Phone Number

732-748-1200

Call Us Now! 24/7

Phone Number

732-748-1200

Call Us Now! 24/7

A white truck from All Jersey Moving and Storage is standing in the parking
Home moving van
White moving trucks waiting in front of the client's residence

Surviving Your Move: How to Empty Your Dresser Drawers and Pack like a Pro

Moving is widely ranked as one of life’s most stressful events. This is true whether you’re moving to down the block or to another neighborhood or state. There are many reasons moving can be challenging, from the difficulty of finding a professional moving company available on your moving dates to the emotional challenge of leaving an old, memory-filled home behind.

However, one of the most stressful aspects of any moves is moving prep! All the preparations necessary for a move – large or small – can be time-consuming, physically draining and even emotionally exhausting. But before you can get started with moving preparations, you have to find the right moving company to support you on moving day.

Researching Professional Movers

Finding the right moving company is one of the most important things you can do to guarantee a successful move (and avoid a moving disaster!). Don’t make the mistake of attempting a do-it-yourself move. While friends and family may be willing to chip in, they don’t have the experience necessary to execute a safe, seamless and efficient move. Because of their lack of experience, they put themselves at risk of serious injury and your home and belongings at risk of sustaining costly damages during the moving process.

Don’t rush the process of researching moving companies. Failure to do your due diligence could result in selecting inexperienced, uninsured or dishonest movers. To a avoid a moving nightmare, it’s important to ensure that the moving companies you’re considering are licensed, well-reviewed and ideally recommended by someone you know personally. While researching moving companies, be sure to get at least three estimates and check online reviews on a reliable site like Angie’s List.

Licensed, reliable moving companies like All Jersey Moving and Storage have both the experience and all of the legally mandated requirements necessary in order to safely and securely move your belongings so you can enjoy peace of mind during the moving process

Our properly trained and experienced movers have the strength, expertise and dexterity required to move your transport your belongings safely, efficiently and cost-effectively to your new home.

Once you’ve selected the professional moving company that you’d like to work with, book them as soon as possible. Reputable movers are in demand, so by booking your mover well in advance you can ensure that they are available to execute your move on your preferred moving date.

While All Jersey Moving & Storage encourages early booking to ensure clients can move on their date of choice, we do our utmost to accommodate last-minute moves and weekend moves.

Sorting Through Your Belongings

The second key stage of moving preparations is sorting through the contents of your home. This can feel like a daunting task, especially if you have a large home or many belongings. The key to mastering this stage is starting early and having a strategic plan. It takes a lifetime to accumulate your belongings, so give yourself ample time to sort through them all. Create a sorting system, identifying furniture and belongings you wish to keep, sell online or at a garage sell, donate to a local charity, or place into a storage facility. Using this system to organize your belongings will help make the moving process more methodical and manageable.

If you’re moving to a smaller home or want to maximize your space in your new home, you may want to place some of your furniture or other belongings into storage. In addition to helping individuals and families move, All Jersey Moving & Storage also has a containerized storage facility in New Jersey. At our containerized storage facility, your furniture and valued items are sealed and secured in large wooden containers as well as blanket wrapped to keep them safe. Movement into and out of our storage facility is closely monitored to ensure the safety of each container stored with us, and you can purchase full insurance coverage for additional peace of mind. With stable rental fees and no move-in administration fees, the All Jersey Moving and Storage warehouse facility is a cost-effective, reliable choice.

Pack like a Pro                       

Packing is arguably the most challenging part of moving because it can be an extremely time-consuming, physically exhausting and stressful task. How well you pack impacts whether or not your belongings will arrive unscathed when they reach your new home on moving day.  

At All Jersey Moving & Storage, we have helped thousands of professionals, families, seniors, college students and more complete seamless moves to their new homes. Along the way, we have mastered the fundamentals of packing and what packing strategies you can implement to ensure a successful move. Here are a few packing tips from our team of moving pros:

Start Packing Early!

Because packing is such a time and labor intensive process, if you want to have a smooth moving process and be ready for moving day, you can’t leave packing until the last minute. In fact, after securing your professional movers and moving date of choice, packing should be the first item on your moving To Do list.  

