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Many things need to be done when you are moving, and the last thing you think about is food in your refrigerator. It is wrong to throw away food that is still good for consumption, but at the same time, it is unnecessary to keep all food supplies that you do not need. For that reason, here are some suggestions that can help you to reduce food waste when moving. There are a few necessary steps to complete this part:

• Create an inventory of all food you have;
• Get rid of expired food;
• Use leftovers as much as you can;
• Share your non-perishable food with friends, family, etc.
• Give away extra food to charity organizations.

Start making your meal plan

A few weeks before your move starts, make a meal plan which will save your money and reduce food waste. Like this, you will make your purchasing easy and practical because you will not buy food that you do not need. Before you go shopping, always check what sort of ingredients you have in your kitchen to ensure leftovers can be used before you start making a new list for food.

Make an inventory of your food

As we said before, the main thing you should do is to check what sort of food you have in your home and create an inventory list. Take a look in your fridge, freezer, drawers, every secret place, and start sorting all food content together. For instance:

• Frozen food: Vegetables, meat, etc.
• Liquid food: dressings, sauces, olive oil, cooking oil;
• Refrigerated food: eggs, milk, cheese, cream, butter, etc.
• Canned food: fruits, vegetables, soups;
• Cooking/ Baking supplies: salt, sugar, dry pasta.

When everything is sorted, it will be simple to start with the next step by checking the expiration date.

Check the expiration date

The expiration date labels are something that consumers should check before purchasing any food. One of the reasons is in the microbiology and physical stability of the food and using them before they expire can give you more nutrients. Take extra precaution when deciding to eat food after the expiration date because sometimes that can cause serious health problems like food poisoning. Meanwhile, after separating all food that you have in your home, go through items and put aside all the food you will consume days or weeks before your moving.

Eat perishable food first

Perishable food is the sort of food you should consume first to avoid unnecessary waste. That is one reason not to buy more food before already eating what you have in the fridge, or use it to make a tasty dinner for your family, friends and make a phenomenal party before leaving.

Give non-perishable food

One smart way to prevent waste is to give non-perishable food to your friends, neighbors, or local charity. Moving to another place is a great way to share food with people without any wrong feelings about it because the primary reason is you cannot take all that food with you because of the higher cost of transportation or lack of space. At the same time, when you have too much non-perishable food in your kitchen, consider donating to the places like local charity. In this way, you will do something good for your community and people who really need it.
Before donating food, make sure that items are not opened and check if the expiration date is still valid. Many moving companies Brooklyn are collaborating with charity organizations, and they will donate your food for free, especially if they are part of the organization as Move for Hunger.

Prepare food that you will take with you

When you are done decluttering your food, it is time to start packing the food you are taking. Choose the right moving boxes Brooklyn. There can be all different sorts of food. For that reason, you will need to pack them properly. So, how to do that?

• Frozen food: moving frozen food is not an advisable option, but in case you really need to take it with you, the best solution is to use coolers to transport it. Without a cooler device, frozen food will start to melt and become rotten. It can create damage to the other items you are carrying with you.
• Dry food: packing dry food is less trouble than dealing with frozen food. Before you start with packing dry food in the cardboard box, do not forget to seal all open boxes or plastic bags with flour, sugar, salt, rice, pasta, etc. Afterward, set them in the zip lock bag to make sure there is no chance of spilling during your relocation.
• Food in glass containers: this kind of food can be risky for transportation because of glass bottles or containers. Therefore, wrap your glass bottles with few layers of packing paper. The next step is taping paper bundles and keeping them secure from unwrapping before placing them in the box. If there is space between a cardboard box and bottles, put some crumpled paper inside to prevent moving and shifting inside the box. Also, do not forget to label boxes with food. Like this, you can identify them quickly after arriving at your new home.

Prepare food for travel to your new home

Moving day is very energy draining. In that way, you will need to think ahead and prepare food to keep your energy levels up. One more thing, you will probably have some additional help during your moving date from your friends, family, or professional movers. That’s why it will be great to prepare at least some snacks or sandwiches, same as beverages, as a token of gratitude for their hard work.

