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Moving Tips

How to Get Financially Ready for Your NJ Move

How to Get Financially Ready for Your NJ Move

You probably already know that moving isn’t cheap, even in New Jersey. Simply finding a new apartment requires you to take time off work and travel to different locations. On top of that, once you do find your new place, you’ll have to put down the first month’s rent, security, and potentially a broker’s fee all of which can cost you thousands of dollars. This doesn’t even cover the cost of hiring professional NJ movers!

The process of moving requires a lot of steps from packing to moving over your utilities and health information over to your new location. It’s easy to get overwhelmed and forget a few things. If you’re overseeing the moving budget, it’s all too easy to get caught up in the big cost of hiring New Jersey movers or, if you’re doing it yourself, getting a moving truck. However, there are a lot of small details that might fall through the cracks and could end up costing you hundreds or even thousands of dollars! Below are some of the most common costs of moving to consider.

Create a Full Plan for Moving Costs

In order to financially prepare for your local move, you’ll first need to take into account all the costs associated with the move. This includes things that might seem obvious, but many people often forget to include such as:

  • Moving Supplies – If you purchase all of your moving supplies, you might be in for a surprise as the total can add up quickly. Think about it, you have to get boxes, packing tape, packing peanuts, bubble wrap, and more for all of your belongings. Luckily, you can mitigate these costs by getting free boxes from friends, family, stores, and even browsing your local Facebook groups.
  • Cost of travel – Whether you’re traveling by plane, train, or automobile you’ll need to factor in how much it will cost to get from your current home to your new one. A train might seem reasonable, especially if that’s how you normally commute. However, during a move you’ll probably carry a few important documents and fragile items with you, so you may end up having to take a taxi or renting a car.
  • Storage – If you can’t move into your new place immediately or if you just overestimated the size of your new apartment, you’ll need to look into potential storage options. NJ Great Movers offers secure and affordable storage, but you can also opt for other companies! The smaller storage lockers you need, the cheaper it will be.
  • Moving Insurance – Yes, professional movers offer basic insurance, but this only covers $0.60/pound for any damaged or lost items. If you own a lot of expensive electronics, artwork, or fine china, you’ll want to splurge for full insurance from third party vendors so you can get the full cost back to you if something happens.
  • Rebuying furniture and/or groceries – Chances are you probably threw out some old pieces of furniture and whatever groceries you weren’t able to eat or pack. In addition to the standard moving costs, you’ll also have to factor in how much you’ll need to spend to replace the old food and furniture that you tossed.
  • Utilities – You may end up paying double for utilities because you didn’t shut off your utilities services in time. Make sure to check your billing cycle and cancel what you don’t need beforehand. While it might not be doable with your electricity bills, you can definitely turn off your cable and internet before you move to your new place. Speaking of utilities, some companies might also require a deposit when you first move into your new apartment in order to turn on your service.
  • Pet boarding – if you have pets, it might be a good idea to find a place to board your pets so that they’re not dealing with all the stress of moving day. Depending on where you live, this can run you up to $40-60 a day!

Create a Better Budget Before Your Move

Many people ask whether they should hire professional movers or rent a truck and do everything themselves. The answer to that question depends on your budget. In general, the DIY route will be cheaper, but it will also take more time and you could damage your belongings or yourself during the move. While hiring professionals does cost more, it also means you are not at risk of injuring yourself and your fragile items are less likely to break.

In general, professional movers range in price depending on how much you will move. In general, the average cost of an in-state move is about $2,300 while the average cost of an interstate move is about $4,300. The farther you travel, the more expensive the move as professional movers charge hourly for their travel costs. And don’t forget the tip for the movers!

With that baseline number in mind, look up the cost of packing supplies, furniture, and anything else you will need during your move. Depending on the size of your move and whether you need storage or not, you could be looking at a budget of almost $10,000. When coming up with the final budget, it helps to spreadsheet and write out each line item. This way you can see where you might be able to slash costs. One easy way to save money when using professional movers is to pack and disassemble everything yourself. Since most movers charge an hourly rate, the less they have to do, the cheaper it will be for you!

Make the Best Plan to Save, Save, and Save Money

Sometimes you might need to move out of your apartment immediately so you can’t really make any plans. In cases like these, you might need to take out a personal loan or ask friends and family to help out with the costs whether by pitching in some money or enlisting them to help with the manual labor of packing and moving. However, if you do have some time to consider your move, you should do your best to save. Again, moving isn’t cheap so you’ll need to set aside some money to make sure you can cover all the necessary costs.