At All Jersey Moving & Storage, we recommend that you begin packing a minimum of a month before moving date. But the earlier you begin packing, the less pressure you’ll have as moving day approaches. Getting an early start packing translates into more time to go through all the furniture and other belongings you have accumulated and decide what you want to keep, store, sell or give away without the pressure of moving day looming over you. It also means you will have more time to pack safely, rather than haphazardly stuffing items into boxes the night before moving day.

Have a Packing Plan

Even if you get an early start in the packing department, it’s important to have a packing plan to help make the packing process more methodical and manageable, not to mention less daunting. The first step is to create “categories” that you can use while sorting through your belongings like “keep”, “give away”, “sell” or “donate”. Another important system to have in place is a labelling system that allows you to clearly identify where each box should be placed by movers in your new home and the basic contents each box contains. Be sure to mark boxes clearly on multiple sides, not just the tops, so labels can be easily viewed even when boxes are stacked.

Another key component of your packing plan should be outlining a strategy of which rooms you want to tackle first, second, third and so on. There is no one right way of packing a home or apartment. Some people prefer to begin packing smaller rooms like closets and bathrooms because completing these rooms gives them the confidence, energy and momentum necessary to pack larger, more difficult rooms. Other people would rather tackle larger, more difficult rooms first, like the kitchen or living room, when they have the most time and energy. Whatever approach you prefer, pack room by room rather than doing “a little picking here” in one room and “a little packing there” in another. Create a feasible, sustainable packing schedule so you can spend a few hours each day or week packing, rather than a consecutive week of stressful and exhausting late nights packing.

Finally, here’s an important packer’s tip: It can be very frustrating when you finally settle in to pack for a few hours, only to discover that you can’t find your packing tape or forgot to get markers to label your boxes. Before you begin packing, create a stockpile of all the packing materials you will need for your moving, including boxes, labels, permanent marks, packing paper, boxes, box cutters, etc.

Get Rid of “Stuff” You Don’t Need

One of the benefits of packing is that it forces you to take stock of all the things you have accumulated over the years and determine what you no longer want or need. After all, it doesn’t pay to spend time packing unwanted items that will just collect dust or take up valuable space in your new home, nor does it make sense to pay movers to move things you don’t want anyway. As you sort through your belongings, make note of items you want to sell, give away to friends, donate or simply throw out.

Selling items of value via online sites like Facebook Marketplace and Craigslist or through a garage or content sale can take time, especially if you want to hold out for your asking price. So once again, start this process early. You also have the option of donating items in respectable condition to local charities and non-profits. In some cases, these organizations will even arrange to pick the items up at your home and provide a tax-receipt. Even if you’re giving unwanted items away to friends, don’t leave this until the last minute. You don’t want unwanted items crowding up your living space or getting accidentally mixed in with the belongings you intend to keep. You also shouldn’t have to worry about friends showing up for their free sofa or box of children’s books and toys the night before your big move.

As you pack, you may also come across items you do want to keep but simply don’t have room or use for in y our new home. For instance, if you’re downsizing to a smaller home or apartment but aren’t ready to part with the grandfather clock or antique artwork you inherited or picked up on your travels, consider placing these items into storage.

Be Realistic about Your Packing Capabilities.

There are a variety of reasons people simply can’t take on the responsibility of packing their belongings. If you have to move very quickly or already have too many responsibilities on your plate, you simply may not have the time necessary to pack. If you have a back or knee injury or any other number of physical limitations, you may not physically be up to the task. Some people simply don’t want to be bothered with the task of packing or are afraid that their lack of experience packing could result in damage to valuable, breakable items. Whatever the reason, the most important thing is to be realistic about whether you can complete all the necessary packing before moving day.

If the answer is “No”, the good news is you have options and don’t need to panic. All Jersey Moving & Storage is proud to offer both full and partial packing and unpacking services depending on your specific needs, whether you need assistance packing and unpacking all your belongings or simply want help safely packing your most valuable fragile items, chandeliers, art or antiques. Call us today to discuss your packing needs and the cost of these services (they may be more affordable than you think).

All Jersey Moving & Storage – Your Source for the Best Moving Tips

Through decades of helping individuals and families move in New Jersey and across the country, our movers have learned strategies that help simplify and expedite the packing process.

Check out our insider packing tips today and contact All Jersey Moving & Storage for a complimentary quote for our residential moving and packing services.

Moving Packing, Residential Moving