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How To

How to Plan a Successful Small Move in New Jersey

How to Make a Small NJ Move

While most people might hire professional NJ movers to handle a full house relocation, that doesn’t mean you can’t hire them if you only have a few boxes and some furniture. Sure, you could rent a truck and go the DIY route, but that means you have to deal with everything that comes with it, including lifting and carrying heavy items and driving a large truck through New Jersey traffic. It might save you money, but you could end up hurting yourself or even getting in an accident because you’re not used to driving a large vehicle.

Luckily, plenty of NJ moving companies do provide small move services. So before you decide to rent a van or truck, consider hiring a reliable NJ moving company to do the work for you. Whether you’re making a local or long-distance move, working with an experienced moving company will definitely make things a lot easier for you.

What Qualifies A Small Move

Generally speaking, a small move means you’re relocating fewer household items than what you might typically associate with a full house move. Typically, it means you’re moving less than 2,000 pounds or the contents of a studio or one-bedroom apartment. Of course, a small move can also mean that you’re moving a few pieces of furniture or appliances. Either way, you will probably only need one trip in a moving truck to relocate all of your things.

A small move isn’t just for local relocation. It can still be labeled one even for a long-distance move or cross-country move since the term is based on the amount that you’re moving, not necessarily the distance. Regardless of how small your move is, you should still perform due diligence on the NJ movers you hire to make sure they are properly licensed and insured. Make sure you also get a quote beforehand to ensure the price is within your budget.

When Would You Make a Small Move

Outside of moving from a small apartment, there may be other reasons you would need to make a small move. This includes:

  • Moving temporarily due to business or personal requirements
  • Moving from or to a dorm room
  • Relocating large items like furniture or appliances
  • Transferring items from a storage unit to your new home
  • Leaving a shared house situation

If you don’t feel like packing, you can always ask the moving company you hire if they provide that service. It will cost extra money so be prepared to increase your budget if that’s something you need help with.

Planning Your Small Move

Just because you’re not moving a lot of stuff doesn’t mean you can skimp on the preparation. Sure, you might not be dealing with as many items, but you’ll still need to complete all of the tasks like packing, researching NJ moving companies, transferring your utilities, and so on. Like regular moves, you should try to start the process at least a month before your move-out date so you’re not scrambling a few days before. Nothing is more stressful than having to do a last-minute move, even if it’s small.

When planning your move, take into consideration the distance as well. Local moves require less planning and fewer resources than longer ones. You’ll also want to pack your boxes a bit differently to make sure they will survive long transit times. 

To make your small NJ move easier, make sure to follow the steps below:

  1. Declutter – before packing, sort through everything you own and determine if you want to bring it with you to your new home. The less you have the faster and cheaper your move will be
  2. Pack – pack room by room and category to make unpacking easier. Use good-quality boxes and other materials to ensure the boxes don’t collapse while being loaded and unloaded
  3. Hire professionals – hiring a moving company will make everything a lot easier as you won’t have to deal with the logistics of driving, parking, figuring out traffic, loading and unloading the truck, and so on.
  4. Transfer all necessary information, which includes things like utilities, credit card billing, pet information, child’s transcripts, etc.

Cost of a Small Move

How much a move costs depends on a few factors, but the important ones are distance and how much you are moving. You are typically charged an hourly rate for local moves, and many companies will have at least a two-hour minimum. Naturally, the more stuff you need to move, the longer it will take to load and unload the truck. Still, if you have a couple of extra boxes, it won’t affect your final bill.

On the other hand, if you are making a long-distance move, you will be charged based on the volume and weight of what you are moving. So when you get the actual estimate, it means that the price is exactly what you should be paying at the end. There tends to be a bit of wiggle room when it comes to weight differences, so you can always have a little more or less than without changing the cost. It’s only if you add several boxes or a piece of furniture that the price will change.

Besides that, additional services will increase the cost of your move. That means if you want packing, unpacking, storage, or anything else, you will incur an extra fee on top of the standard move price. It’s a great option if it’s something you can afford and/or need, as you can go through the moving company for everything.

Hire Professional NJ Movers for Your Small Move

Moving doesn’t have to be stressful. Reach out to NJ Great Movers for all your small moving needs. Our team of dedicated movers provides excellent service at affordable rates. No job is too small for us! When you work with us, you can be sure your belongings will reach their destination with no issues.

FAQ

Do I need to pack everything in boxes for a small move?

Any loose items should be placed in boxes. However, you can get creative and avoid using boxes for everything. For example, leave your clothes in a dresser and use plastic wrap to prevent the drawers from opening during a move. You can do the same for anything with drawers, like cabinets, desks, and entertainment centers.

Is a small move a special service I need to request?

No, a small move is not a special service; it is just a descriptor for the type of move and will largely inform the movers on how many people need to help and the size of the truck they need to bring.

 

 

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General

The Best Packing Strategies for a Stress-Free NJ Move

The Best Packing Strategies for a Stress-Free NJ Move

It doesn’t matter if you’re moving from an apartment to a house or vice versa, there’s one step that you cannot skip and that’s packing. For most people, packing is the task that they dread the most because it’s time consuming. Doubly so if you want everything to arrive in one piece to your new home. Luckily, you can make the process easier on yourself by following the packing strategies below. Now only will you save time, you’ll also save yourself some money in the process.

Set Your Old Belongings Aside

Moving is the perfect time to take stock of everything you own and keep the items you truly want even if you’re moving from an apartment to a larger home. Unless you’ve lived an incredibly minimalist lifestyle, you probably own a lot of stuff that you don’t need or use that often. The less you have during a move, the cheaper it will be since less boxes = less time it takes the NJ movers to load and unload their truck. This is especially important for long-distance moves as these get calculated by volume, weight, and distance.

