and low sodium somehow provided with all the flavor of bacon.  Good news for health aficionados and hogs everywhere.

7.   Snooki’s 15 minutes comes to an end – Okay, so maybe now we’re being overly optimistic, but we remember what life was like before Snooki and we’re pretty sure that we’ll be okay after Snooki.  Fingers crossed!

Take note – we made it through a whole blog post without mentioning “America’s best moving company” even once.

Happy New Year!

Far be it for us to overstep our boundaries, but in addition to being America’s best moving company, we also like to think of ourselves as “holiday experts” −  especially around the holiday season.  What makes us holiday experts?  Good question.  Pour yourself some eggnog, peruse these thoughtful tips and see for yourself if we aren’t the Dr. Phil of moving company pontificators.

1.  Try Something New – Never gave a handmade gift before?  Get to the craft store.  You’ll be surprised how many cool ideas come to mind when you immerse yourself in a world of art supplies, balsa wood and really strong glue.  Any gift you create is special because the time and care you invest is embodied in the finished product.  Check out Michaels for some great ideas!

2.  Don’t Stress – Family get-togethers, office parties and gift-giving are meant to be happy occasions.  If you find yourself frustrated that the perfect gift evades you or because you’re not sure what to wear to a party, you’re trying too hard.  Take a step back and remind yourself that it’s a time to celebrate…and celebrate you will!  Focus on those parts of the holiday that are can’t miss, like decorating cookies or watching “It’s a Wonderful Life” for the twenty-fifth time.

3.  Fight Materialism – Abstain from purchasing things just for the sake of checking a gift off of your list.  Consider event-focused gifts, such as dinner at the new restaurant in town, seeing a show at a local playhouse or even an IOU for a spring rafting trip.

4.  Make a Child Smile – Whether it’s members of your family, neighbors’ children or friends’ children, nothing says “Holliday success” like putting a smile on the face of a child.  Collect many smiles this year and see if you can break your smile giving record from past holiday seasons.

5.  Support Local Business – Yes, the giant chain stores have a huge variety and a competitive pricing structure that makes them an easy choice for holiday shopping.  But, as you know, the smaller local shops really appreciate your business, the business owners are a part of your local community and frequently the level of service provided is superior to the big box shops.

6.  Give Green – Rather than wrapping paper, give a gift in a reusable bag, such as the type used for grocery store shopping.  Consider the environment when shopping and purchase gifts that are produced with sustainability in mind, from companies that conduct business using practices that consider and respect the natural environment.

7.  Express Yourself – Give gifts consciously and lovingly.  Throw a party and let your creative juices flow…in the choices of food you prepare…the drinks your serve…the arrangement of furniture and the people you invite.  It’s all creative and meaningful.  To your family, friends and coworkers who provide laughter, joy and richness to your life, let them know how much they mean to you and how much you care about them.  This is the time of year to express such gratitude.

From us at America’s Moving Services, we thank you for visiting with us, for reading this and for allowing us to be successful at the job we love to do…servicing you.  Happy Holidays!

At America’s Moving Services, gratitude is a theme that we work hard to maintain all year long, but nothing makes us stop, reflect and be grateful like Thanksgiving.  We could probably name fifty things that we’re thankful for, so you should be thankful that we’ve narrowed it down to our top ten!

1. Our staff – It’s not easy staying on top of so many details, each of which is tremendously important to the success of every client’s relocation, but our staff is phenomenal…and our management team is truly grateful for their efforts.

2. Carolina Panthers – We’re thankful that this team can really not get much worse and that this season will come to an end less than six weeks from now.  And, we’re sure that the Falcons, Saints and Buccaneers are thankful to play in the same division.

3. Cooler Weather – If you’ve ever moved furniture midday during July or August, you know what we’re talking about.

4. Holiday Season – All year long, we work hard.  Holiday season usually comes with a healthy dose of vacation, presents, family time and home cooking!

5. Success – Thanks to you – our clients, friends, partners, affiliates and family members – our business continues to grow year after year, in spite of trying economic times.

6. Educated Clients – With the emergence of the Internet and social networking platforms, there’s no reason to move with a company that you know little about.  For a moving company that works hard to do business the right way, information sharing is our best form of advertising.

7. Recovering Economy – The burst housing bubble, government bailouts and other economic woes are becoming a part of history with each passing day.  Certainly, 2011 is poised to be the BIG recovery year that Americans deserve, as we all continue to work hard and work together.

