Photo: Paul Keller

The following is a guest post. If interested in submitting a guest post, please read my guest posting policy and then contact me.

Next month marks the 4 year anniversary of fulfilling a childhood dream of mine, moving to Colorado from my native New Jersey. When I moved, I was no stranger to the costs and rigors of moving, but the long distance move was a whole new experience. If moving can be expensive, it pales in comparison to long distance moving. Luckily, there are a variety of options, and a frugal person can make their way across country (or countries) without breaking the bank.

Not all of these options will work for everyone. If you don’t have a driver’s license or have a medical condition which limits your ability to drive for extended periods, renting equipment and transporting it yourself won’t work. If the place you are leaving or are arriving has limited space, a large truck may not be able to reach it. Consider your circumstances to determine the best option for your long distance move.

Renting a Trailer

Does your vehicle have a trailer hitch? If so, you may be able to rent a trailer. This option will work best if you aren’t transporting furniture, as cars and small SUV’s will only accept up to a Class II hitch with a maximum of 3500 pounds. The largest cargo trailer available from U-Haul weighs nearly 2000 pounds by itself! Since it only has a volume of just over 300 cubic feet, filling it with furniture is going

If you are considering this route, there are some things you need to consider.

• Most rental places will not rent a trailer to be pulled by a convertible or soft-top. There may be minimum weight requirements as well.
• Determine the towing capacity of your vehicle. This will be in the owner’s manual and can be found online. Exceeding this weight can damage your transmission.
• When hauling a trailer, drive slower. 55 MPH (<90 KPH) is the maximum recommended speed. Give more time and distance for stopping. All that extra weight is going to resist slowing down.
• Backing up a trailer is tricky! If you’ve never done it before, don’t try it for your long distance move.

Renting a Truck

All of the major truck rental franchises offer long distance moves. While local rentals charge by the mile, one-way rentals will have a certain number of miles allotted. This allotment will have plenty extra for pit stops and short side trips. In one quote, 15% extra mileage was allowed over the actual trip distance. If you have a vehicle to transport as well, you can rent a car dolly to pull with the truck.

LTL Haulers

The option I used in my move was LTL. LTL stands for “less than load” and refers to a partial load in a tractor-trailer. When shipping via LTL, you pay per linear foot of trailer space used. If you use 5 feet of trailer space, you pay for 5 feet of trailer space. Since a semi trailer is larger inside than a moving truck, less linear space is needed. A 17 foot moving truck is equivalent to 12 linear feet of a semi. The remainder of the trailer space is used for commercial loads. Your stuff will take longer to reach the destination as it will make multiple stops to load and unload other LTL loads along the way.

While the LTL option will seem more expensive than renting a truck for a long distance move, the costs are pretty competitive when tolls and the cost of fuel for a rental truck (expect roughly 8 mpg for highway driving) are considered. What can be another way to save when using an LTL moving company is to load and unload at their terminal. I rented a truck to deliver my stuff to their terminal and rented another to pick it up from the destination terminal. The total cost of 2 local moving truck rentals and the long distance move was almost $300 less than what driving a rental truck across country would have cost. The terminal-to-terminal option is also going to be necessary if one or both ends of your trip have limited space or no parking available for a 28 foot trailer. You can also mix-and-match between door-to-door service and terminal-to-terminal, by loading at the terminal and having it delivered to your destination, or loading at your departure point and unloading at their local terminal on the other end.

Storage Containers

PODS created the concept of the storage container, but now most moving companies also offer this company. Most storage containers are a little bit smaller than the inside of a small moving truck, but sizes as large as a medium-size moving truck exist. Like an LTL mover, a storage container (or multiple ones) is delivered by truck at your home for you to load. When you are done, you call for pickup and it is delivered to your destination. Unlike an LTL mover, you can set the date for delivery (although time for transportation is needed). The added bonus of a storage container is that they are ground level so there are no ramps to be climbing.

The downside of storage containers is they tend to be pricier than the other options. While still cheaper than a full-service moving company, there is a premium for the convenience. PODS insists they are cheaper than renting a moving truck, but my own analysis has failed to reach that same conclusion. Including the cost of gas and tolls for a rental truck, storage containers tend to cost $100-$300 more for a cross country move. Of course, you then need to transport yourself as well!

Sell & Start Over

This one is a bit different. If you don’t have an emotional attachment to your furniture, you may find it cheaper to start over. Simply sell your old furniture before you move and buy new (or better- used) when you reach your new home. Furniture will be the heaviest and bulkiest part of your possessions, so not moving it will mean less time loading and unloading and less space required. And less space means a smaller truck/container can be used, saving more money.

By understanding your personal strengths and weaknesses, you can determine the best option for a long distance move and save hundreds of dollars over a full service mover.

