TWO MEN AND A TRUCK®

October 31, 2022November 21, 2022 Movers Who Blog Moving, Tips and Tricks, TWO MEN AND A TRUCK

Five overlooked moving essentials to keep in mind ahead of your move

When it comes to home moving, it’s a never-ending whirlwind of figuring things out, planning, packing, making calls, creating lists, buying this and buying that – so on and so forth.

We’ve seen it a million times over and know how stressful moving can be. Each of the things mentioned above play a critical role in the puzzle of completing a home move, but what about the things you aren’t thinking of? While buying a new home, hiring professional movers, and packing usually grab the headlines in the moving process, there are other important things you can do to take some stress out of moving day – stocking up on overlooked moving essentials is one way.

Many of these are centered around organization. We cannot stress to our customers enough the importance of being organized and planning ahead when it comes to home moving, and that’s where a number of these overlooked moving essentials will come into play.

Follow along!

Moving Checklist

Perhaps nothing will better assist you in the days and weeks leading up to your home move than creating a moving checklist. This gives you a concrete, visual map of how your move is going and where you need to focus your attention working up to the moment movers arrive at your door. It’s a detailed plan of how you’re going to attack the move starting about a month out from moving day.

If you’re asking yourself how to make a moving checklist, don’t worry – we did it for you.

Chargers (and batteries)

The world runs on technology, right? It’s unfortunately true, but it is reality, and you want to be prepared while you’re leaving your old home and entering your new one. Having extra chargers and batteries on hand will help you stay connected so you’re able to stay on top of any issue that might arise during your move – or, you can just scroll social media during some down time. Either one!

Cleaning Supplies

If you’ve ever experienced the process of moving into a new home, then this one will really resonate with you: have cleaning supplies ready!

From antibacterial wipes to toilet cleaner, cleaning spray, laundry soap, and more – you’ll want it all handy because the first thing you’re going to want to do at the new home is clean.

Plastic Bags

Simple, right? Plastic bags are a cheap, easy, and versatile tool to have on moving day and they make carrying around loose items which didn’t get packed away easy. Keep a stash handy and be ready if needed.

Tool Kit

There’s a strong chance that your new home won’t be perfectly ready with zero issues you need to handle, including ones that might involve a set of tools. Make sure you have tool kit handy so that you can tend to any minor fixes that need to be done when you arrive at the new home because trust us – there will be some!

TWO MEN AND A TRUCK® is the first and largest franchised moving company in the United States. Let us help move you forward! For more helpful tips and information on moving services subscribe to our blog and like us on Facebook.

October 24, 2022November 14, 2022 Movers Who Blog Uncategorized

TWO MEN AND A TRUCK Halloween Boxtume classics for last-minute costumes

Halloween is officially one week from today! If you’ve been paying attention to our blog or social channels this month, you’ve probably noticed us promoting our newest boxtume costume ideas.

“Boxtumes” are a term we created for fun and easy DIY costume ideas which you can make using normal household supplies and TWO MEN AND A TRUCK moving boxes. These creations can be an entertaining activity to put together with your kiddos, are easy to assemble, and can give you a unique costume, too!

If you’re still looking for a quick costume idea, we have you covered! First, take a look at our three newest ideas for 2022:

2022 Halloween “Boxtume” Tutorial: Snow Monster

2022 Halloween “Boxtume” Tutorial: S’mores

2022 Halloween “Boxtume” Tutorial: Ghost

However, if these three new ideas aren’t your style, we thought we’d bust out a few more TWO MEN AND A TRUCK Boxtume classics for you.

Check it out and have fun!

2021 Halloween Boxtume Tutorial : iPod

TWO MEN AND A TRUCK Halloween “Boxtumes”: Mermaid Dog

TWO MEN AND A TRUCK Halloween “Boxtumes”: Dinosaur

TWO MEN AND A TRUCK Halloween DIY “boxtume” Classic: Tractor

October 17, 2022 Movers Who Blog Uncategorized

2022 Halloween “Boxtume” Tutorial: Ghost

TWO MEN AND A TRUCK Ghost Boxtume — 2022 Halloween “Boxtume” Tutorial: Ghost

Halloween is approaching quickly! If you’re still looking for a costume idea, try one of our “boxtumes”! Boxtumes are quick and easy costume ideas that can be made from simple materials and moving boxes. We’ve already unveiled two new ideas for 2022 with our Snow Monster and S’Mores boxtumes.

We have one final idea for the year, and it fits right in with the Halloween season: a Ghost!

Ghost “Boxtume”

To get started, watch our video of the process below or follow along with our step-by-step guide !

Step 1: The first step is to tape the flaps of the bottom of the box together so the packing box can sit upright. Next, you’re going to cut the top middle flap of the box across like an arch of a rainbow to give the ghost a round head.

Step 2: Now, it’s time to give the body of the ghost a white, flowy figure with white party streamers. Cut long strips of the streamer just long enough to hang over the bottom edge of the main section of box. Cut enough to cover the whole front part of the box. Paste glue all across the front section of the box (including the head of the ghost) where you’re placing these streamer strips and press the strips into the glue, so they stick.

Step 3: The next step is to cut out the eyes and mouth of the ghost face. Take the black poster board and draw out long eyes with a pencil so you have an idea where to cut. Do the same for the mouth, draw a wide outline for the mouth. Cut these drawings out.

Step 4: Take the eyes and lather glue across the back of the eye shapes and stick it on the face of the ghost accordingly. Do the same for the mouth and place it below the eye shapes.

Step 5: Your ghost boxtume is now ready to be shown off!