Before you embark on a rogue journey, make sure to check the credibility and reliability of the moving company you are eyeing to hire. Rogue movers became surprisingly common, so you want to be confident that you made the right choice. Don’t underestimate the power of recommendation. Ask around if your friends or colleagues have a word of praise for some NYC moving company they’ve dealt with in the past. Furthermore, get online and search for recommendations and positive reviews, as well as for movers’ FMCSA and a USDOT number. Unlicensed moving companies might be common, but our tips will help you recognize them on time and avoid getting scammed. Carry on reading to learn how to identify rogue movers and avoid being involved in a moving fraud.

Common Rogue Movers Tactics

Internet is generally their main tool for sourcing marks, as they use tactics to rank in Google when people search for moving companies online. Illegitimate moving companies usually have some patterns, and these are some of them:

Estimate over the phone

Rogue movers will give you an estimate without visual, usually via email or a phone call. The important thing to note is that every legitimate moving company needs a visual to provide a quote. This part is absolutely necessary because they base their moving quotes on the total weight or size of the load.

Unusually low price

While some moving companies are more affordable than others, be careful if you get moving quotes Brooklyn that’s extremely low compared to all others. Don’t be too quick to settle on the lowest price, as this can be a clear indicator of rogue movers.

Surprisingly high bill

Another common way of rogue movers’ operating is delivering a bill that’s higher than you expected. They will give you the price after the move is done, and should you not pay, they will hold your belongings hostage until you do. Unlike fraudulent ones, a reliable moving company will always provide a written estimate with the price remaining the same.

Rogue Movers Identifiers

You can easily recognize fraudulent movers if you pay attention to the red flags that we’ve listed in the following text. Although these are not all the tricks that rogue movers have up their sleeves, they are the most common ones to look for when shopping around for a local NYC moving company.

Not doing an onsite inspection

If movers give you an estimate over the phone, you should instantly carry on finding services elsewhere. An estimate over the phone is possible via video call, which became more common nowadays for moving during the COVID-19 pandemic. Movers can schedule a video chat and do a walkthrough of your home without visiting. An online estimate is pretty convenient, but don’t confuse this with simply getting a price over a phone call. The explanation for this is quite simple. Movers need to visually assess your household and all the belongings to give you an accurate price. Their cost is based on the number of items, the overall weight of the shipment, or the space it takes up in the moving truck. A reputable moving company will always insist on seeing your possessions before giving a price. If they don’t, keep on searching.

Demanding a large cash deposit ahead

There are a minimum number of payment methods that movers should have, and legitimate ones will never insist on cash. In case they do, that could imply that it’s for purposes of committing tax fraud, or being involved in another illegal activity. That makes them reluctant to leave a paper trail. Asking for a large cash deposit before the move is a huge red flag for you, and you should never agree to such a thing. Also, make sure to hire a moving company that has a transparent pricing system, such as Dorothy and Martha, to make sure you will not deal with hidden costs.

No paperwork

Registered movers will provide you with a booklet named Your Rights and Responsibilities When You Move. You should read it thoroughly to get the basic knowledge about moving and have a successful collaboration. The essential part of making it successful is protecting both parties involved – yourself and the moving company, and the right paperwork serves that purpose. You should also get an estimate that’s in a written form, Order for Service that has all the agreed services listed, Bill of Landing that is actually a contract between your movers and you, and the receipt of your belongings.

There might be additional paperwork provided to you, but the ones listed above should always be included. Never hire a company if they don’t provide paperwork for their services.

Movers don’t have an address

A legitimate company from any business area will have an official website with all the information. It should include their local address and a contact number to be able to reach them. Rogue movers often don’t have a physical address where you could visit their office. That can be a good sign for you that something is off.

A rental truck instead of company’s truck

Credible Brooklyn movers have their office, their employees, and their professional equipment. That includes their own trucks used for transporting your things. If a moving truck has a different label than a company’s name, consider this a warning sign. Do extra research on movers you are about to hire.

How to avoid rogue movers? Hire legitimate NYC movers

You can easily avoid rogue movers by hiring a reputable moving company in the NYC area. You can have peace of mind knowing that you made the right choice. At Dorothy and Martha moving services Brooklyn, we assist with all types of moves, including short distance, long-distance move, commercial business moves, etc. We are available should you have any questions, and we are happy to answer all of them. Contact us anytime to get a quote.

