Month: December 2022

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Moving Tips

Quick Survival Tips for Moving Over the Holidays

Survival Tips for Moving Over the Holidays

The last thing you want to do during the holidays is move house, but sometimes it’s inevitable. What should be the most wonderful time of the year quickly becomes the most stressful time of year. While it’s not ideal, there are tips for moving you can follow to make your move easier over the holiday season.

Give Yourself Plenty of Time to Prepare

If there’s one thing you don’t want to do, it’s wait until the last minute to move. That’s true whether you’re moving during the holidays or not. However, the stress ramps up even more when you’re dealing with the holiday season. Not only do you have to worry about all the intricacies of moving, but you also have to deal with holiday events and planning.

Normally, you would want to give yourself at least a month to organize your move, but you might want to bump that up to six weeks or more. That way, you’ll have plenty of time to declutter, pack, and find professional NJ movers.

Include a Change of Address on All Your Cards

Whether you’re sending out digital or physical holiday cards, you can use the cards to serve a dual purpose by also announcing your address change. Of course, that all depends on whether you know your new address or not! If you don’t have one yet, it’s still a good idea to mention that you’ll be in a new place over the holiday season. That way, your friends and family members can wait to send out their own holiday greeting cards.

Speaking of holiday cards, make sure to let friends and family know to save the gifts until after you have moved! That way, you’ll have less stuff to move. If you do end up getting presents before then, keep everything in its original packaging until you’re in your new home.

Plan an Amazing Outdoor Gathering Before the Move

There’s no reason to skip the holidays entirely. You’ll need some time to relax and celebrate with friends and family. With that said, you might need to scale back a bit or, at the very least, reconsider the venue. It might not be possible to have your entire family over to your home since you’ll probably be in the middle of packing. Try to get someone else in your family to host for this year and then host the next one at your new place.

Even if you don’t have a big family gathering, you should still set expectations for your partner and/or children. Let them know that you’re going to pack most of the holiday decorations and that they can pick one or two ornaments to keep out to put on the tree. Even with minimal decor, you can still make your house festive with a few simple items like a wreath, some lights, and a small tree. When packing your holiday decorations, make sure to pack them separately from the rest of your belongings and label them accordingly.

Take Advantage of Holiday Sales to Buy Moving Essentials

While there are a lot of benefits to moving during the holidays, one of the few advantages you can get are the amazing after holiday sales. You can save quite a bit of money by scouring online and in-person at stores for some amazing deals. Sure, it might not be as fun as scoring a $50 flatscreen TV, but it’s better than spending full price on boxes and packing tape! Not all stores will have discounts on these items so do research ahead of time. Or, if you don’t want to deal with the lines and throngs of people, go online. You’ll have several opportunities to save money. If nothing else, there will be a lot of shipping boxes you can pick up from friends and family for free!

Ask for a Holiday Discount

Not too many move during the holiday season for a variety of reasons so most moving companies will be more open to giving some discounts. With that said, most won’t give you one automatically. In order to get this discount, make sure to book your moving company early on and also ask for a discount. You’ll probably be able to shave off a couple hundred dollars from the total. Plus, since there aren’t as many people moving during this time, you’ll have more freedom when it comes to choosing your move date.

Consider the Weather

Unfortunately, you can’t control the weather on moving day. If you’re relocating to or from colder parts of the US you should be prepared for cold temperatures as well as icy roads, snow, and more. The holiday season can usher in some very dangerous weather conditions, which can make it challenging to move. While reliable movers should have experience working in a variety of weather conditions, you should take steps to protect your belongings. That means:

  • Placing electronics in weather-sealed bags and/or weather-proof plastic bins
  • Using sturdy moving boxes
  • Wrapping furniture in plastic wrap
  • Placing your mattress inside a mattress protector

Don’t forget that you need to prepare yourself for inclement weather. Make sure to wear warm clothes during the move as well as a pair of waterproof boots and gloves. While you’re at it, winterize your car by changing to snow tires, changing your oil and antifreeze, fixing your heater, and replacing your battery if necessary. It might cost you some money upfront, but you’ll be glad you spent it once the colder weather comes.