Moving out of an apartment isn’t quite the same as moving out of a house. In general, renters don’t start looking for an apartment until a month before their lease runs out. After all, most brokers want to rent empty apartments as soon as possible and won’t hold an apartment for you, unless you plan on paying two rents.

With that said, if you already know you won’t renew your lease a couple of months before it expires, you should start setting aside some money. Maybe that means being super frugal for three or four months and cancelling whatever memberships you don’t need. Or it could mean selling off some items that no longer use on eBay or Craigslist.you  You can also start collecting boxes from friends, family members, or local stores to cut down on your moving supply line-item. If you have extra time and a talent such as writing, art, etc. see if you can make a few extra bucks on the side. You can also save money after moving by buying used instead of new. There are plenty of people trying to get rid of old furniture and even clothes. Just make sure that they’re in good shape before you buy and give everything you purchase a good wash and sterilization before you bring it in your home. Essentially, you need to do whatever you can to make sure you have all the money you need before you move so you don’t have to put everything on a credit card.

Taking Out a Personal Loan Is Better Than Using a Credit Card

If you end up short of your budget a month before your moving day, consider taking out a personal loan instead of charging your credit card. Credit cards have obscenely high interest rates with some as high as 36%. Personal loans offer much lower rates depending on your credit history with some as low as 3%.

Of course, you’ll need to do your research. You should try to avoid peer lending companies as you will end up with variable rates depending who chooses to give you the money. Other lending companies might not be available in your state or might have to charge additional fees due to your location. Still, it’s worth it to look up every option available as you will save a significant amount of money over time with this option.

If you can’t get a personal loan, consider opening up a new line of credit. Many credit cards offer an introductory 0% APR for the first year. This is a great option if you know you are able to pay off the balance in one year. Depending on your credit card score your credit card limit could be between $2,000-$10,000.

Hire Professional NJ Movers

Moving might not be cheap, but it doesn’t have to break the bank either. So long as you spend some time planning and saving up money for your move, you should be able to find a way to finance your NJ move.

One of the best ways to save yourself time and money is to hire a NJ moving company like us to help you! We provide excellent service at affordable rates and can save you a lot of time and reduce the stress of moving. Make sure to contact us today!

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General Moving Tips

How to Make a Senior Citizen’s Move Comfortable

How to Help Senior Citizens Move

Relocating a senior family member can be difficult whether they are moving to your home, downsizing to a senior apartment, or transitioning to an assisted living facility. Many senior citizens may have lived in the same home for decades, so the thought of downsizing can be daunting. They’ll be leaving behind many treasured memories and belongings!

While every move is emotional, it’s important to keep this in mind especially when moving  senior citizens. That’s why it’s so important to hire trusted and reliable NJ movers (like us!) as they will treat every item with care. While professional movers can help you and your loved ones get their belongings from one place to another, it’s up to you to make the rest of the move as easy as possible. Below is a guide on how to move senior citizens.

Involve Senior Citizens When Making a Moving Plan

Every person should have a say in where they move, and senior citizens are no exception. In fact, it’s even more important for them as they have lived decades independently. While it might be more time-consuming, make sure to get them involved from start to finish. This might mean presenting several options for them, especially when it comes to senior apartments or assisted living centers. Give them time to ask questions and voice their concerns before making any final decisions. If you plan on having them move in with you, make sure your whole family agrees to the proposal.

In addition to finding the perfect place, you should also plan moving transportation based on their needs. Many older adults cannot withstand long road trips without assistance or stops. Others might require full-service medical transport. To make the move as comfortable as possible for everyone involved, do the following:

  • If you are going to drive them yourself, make sure to add extra time to your trip. A drive that should take six hours could be extended due to multiple stops. Make sure to ask your loved one often if they need to stop and stretch their legs or use the restroom.
  • Many senior citizens often have mobility issues. If your loved one has these issues, make sure to rent a van with enough space for their mobility equipment and get a ramp so that they can easily go in and out of the vehicle. If they are flying, book non-stop flights and contact the airline in advance for boarding assistance.
  • If your aging relative needs extra help, you can hire senior-focused transportation companies that offer non-emergency medical transit for people in wheelchairs and/or require oxygen tanks. Some companies even provide transport with beds and registered nurses.