8. Our New Office – Earlier this fall, America’s Moving Services moved our home office into spacious new surroundings.  Like our clients, moving allowed us to purge old belongings that had outlived their usefulness and purchase new furniture and equipment.  Moving our phone service allowed us to begin a better plan and save a significant amount of money each month.

9. Health – Let’s face it, without our health, nothing else matters very much.  We are thankful for the good health that our families, coworkers and friends are able to enjoy this holiday season.

10. Mother Earth – America’s Moving Services is currently creating groundbreaking plans to become a leader in “green” moving practices.  2011 will be the year that we launch new computer software that will significantly reduce the amount of paper required for each phase of the relocation process – from initial client contact through sign off of final contracts.  Recycled materials and a pre-cycled approach to our operations will reduce waste, while also providing cost savings for our clients and our company.  It’s a win-win-win!

In this tough economy, it only makes sense to try and save money, cutting corners where we can.  When it comes to moving, some people view the hiring of a full-service moving company as a luxury that doesn’t fit with their newfound love of austerity.  Fair enough.  However, self-moving solutions are often accompanied by a host of unforeseen costs.

When weighing the pros and cons of self-moving solutions, the cost most frequently overlooked and undervalued is the cost related to the time required by all participants.  Do you know what your time is worth?  If you earn an hourly wage, you could point to that value and say, “I earn $20 an hour at work, so my time must be worth $20 per hour.”

Fair enough.  But, are you able to properly forecast the number of extra hours that will be required to complete a self-move?  If you choose to tally this number, be sure to include time needed to pick up and drop off a rented truck, if a truck is required.  You’ll need to account for the fact that it will take significantly more time for you and your crew to pack up a rented truck, pod or crate than a professional moving team, because this is not your area of expertise.  For that matter, should the expenses related to your self-move include the likeliness that you’ll damage property?  How about the potentiality of sustaining injury?  The fact is that even professional movers damage property and injure themselves from time to time, but far less frequently than inexperienced movers.  This just makes sense!

Of course, other expenses often overlooked by self-movers, is that of additional packing and moving supplies needed to get the job done.  Moving blankets, tape, dollies and other supplies add up fast – and naturally, more supplies are required when packing and moving is done by amateurs (no disrespect).  Of course, there are simple “hidden” costs, such as fuel consumption for a rented truck − and the cost of fuel needed to pick up and drop off a truck.  At the end of the day, if a self-move is a money-saving solution, just how much does it save?

Let’s flip the coin.  If you’re an accountant, ask yourself how long it would take for a professional mover to complete his or her own taxes, and what would be the likeliness of mistakes on a tax form?  Would it be worth their time to do it themselves versus hiring an accountant?  Whatever your profession, how effective would it be for a professional mover to do your job versus paying you to do so?

The bottom line is that do-it-yourself moving solutions may make sense if you are out of a job, or not yet in the workforce − and if you can enlist others in that same position to volunteer their assistance.  For everyone else, hiring a professional moving company is not only a well-deserved and necessary relocation “luxury,” it’s simply a smart buy!

Three men show up with a truck, take all of your possessions, bring them to a new place and tell you that this is where must now live.  Strange house…strange neighborhood…unfamiliar surroundings.  LOOK OUT!

Wow, that was a close one.  Okay, the truth of the matter is that moving should not be a scary adventure.  Don’t hire strangers − get to know a moving company before choosing one.  Check out their rating with the Better Business Bureau, see if they are a member of AMSA (American Moving and Storage Association) and be sure that you understand how they charge for their service.  As we tell our clients, choose a moving company that makes you feel unafraid.

When you hire a moving company that has a solid reputation and services you with compassion and care, there’s nothing tricky about your relocation…it’s a treat.  Beware of moving companies that pay attention during the sales process, but are unavailable in the weeks and days leading up to your move.  That’s spooky!  The unique circumstances surrounding your relocation are ever-changing and it’s only natural to want to connect multiple times with the movers you hire to ensure that the conditions of your relocation are optimal for you.

Experienced and compassionate moving companies take an interest in understanding what scares you about your upcoming move.  When you contact America’s Moving Services, not only will your account representative be attentive to your needs, a team of representatives will be familiar with your scheduled relocation.  Clients can contact America’s Moving Services at any time during office hours and speak with a representative that’s knowledgeable about the unique circumstances associated with their relocation.  BOO!  You see, now there’s nothing to be scared about.

The treat our clients enjoy the most, value.  America’s Moving Services is always looking out for our client’s bottom line.  Whether it’s sourcing packing materials at a reasonable price, packing services or anything that facilitates an efficient and comfortable relocation experience, we’re always looking for ways to help our clients save money.  That’s our best trick!