Have you ever had a long distance move? Did you pick a self-moving option like one of these or did you do something else?

Author Bio: Edward Antrobus is a construction worker, blogger, tinkerer and a househusband. He writes about frugality and occasionally rants about what he thinks the personal finance community gets wrong. You can connect with Edward on Google+, Twitter at @edwardra3, Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/edwardantrobusblog or on his blog EdwardAntrobus.com.

Photo: Sonia Belviso

The following is a guest post. If interested in submitting a guest post, please read my guest posting policy and then contact me.

How Can I Qualify for a Reverse Mortgage Loan?

The Federal Housing Administration (FHA) uses the following to determine if there is enough equity in the home:

• Current interest rate
• Whether the rate will be variable or fixed
• Age of the youngest homeowner
• FHA lending limits
• Appraised value of the home

How Much Can I Receive?

The amount that can be borrowed will depend on three things: age, current interest rate, and the appraised value of the home. Use the Reverse Mortgage Calculator to estimate what you may be eligible to receive.

Are There Limits To How I Can Use the Funds From a Reverse Mortgage Loan?

No. As long as any existing mortgages on the property are paid off upon closing of the loan and all required property taxes and insurance are maintained, borrowers may use the loan proceeds however they wish.

How Will I Receive My Reverse Mortgage Funds?

You will receive the proceeds from a reverse mortgage loan in any of the following ways:

• Lump sum – a lump sum of cash at closing.
• Tenure – equal monthly payments as long as the homeowner lives in the home.
• Term – equal monthly payments for a fixed number of years.
• Line of Credit – draw any amount at any time until the line of credit is exhausted.
• A combination of the options above.

When Does the Loan Become Due?

Your loan will become due when under any of the following circumstances:

• The borrowers have passed away
• The property is in disrepair and is unable to make or has refused to make repairs
• The borrowers have sold the home
• The property is no longer the principal residence of at least one borrower
• The borrower does not live in the property as their primary residence
• The borrower fails to pay required property taxes and/or insurance

Photo: Search Engine People Blog

Check out my new guide for starting a blog to learn how to go about properly creating your own blog.

Previously I mentioned that I was open to other bloggers contributing to my weekly blogging tips series. At the time this offer didn’t generate much interest. I guess as this is mostly a personal finance blog fellow bloggers were more comfortable writing about finance topics. Still, I’d love to hear people’s stance on particular blogging strategies. I know my approach is far from the only approach one can use to succeed.

This week’s blogging tip is a guest post from my friend Steve who blogs at Money Infant. I recommend you check out his blog. He has a very interesting story of how he works online full time overseas. Sounds like a pretty sweet lifestyle to me.

If you’re new to this series, check out some of the previous blogging tips posts:

How You Can Blog Your Way to Wealth

There has been so much said over the past few years about getting rich as a blogger that the title of this post has almost become a cliché. Even so, while the blog-o-verse has become more crowded (Pingdom reports 87.8 million Tumblr blogs and 59.4 million WordPress sites in 2012), and competition is fierce, you can still blog your way to independence if not wealth.

One good example of this is Modest Money, and another is my own blogs Thailand Musings and Money Infant, which have allowed me to pick up and move halfway around the world to Thailand, where I’ve been living with my family for the past two years. I certainly haven’t blogged my way to riches yet by any means, but in conjunction with some good freelance writing gigs I have been able to replace my prior income from an employer with an income from my own efforts.

So, in the face of increasing competition in most blogging niches how does one go about creating money from blogging? While many beginning bloggers may think success in blogging is tied to writing ability, the fact is that even a marginal writer can create a large following and income from blogging. The only real writing ability needed is the ability to present your ideas in a clear and coherent fashion. It also helps if you are able to get into the minds of your readers and give them what they want (note that this may be different from what they need).

Even more important than writing ability for bloggers though is the ability to market, especially in the early days of your blog. The build it and they will come days are long gone on the internet and without a solid marketing plan no one will ever discover your blog, let alone become a regular reader.
Marketing takes several different forms, and there are a wide number of ways to market your blog. Some are more effective than others, but typically the most effective are those methods that you feel most comfortable with or are good at doing. What are some of these blog marketing techniques?