While it will be hard to part with your stuff, it’s important to set aside a few days to sort through your belongings. When choosing what items to say goodbye to, ask yourself how often you’ve used it in the past year or two. For expensive items like furniture, you should take into account its condition, whether it will fit in your new home, and if it will match whatever aesthetic you want for your new place. Buying a new couch isn’t cheap, but lugging one to your new home and realizing there isn’t a place for it is even more expensive.

Once you’ve separated out all of the items you don’t plan on taking with you, host a garage/yard sale. It’s a great way to make some extra money to pad your moving budget. Of course, you won’t sell everything, so try and donate whatever you can. Items that aren’t in good condition you should recycle if possible. If not, then throw it out.

Have All the Supplies You Need

There’s nothing worse than starting the packing process only to realize halfway through that you don’t have everything you need. You might think that boxes and some tape are enough, but for a smoother move you should consider investing in the following:

  • Bubble wrap, packing paper, packing peanuts to secure fragile items
  • Plastic bags to group smaller items together like toys, pens, etc.
  • Sharpies to label your boxes
  • Stretch wrap to secure your dressers drawers or keep items together
  • Mattress bag to keep your mattress from collecting dust and debris
  • Packing tape to close up your boxes. Don’t skimp, get more than you think you need!
  • Boxes to pack your items. While you can always try and find free boxes, it might be worth it to purchase boxes specifically designed for moving as they are more durable. You should also get a variety of sizes to account for the different items you are moving.

Buying all these supplies can put quite a dent in your wallet, so ask around to see if you have friends or family that might have some of these items.

A Fully Organized Inventory List

Before you start packing, you’ll want to know exactly what you plan on bringing with you. A well organized inventory can help you manage what’s in each box, where each one needs to go in the new house, and keep track of valuable items. If you’re hiring professional movers, they will always request an inventory of items to make sure they don’t forget anything during the move.

Creating an inventory might sound difficult, but it’s a relatively straightforward process. It does require you to keep track of everything you plan on moving right down to the last nail. For best results, you’ll want to do this while you pack. A good moving inventory lists the following:

  • Box number to keep track of boxes
  • Contents of each box
  • Room where each box came from
  • Whether items are fragile
  • Whether items in the box are valuable
  • Color code/label used for each box
  • Picture of fragile/valuable items in specified boxes and market value
  • Take pictures of your electronic setup so you know how to set everything back up in your new home

Pack Everything in the Best Way

It might sound funny, but there are proper ways to pack a box. In fact, you can train yourself on the best way to pack a box to make the most use of the space while still keeping your items safe. Plus, a well packed box also makes unpacking a lot easier as everything will be properly organized. If you’re not sure where to get started, below are some useful packing tips:

  • Use the right box size – heavier items should go in smaller boxes and lighter items should go into larger boxes. You should also put fragile items in smaller boxes as you want to reduce the amount of pressure you put on the fragile items.
  • Put heavy items on the bottom – this sounds like common sense, but many people simply toss everything into a box without considering the weight. If you put heavy items on top, they will crush and/or break the lighter items. So, pack heavy and bulky items carefully.
  • Don’t leave gaps in the box – these gaps can jostle your belongings, which can lead to damaged items. Fill any holes with packing paper, towels, etc.
  • Tape boxes securely – use more tape than you think you need and tape both the top and bottom. Then wrap a couple times around the edges. You really don’t want the boxes opening up on the top or bottom during the move.
  • Buy speciality boxes – They might cost a bit more, but things like wardrobe boxes, speciality boxes for art, dishes/glassware, and televisions are designed to provide an extra layer of protection. If you don’t know where to find these boxes, the NJ moving company you use might have some.

Another useful hint is to pack similar items together – books with books, toys with toys, etc. Go a step further and organize by room. So if you have books for the living room and books for your bedroom, put them in separate boxes. It might seem like a hassle, but you’ll be able to unpack a lot faster when you put the effort into the initial packing.

And sometimes the right way to pack is to not pack! For example, if you have clothes on hangers, don’t take them off. Instead, bundle the clothes together and then wrap it in a garbage bag to protect them. For clothes in dressers, simply wrap the drawers tightly with stretch wrap.

You’ll also want to back a separate box specifically for essentials like clothes for 2-3 days, toiletries, bedding, toys for children, food for pets, etc. That way, you won’t have to dig through all the boxes to find exactly what you need and you can take your time unpacking since you already have the essentials easily accessible.

Need Expert Assistance

If you’re strapped for time, you can’t go wrong with hiring professionals. Luckily, many moving companies also offer packing services. Naturally, it will cost you more money, but if you simply don’t have the time or energy, it’s a great option. Plus, you can have them pack up certain rooms or areas instead of the entire house to save some money. Sure, you’ll still need to do some packing if you choose this option, but it can reduce your overall workload significantly.

The reason it’s better to hire professionals than asking friends is that they know exactly how to pack your boxes and will handle each item with care. Your friends or family members won’t have as much experience and knowledge so could inadvertently pack your boxes incorrectly. Or perhaps they’ll simply jumble all of your belongings together so you don’t know where anything is. Obviously, those who volunteer to help mean well, but they don’t always know the best practices. It’s well worth it to find some money in your budget to hire packers.

Make Packing Less Stressful

Following the packing strategies above does mean you’re putting in more upfront work. However, it is well worth the time and effort as you won’t have to worry as much when you’re unpacking. And if you don’t want to deal with the hassle, then you can call in professional NJ packers like us!