And don’t forget to turn on the utilities in your new home! You don’t want to be freezing when you move so make sure to call to get these turned on the day of your move. On the same note, turn off your utilities at your old place so you’re not wasting any extra money.

Transfer Your Kids to a New School

If you have kids, then moving with kids during the holiday season means you’re uprooting them in the middle of the school year. Before you move, make sure all of the important documents and school records are transferred to the new school before they start. That means transcripts, report cards, immunization records, any academic testing, and other files and records. Try to get this done before the holidays as the administration department will likely be on holiday for the last week of December. Call the new school to make sure they have received everything and if anything else is required.

While moving in the middle of the school year isn’t ideal, there are some benefits. In many cases, the teacher might give your child more attention to make sure they’re caught up or understand the current material. If your child was struggling at their previous school, this is a great opportunity to get them up to speed. As well, it’s a fresh start for children who might not have liked the kids at their old school to make new friends.

Don’t Stress During Your Holiday Move

Which one is more stressful: moving or spending time with family during the holidays? While we can’t do anything about your family, we can make your move a lot easier! Once you’re ready to move into your new place, give us a call and we can walk you through the process. After that, sit back and enjoy the holidays in your new home!

Categories
Moving Tips

Simple Ways to Declutter Household Items Before Your Next NJ Move

Simple Tips on How to Declutter Before Your Next NJ Move

If you’re planning a NJ move in the future, one of the best ways to reduce stress and save money is by paring down your belongings. After all, the less stuff you have, the less it will cost to move. Plus, if you have a lot of items that are still in good condition, you can sell it at a garage or estate sale and use that extra money to offset other moving expenses.

However, as anyone who has tried to declutter will know, it’s not an easy process. Unless you’re a dedicated minimalist, chances are you probably haven’t really considered the importance of every item you own. It’s all too easy to accumulate stuff the longer you live in one place. In fact, many people are surprised by how much they own when they do end up moving. Trying to organize and go through everything can feel overwhelming, but there are a few things you can do to make the process easier.

Start Early to Ensure You Have Enough Time

It might be obvious advice, but it’s important to have enough time so you can make thoughtful decisions when decluttering. You don’t want to accidentally throw out a family memento because you were too strapped for time nor do you want to keep everything you own! When you start depends on the size of your home. If you’re living in a one-bedroom apartment you might only need to start two months before your move. On the other hand, if you live in a large four bedroom house, you might want to start six to 12 months beforehand.

Besides giving you time to sort through your belongings, decluttering your home early makes your house easier to sell as it makes it easier for your agent to stage. Plus, you’ll have more time to do research on the items you own and their resale value. So instead of selling everything in a large garage sale, you can sell in-demand items on eBay or other platforms.

Prepare a Simple Checklist for Moving Day

People hold onto clutter for a variety of reasons and there are a few categories most items will fall into when it comes time to declutter:

  • Old items you no longer use – these include clothes that don’t fit, books you won’t read, boxes of cords and cables you’re holding onto just in case, and so on.
  • Things you have too many of – it’s easy to accumulate small items over the years like towels, dishes, water bottles, silverware, etc. and add them to your collection instead of replacing your old stuff
  • Stuff that is past its prime – if you haven’t fixed an item up yet, it’s a good time to get rid of it. So toss those holey socks, broken electronics, expired spices, etc.

Even if you start early, it doesn’t mean anything if you’re decluttering haphazardly. You should draw up a plan to help you break down this process into multiple steps. One of the best ways to separate the job is to do a single room or area once a day. Start with rooms that you use the least such as the attic, basement, garage, or guest bedroom. Chances are you’ll have a lot of stuff stored here that you probably forgot about!

Use Up Consumables Before Moving Day

An easy way to reduce your clutter is to use up anything consumable before moving. Start this process as soon as you have decided you’re going to move as it might take you some time to go through everything in your pantry and storage. While you’re there, check the expiration dates on things like canned food, spices, condiments, etc. and throw out any that are expired.