Moving is not something that you do every day, so it is only natural that you want to do it in the best way possible. There are dozens of questions that pop up to you every day even before you begin with the preparations. This is exactly why we have created this simple guide on frequently asked questions about moving, that will help you relocate stress-free. The most important thing when relocating is to be organized and to learn as much as you can about the process itself. And everything will become much easier.

1. Should you hire movers for your relocation?

The first question that most people ask is whether or not to hire movers for their relocation. The truth is that only you can answer this question based on your individual needs. There are several factors that can influence your decision. A small, local move usually does not require professional help. If possible, you can ask your friends to help you with the relocation. On the other hand, a long-distance move can be nearly impossible to pull off without the pros. So, we highly recommend that you hire long distance movers Brooklyn to assist you with such a task.

2. How to find reputable movers?

If you decided to hire professional movers, you have a task to find reputable movers who will make your relocation easier. It is very important to avoid rogue movers, especially nowadays when they have all the resources available to deceive you. Here is how you can make sure your movers are worthy of hiring:

• Recommendation – Ask your friends and family members who have recently moved for a recommendation. This is definitely one of the safest ways to find a good moving company.
• Check their USDOT number – Ask your moving company to provide you with the USDOT number. You will use this number to find out more about your movers on the FMCSA site, and check if they have a license.
• Compare several moving companies – In order to make sure that you will receive great service at an affordable price, you should compare at least 5 moving companies.

3. Should you tip your movers?

Tipping movers has become a common practice after the relocation has been successful. Of course, you are not obliged in any way to tip them. If you want to tip your movers, they will certainly be grateful. The average amount of money for tipping is $5 an hour per mover for a local move. And for a long-distance move, you should tip your movers between $6 and $8 per hour.

4. What types of moving insurance are there?

When you are about to relocate all of your belongings it is extremely important that you have moving insurance. In this way, you will be compensated if any of the items get lost or damaged by your movers. Here are the moving insurance types you can choose from:

• Released value protection – With this type of moving insurance, you will receive approximately 0.60 cents per pound for any item lost or damaged. Of course, this is not much, and we do not recommend it for more expensive items.
• Full value protection – In this case, you would get compensation equal to the current marketplace value of the item. You need to contact your moving company and ask them how much is the premium that you need to pay upfront for this moving insurance.
• Items worth more than $100 per pound – You need to declare if you have such items before the relocation begins. If you do not do this, the moving company can reserve the right not to compensate you. The insurance policy is a bit different in this case, but all you need to do is to talk directly to your movers.

5. How can you save money on your relocation?

You have probably heard already that it costs way too much to relocate. And it is partly true, a relocation can certainly cost a lot, depending on the size and distance. However, there are a lot of ways in which you can save money during the process, and decrease the final bill.-

• Packing supplies – Find free moving boxes at the Craigslist platform, or at your office. Use your old blankets, towels, and newspaper as protection instead of moving blankets, packing paper, and bubble wrap. Find all of your bags and suitcases and use them for packing, and pay extra attention when packing fragile items.
• Get your friends to help you – Packing, loading, and unloading items can be done with the help of your friends easily. Just make sure that they will show up when agreed.
• Only relocate the items you actually use – Get rid of all the items that you haven`t used in a while, it will significantly reduce your moving costs.

6. What to do with items you don`t want to relocate?

Think of moving as a perfect opportunity to get rid of everything you don`t need anymore. Clothes, kitchen appliances, old furniture, coffee mugs, etc. If you don`t like it, don`t use it, or if it does not function anymore, you should not relocate it. Here is what you can do with these items:

• Donate – There are numerous charities where you can donate old furniture before you move. You will make someone happy, and you will feel better as well.
• Sell – You can sell your items online, or make a garage sale. Whichever suits your needs best. Who would have thought that you could earn some money as well while relocating?
• Throw away – Never feel guilty or sorry when you are about to throw the items away. They have served their purpose.

We have answered some of the most frequently asked questions when moving. Take each day at a time, and focus only on the things you can control. There is no need to worry, overthink, or stress out because things always work out in the end. Feel free to contact us for moving quotes Brooklyn anytime and, of course, good luck!