How to Help Senior Citizens Move

Help Them How to Organize And Declutter

If your aging relative has lived in one place for decades, chances are they have accumulated a lot of stuff. Unfortunately, wherever they move they will have to downsize as their living area will decrease significantly. For many, this is an emotional process as many items will have sentimental value. It’s important to be patient and allow them to mourn. You might also need to help them go through their belongings and figure out what they no longer use and how to get rid of the items. Maybe that means selling them or donating them to goodwill. If it’s a keepsake you can suggest giving it to family members since that way they might be able to see it when they visit. Start small. Instead of jumping into the living room or bedroom, start with a room with low sentimental value like a bathroom or guest room suite. This will help ease them into the moving process and give them a sense of accomplishment.

As emotionally charged as downsizing can be for senior citizens, it can also be very rewarding. It gives them the opportunity to pass on their possessions and remove physical and emotional baggage. It’s an exciting new step on their next journey in life! Depending on how much they have, this step can take months so make sure you allot enough time. Otherwise, you’ll end up rushing and potentially throwing away some truly cherished items.

If your elderly relative cannot part with certain items that won’t fit in their new living situation, you can store it. Many NJ moving companies offer affordable and secure storage options. You should research storage companies near you and find the one that best suits your needs.

The Best Way to Prepare for Moving Day

The best way to prevent a stressful moving experience is to prepare, that goes for senior citizens and non-senior citizens alike. If you are helping your relative move, you should ask them and yourself the following questions:

  • Are there professional movers nearby that specialize in moving senior citizens?
  • Will you need help packing and unpacking boxes?
  • Can you drive your relative to their new home or will you need transportation?
  • Do you have a bag full of essentials packed away so that your relative does not have to dig through boxes the day of the move?
  • Is your relative feeling overwhelmed?

It can be easy to forget steps when packing as there’s a lot to do! To make sure the move goes as smoothly as possible, you should create a checklist of everything you need to do before, during, and after the move. Chat with your relative and/or their aide to make sure you don’t miss anything important such as packing their medicine in their essentials bag.

During the packing phase, you should encourage your relative or maybe another family member to keep an inventory of all the belongings. This provides peace of mind for the senior citizen and also allows you to double check that everything gets delivered. When packing, make sure that you organize the belongings into boxes labeled by room. This way when you unpack, you know exactly where the items should go.

Hire the Best Professional NJ Movers

If you can’t be with your loved one during the move, find expert help. If you live in New Jersey, there are several New Jersey movers who can help in relocating, downsizing, and organizing senior citizens. While it might cost you more money, it can save you a lot of time and can even make it less emotional for your relatives as a third party can make the tough decisions, which can reduce tension and fighting among family. Just make sure to hire a reputable company as there are plenty of scammers who are more than willing to fleece you out of money. It’s important to do your research, ask questions, and make sure the company you hire has the appropriate licenses and insurance.

Once you’ve found a good moving company, determine whether you need full-service or or the standard moving service. The latter means that you will have to pack and organize everything yourself so really ask yourself if you have enough time to dedicate to this task.

Welcome Senior Citizens to Their New Home

Come moving day, it’s time to finally welcome your loved one to their new home. Don’t be worried if they seem nervous or anxious as it takes everyone a few days to get used to their surroundings. If they are moving in with you or living in a senior apartment, establish a daily routine in their new space and make sure they know where everything is. Feel free to introduce them to your neighbors and maybe hit up a couple community centers as many have activities for seniors. You can also take them around to places that they will need to visit such as the grocery store, pharmacy, doctor’s office, etc.

For those moving into an assisted care living center, the aides will handle all of the legwork. With that said, you should set up a consistent schedule for when you visit. This way they have something to look forward to every week or month.

Conclusion

In order to have a successful move, it’s important to involve your loved one in every aspect of the move. As with everyone, senior citizens want to have a measure of control over their life, especially when it comes to their living situation. By bringing them into the fold, you are showing them that you respect their opinions and concerns.

Of course, it’s also important to hire a good moving company that can handle the added requirements of moving senior citizens. Whether you live in New Jersey or anywhere else in the tri-state region, we can help guide you through the process and make it easy and stress-free. As a premiere New Jersey moving company, we offer full-service moving including packing, moving, and unpacking and we do so with care and attention.