Consumables aren’t just limited to food items. Other things that fall into this category include:

  • Personal care items – shampoo, soap, lotion, mouth wash
  • Household products – cleaning supplies, paper products, laundry detergent
  • Reading materials – newspapers, magazines, books

Make it a goal to bring as few consumable items to your new house as possible. It will take some planning, but you’ll thank yourself when it’s time to unpack!

Follow the One-Touch Rule for Efficient Packing

If you haven’t heard of this rule, it’s simple – if you pick something up, you have to deal with it. You cannot put it back down to sort out later. So be careful what you pick up while decluttering if you’re not ready to decide whether you want to keep an item or not!

It’s easy to get sidetracked when decluttering. Maybe you hesitate on an item and put it to the side, but then you completely forget about it. While having one or two extra items might not be a big deal, it’s all too easy for this number to balloon up to a dozen or more small things. Don’t go easy on yourself! Make sure to stick to the one-touch rule no matter how big or small the item is. You might need to take some time to mull over the decision, but you’ll ultimately progress faster with decluttering by following this method.

Don’t Buy New Stuff Before Move

This should come as a no-brainer, but you don’t want to increase the amount of things you own before the move. Anything new you bring will be one more thing you’ll need to pack. Your goal is to use up as much stuff as you can! If you’re a few months out from your move and you notice you’re running out of some items, get a smaller size than you normally would. For example, buy individual rolls of toilet paper or paper towels instead of the large packs. Yes, individual items are more expensive, but do you really want to move an opened pack of paper towels?

The same goes for larger items. There’s no reason to buy that chair or table right before you move. Not only are you increasing the potential cost of your move, you might not even like the way that item looks in your new home. Before making any kind of purchase, consider if you really need that particular item right now or if it can wait until you move. Chances are, it can probably wait.

Encourage Everyone to Get Involved

There’s no reason you should do all the decluttering yourself if you have a family. Plus, it will go a lot faster if you get some help from family when declutter and everyone will hopefully be a lot happier. When getting others involved, make sure to set up some ground rules. Maybe that means that teaching them the one-touch rule or perhaps setting an expectation to fill at least one trash bag per room.

If you have very young children, you can still get them involved and have them declutter their own things. It will take time and patience. If you’re short on both, then it will be up to you to do it. Should you choose to get them involved don’t make things too complicated. Ask them if they still play with particular toys and/or if they’re ready to let go of a few. Some children might be very possessive of their things, so it might be better to ask them to point out their most favorite toys, clothes, etc.

With your partner, you should make sure that they declutter their spaces and set up the same rules. Some people are natural packrates. If you think your partner is one, you might need to check in on them to make sure they’re actually getting rid of items. Encourage them to be honest with their assessment so they can figure out what they truly use, need, and/or love.

Go Through Everything

Decluttering isn’t a short process. It’s time consuming, can save you money, and requires a lot of emotional and physical bandwidth. However, in order to get the most out of this process you should go through every single item you own from your furniture down to a pack of screws. Don’t forget to go through all your cabinets, drawers, and so on and reassess every gadget, tools, decor, clothes, etc. Some items will be easier to decide on versus other, more sentimental ones. However, be brutal when culling! Think about how easy it will be to pack and unpack once you get to your new home.

Once you’ve pruned your belongings, sell or donate whatever is in good shape. You can host a garage sale to get rid of the majority of your items. For whatever is left, give it away to friends, family, neighbors, etc. for free. You can donate whatever is left. For items that are past their prime, throw them out. Make sure to ask your sanitation department what to do for bulky items and electronics as there’s often a separate system.

Get Decluttering!

When moving into a new home, the last thing you want to do is bring a lot of old, dusty, and/or broken stuff with you that you’ll only have to get rid of later. Decluttering can save you money and time. In fact, it might even give you some extra pocket money when it comes to refurnishing your new home. Once you’re ready, give professional NJ movers a call to reduce your stress.