Okay, this social media thing has gone too far.  It’s what we Americans do, we take everything too far – reality television, competitive eating, Family Guy and now a moving company engaging in social media.  Why?

Because we like you!  Truly.  We choose to publish content on this blog, Twitter and Facebook, because we want to keep you updated about what’s happening behind the scenes; like the fact that we’re moving into our new offices this weekend.   We also relish the fact that, in many instances, social media provides us with opportunities to stay in touch and get to know our clients better.  How can we be the best moving company in America if we don’t take an interest in you, our clients, friends and business associates?

So, next time you book a move with America’s Moving Services, think about the fact that you’re hiring a moving company that is fully engaged.  If you own or work for a company that’s marketing via Twitter and/or Facebook, please let us know.  We’ll follow the action on Twitter and give a shout-out on our Facebook Page.

In our family, we recycle this old Catskills’ joke – whenever someone asks, “Are you comfortable?”  the reply is always, “I make a living.”

In our business, we’re always looking for new ways to make our clients comfortable.  Comfortable that they’ve chosen the right moving company, that their belongings are safe and that their relocation will be performed skillfully, in synch with their obligatory work, school and social calendar commitments.

To be perfectly honest, providing comfort for every single one of the hundreds of people we relocate every month is a challenge.  It’s a challenge that we embrace enthusiastically every day, because if we can’t please every client, every time, then we’re uncomfortable.

How do we comfort our clients?  We deliver what’s needed most − empathy, honesty, fairness and attention to detail.  For us, being empathetic, honest and fair is easy.  Every single one of our employees has personally packed up and moved themselves or their family at least once, so being empathetic to myriad of details and emotions that accompany moving is a no-brainer.

Honesty and fairness are the cornerstones of our business.  Every day, we tell people that there are larger moving companies and cheaper moving companies than ours, some of them reputable, some of them not.  Our moves are priced by weight, because it’s fair to our clients, our employees and our company.  Honesty and fairness are qualities that we deliver and also require of our clients in return.

Attention to detail, that’s where America’s Moving Services works hardest to service our clients and provide much needed comfort.  We begin with focused listening – to decipher the specific parameters affecting the relocation and which services are needed most.  After capturing all necessary data, we carefully explain our procedures, which not only meet with industry regulations; they provide structure and guidance to ensure a successful and comfortable relocation.

Our experience has taught us that even for a move is booked months in advance, by maintaining consistent contact and accessibility, we can alleviate concerns and reinforce trust that our client’s scheduled move is top of mind here at our central office.

Despite many years and the countless relocations, we still continue to find new ways to make our clients comfortable.  If you’ve got suggestions, we’d love to hear them!  At America’s Moving Services, it’s evident that being comfortable is about much more than “earning a living.”

As we prepare to move, we chide ourselves that we must now swallow all of the information we feed our customers, to settle their nerves about moving.  “Prepare early, be as organized as possible and have some confidence in the fact that you’ve chosen a moving company with integrity and experience…no need to worry.”  But there’s plenty to be concerned about.  We need our phone system wired and computers networked at our new location on our moving day, at latest – unencumbered communication with our customers is imperative!  Like our clients, we have a massive numbers of details to contend with, and like we tell our clients…we will breathe deeply and remain calm (“inhale, exhale…it’s all going to be okay”).

The truth is, like we also say frequently, moving is a great thing, a new start to create a workspace superior to the one we’re leaving.    In our case, we are moving into a state of the art warehouse where we can store our clients’ belongings, offer enhanced local services throughout all of South Carolina (specifically the midlands) and roll out a host of new programs for clients nationwide.  The large warehouse space will allow us to inventory more of our own moving supplies, allowing us to purchase larger quantities…and pass along bulk purchase savings to our clients!  Everyone wins.

As we’ve grown over the past several years, we have dreamed of the day that we could upgrade the office space for our hard working employees, who often put in long hours.  Building out brand new work stations and break rooms, and ordering new furnishings is a great feeling − one that we hear echoed by our clients every day.  Perhaps the most rewarding part of this relocation is that it signifies a milestone, proving that our commitment to a high level of service and integrity has led to a new stage of growth for our company.

As we take pride in our success, we also realize that the past three years have been a difficult time, economically speaking, for most Americans and we are saddened by that reality.  However, if our company can thrive, then there are many other American companies that will thrive as well.  To our loyal customers, we thank you!  We’ll be sharing pictures of our new offices shortly after our October 1^st move – stay tuned.