Updated: Apr 7, 2021

Having lived in Hoboken for 10 years, and [me] being completely insatiable, my husband and I moved quite a bit. We lived all over town; in walk ups, elevator buildings, on the main drag, in the back of town, literally everywhere. For every move, we did it ourselves, with the help of my brother in laws. The final move out was a different monster though. We had to pack up a 2 bed/2 bath apartment, a baby and a dog and move down to the burbs! We said we were hiring movers this time, obviously, and then, we didn’t. I will remember this day forever, because we happened to have moved the same day as our best friends. They were in Jersey City, the next town over, and also moved to the town in which we live now. Their experience went a little differently than ours; mainly because well, I married my husband. Here are my top tips for a successful and mostly stress free move!

1. Sell everything you can! We kept the obvious major pieces, our beds…and I think that was it. I took pictures of almost everything and listed it all on Facebook Marketplace. Somehow we still filled a 15’ moving truck and had to make two trips…don’t ask me how. Basically, anything that I didn’t need to survive, furniture wise, we sold, including our couch. We were moving into a home and knew that we wouldn’t want “apartment” furniture, since we cheaped out on everything. After selling the good stuff, we moved to donating. What was still perfectly usable but not sell worthy, or just didn’t sell before we were ready? We put it all down in our lobby, which was the unofficial free trade system in our building. If you have a salvation army drop off near you, that’s an awesome place too, because you know the things will get sold to people who need it and obviously the money goes to a great cause. Anything that’s left after that, throw out! You’ll never miss it! The hodge podge cooking utensils, the old bath mat, garbage!

2. After we cleaned house, no pun intended, I pulled everything from the whole apartment into one room and placed it into categories. All of my glass vases [don’t ask why I had so many], lamps, signs and wall decor, you get the picture. This made it super simple for me to see what size boxes I needed and how many. It also helped me see if I needed bubble wrap and other supplies I may not have thought of if I was packing as I went.

3.Get the proper supplies. I have done moves before where I wrapped things in my socks and so forth. I highly suggest doing it right. I got the styrofoam sleeves for all of my glasses, bubble wrap sheets for the plates and the correct boxes for what you’re packing in them. Home depot has a great variety. They have heavy duty, which we used for our kitchenware and heavier glass vases etc; the more fragile stuff. We also got wardrobe boxes for our closets. They have the bar across them, so you just move everything over. We also filled the bottoms with shoes, some throw pillows and some other stuff that would do fine in there. The boxes are really sturdy and run about $15 each.

4. Obviously everyone’s budget varies but if you can manage it, I would highly recommend hiring movers. Once you have yourself organized, make a list of what you’re taking with you and call for estimates! When my brother in laws showed up to help us, I was in the en-suite crying because I was so frustrated with the lack of organization happening…and you see how organized I was! Meanwhile, on the other side of town, my friends basically sat down with a cocktail and watched as their movers packed all of their stuff, moved it into the truck and drove it down to their new pad! I was still crying and drawing up divorce papers. I should have just called up last minute NJ movers! A great option is All In One Moving & Storage, Inc. They offer an array of services to help make the moving experience stress free!

5. My final tip works for anyone, but especially those traveling with children. I would absolutely figure out what you use or need for a few days and pack it in a separate box or bag that stays with you! Think of it like the carry on to your checked luggage. When you finally get to your new home, you are probably going to be exhausted and not want to deal with unpacking. Make sure you have what you need for yourself and some cleaning products to quickly clean the shower, take a shower and go to sleep comfortably that night! Keep a pack n play handy for the kids, a set of sheets, bottles, favorite toys, sound machines, some clothes, personal hygiene products, maybe even a set of glasses or disposable items etc. It will feel so good to know that everything you NEED is in one place and you can worry about the rest in the morning!

XOXO

Kelli

While this is a sponsored post, all opinions are my own!