• Commenting on related blogs. This is one of the quickest ways to generate traffic and get some followers for your own blog. Simply seek out related blogs and leave thoughtful and useful comments on those blog posts. The author of the blog is almost certain to check out your blog as will some of their readers…who may in turn become your readers as well. Plus it sets the stage for the next marketing technique.
• Guest posting. After commenting on the same blog several times you may have developed a conversation or rapport with the blog owner. Even if you haven’t, they will at least recognize your name and blog. This is the perfect time to approach them and see if they are willing to accept guest posts from you. Guest posting has become a bit overused in some cases, but if you’ve taken the time to develop at least a minimal relationship with a blog owner they will be much more inclined to accept a guest post from you. They get good free content and you get added exposure for your site.
• Sidebar links. These used to be effective as marketing tools, but these days I think they have diminished returns. Certainly never turn down a sidebar link, but these days it is of little use to actively seek them out. Some bloggers will add your blog to their blog roll anyway if they like your writing style. And you could always make a blog roll request after becoming a regular contributor to a blog.
• Paid advertising. Most of us have no budget for paid advertising when starting out, so this is somewhat of an advanced technique. Unless you are in a high paying niche or have a product of your own to sell, this is not something you want to consider until you become somewhat established anyway. Plus, you should be adept at using your analytical data to track visitors and determine your ROI from paid advertising.
• Social media. Facebook, Twitter, Google+ and other social media sites are great for getting your content shared, however they present something of a double edged sword. When you are just getting started you will have very few followers on your social media accounts, which means they provide very little impact. In fact, you may need to focus part of your marketing efforts on marketing your social media accounts before you see significant results from social media marketing. A bit of a Catch-22, but I never said this was going to be quick or easy.

In addition to the active marketing techniques there are a host of other things you can be doing to gain more exposure for your blog including targeting a specific type of reader, creating controversy around certain aspects of your niche, optimizing your blog for search engines, being honest and transparent, and optimizing your blog for your readers.

Whew! Seems like a lot of work huh? Well, it is and it will also require a lot of learning on your part. Technical learning about your blogging platform, marketing learning to get your blog brand in front of as many people as possible, writing learning to improve your posts and the impact they provide, and search engine optimization learning for more long term organic traffic.

Don’t let the amount of work discourage you from blogging though. When you consider that many people take four years to complete a college education only to graduate and start a career at dismal wages (if they can even find employment), blogging begins to look more attractive. While I can’t guarantee success, I would be willing to bet that a person who puts four years of consistent effort into developing and marketing a blog will be making considerably more after that time versus a new college graduate. It may not be wealth from blogging, but that level of effort can most certainly provide a living wage, and it’s fun besides!

Author Bio: This has been part of the blogging tips series and was contributed by Steve Walters from Money Infant.com. Steve has been blogging since 2006 and has been able to use his blogging success to create an independent lifestyle, moving with his family to live in Thailand for the past 2 years. You can connect with him on Google+, Twitter, and Facebook.

Photo: Chris Potter

The following is a guest post. If interested in submitting a guest post, please read my guest posting policy and then contact me.

One of the best ways to consolidate debt can be through re-mortgaging, but it does have its drawbacks and may not always be the most lucrative route for you to take.

The main danger is the psychological one. For the first seven years of this century, many people seemed to view their homes as ATM machines – re-mortgaging too heavily whenever they felt like treating themselves to something expensive like a new car or an exotic holiday, kidding themselves this had somehow been “paid for” by the increase in house value.

This kind of erroneous thinking helped fuel the credit bubble that has caused so many problems in the world’s economies over recent years.

Nevertheless, re-mortgaging can be a wise course of action to alleviate your debt burden if you approach the whole thing in the right way.

Re-mortgaging means organising a new mortgage whilst repaying your existing mortgage – or extending the amount borrowed on your existing mortgage and this may be a good idea with interest rates at record lows. If your debt level is fairly small and you have good amount equity in your home, then re-mortgaging means you can comfortably pay off all your debts and replace them with additional mortgage payments. But only do this is if the monthly saving is worth it.

Your monthly outgoing should then be lowered and your debt more straightforward to service as it’s all been consolidated into one place (and it’s asset-backed).

But remember there may be mortgage redemption charges on your current mortgage – so make sure you understand these – and your new mortgage credit provider will probably require a surveyor’s report and valuation on your property, which could be an additional cost.

But perhaps most importantly of all; try not to fall into the trap of thinking this is somehow new money that you can spend. Instead – try to live within your means which includes comfortably covering the mortgage loan cost and making provision for a rainy day and your retirement needs.

I don’t share much infographics on my blog, but it’s pretty interesting to see how people are spending their money even if it’s not for the country I live in. I’d like to see an infographic like this for Canads or the US. I found one of the more interesting parts was how much they spend on transportation. Looks like most people are spending more on transportation than housing. You sure wouldn’t find many people with that kind of budget here in Canada, at least not in big cities. If transportation really is that expensive, I can see why people might be more likely to resort to short term loans. They might be able to find ways to save money on housing, but with transportation costs you might be somewhat limited in options.

What do you think of these stats? How does it compare to your own budgeting?