We hope our TWO MEN AND A TRUCK boxtume ideas get your kids excited about Halloween and inspire the family’s creative side. Get the whole family in on the fun project! Have a safe and fun Halloween, and be sure sure to tag us on social media with your boxtume pictures!

For more TWO MEN AND A TRUCK “boxtume” ideas, click here!

October 10, 2022October 31, 2022 Movers Who Blog DIY Projects

2022 Halloween “Boxtume” Tutorial: S’mores

We’re making our way through the month of October, which means we’re getting closer and closer to Halloween. This means we will be continuing our 2022 Halloween “Boxtume” series! “Boxtumes” are fun costume ideas which can be made from simple materials and moving boxes.

Enjoy our second version of 2022 – a s’more!

S’mores “Boxtume”

If you’re looking for an affordable DIY Halloween costume this year, try our s’mores boxtume! It’s time to get creative and construct a one-of-a-kind costume. Check out the video guide we created or follow along to the step-by-step instructions to create your own s’mores boxtume!

Step 1: After you gather the needed supplies you will want to start by cutting a couple flaps off a packing box to use for the graham crackers. Cut off two flaps off the side of the box. You may have to cut it down more depending on how it will fit onto the sides of the box, so adjust accordingly.

Step 2: Take a brown sharpie or marker to draw on the graham cracker box flaps to make it look more realistic. Draw a dotted line down the middle of the box on the longest side of the box and draw six circles (line the dots up as they look on dice) on either side of the line. Make sure you use the brown side of the box flap rather than the white.

Step 3: You can put the graham crackers aside for now and start on the marshmallow portion of the s’mores. Take the stuffing and grab a chunk of it that is big enough to cover half of the middle of your box. Lather glue on this half of the box and stick the stuffing onto the box. The other half will be where the chocolate is placed.

Step 4: Now, it’s time to cut a piece of brown cloth into a rectangular shape – enough to fill the other half of the box. Lather glue on this half of the box and stick the chocolate slice onto the box. Press it into the glue for the brown cloth to stick.

Step 5: Finally,, take the graham cracker flaps you made earlier and lather the sides of the packing box with glue and stick the graham cracker flaps on the sides. The longest side of the flaps should be horizontal when sticking it to the sides of the box. Make sure the drawings made on the graham cracker are face up.

Your s’mores boxtume is now complete and ready to be shown off to your friends and family!

For more TWO MEN AND A TRUCK “boxtume” ideas, click here!

October 3, 2022October 3, 2022 Movers Who Blog Uncategorized

2022 Halloween “Boxtume” Tutorial: Snow Monster

Every year at TWO MEN AND A TRUCK, we put together a fresh new batch of “Boxtumes” – which are fun, easy Halloween costumes which can be created from simple materials and moving boxes. Now that we’re into October, it’s time to show off this year’s ideas as Halloween approaches!

Snow Monster “Boxtume”

Our first affordable boxtume idea to try at home is this snow monster! Get creative with this fun project for you and your family.

Step 1: After gathering the necessary supplies, start by lathering the glue in circular motions around almost the entire middle section of the packing box. Leave room in the very center of the box for the googly eyes and fluffy pom poms.

Step 2: Take the strings of cotton balls and place each around the box onto the glue. It should end up making an oval shape of cotton ball rings that get smaller as you go around the box and cover it.

Step 3: Now you’re going to take the big googly eyes and lather glue on the back of them. Place them in the top center of the space inside the oval shape you made with the cotton ball strings. Be sure to leave space in between the eyes.

Step 4: Next, lather glue in the area surrounding the eyes – this is where the white pom poms will be placed.

Step 5: Take the pom poms and place them accordingly in the space that’s left in the oval center. Two will go in between the eyes and the rest surrounding the eyes. Space them out as needed so it covers any empty space in the center of the snow monster’s face.

Step 6: Make any adjustments to the pieces if needed and you’re ready to go!

Your snow monster boxtume is complete and ready to make an appearance at any costume parties and for Halloween night!

For more TWO MEN AND A TRUCK “Boxtume” ideas, click here!

September 26, 2022October 17, 2022 Movers Who Blog Moving

What it means to live by THE GRANDMA RULE®

To understand the history of TWO MEN AND A TRUCK, it’s important to go back to the very early days of the company when it was just the original “two men” – Brig Sorber and Jon Sorber – moving customers in and around Lansing, Michigan.

It was the early 1980s and the two were doing a good job for themselves as high school students. Their mother, Mary Ellen Sheets, helped them place ads in local newspapers to advertise their services. Eventually, the time came for the two to go off to college, but Sheets was still getting calls about the services. So, she kept the little business going.

Being a working mom, she didn’t necessarily have a lot of experience running a business, let alone a moving business. With moving trucks taking up space, she needed a place to store them– and that’s where her mom stepped in.

“Grandma Eb”, as she was known, offered her backyard and barn to serve as the original office for the brand and a place to park the trucks. The brand’s early days began here, and her generosity and help were instrumental in helping TWO MEN AND A TRUCK grow to what it has become today.

Her influence led to the development of arguably our most important company core value, THE GRANDMA RULE, which means to treat everyone the way you would want your grandma to be treated. This motto has been adopted by the brand and serves as the overall mindset for our teams nationwide.

“THE GRANDMA RULE, to me, exemplifies everything we want and expect out of our employees and ourselves,” said Brian Stern, a TWO MEN AND A TRUCK® multi-unit franchisee with locations in New Jersey and Maine. “The idea is to treat each and every one of our customers as if they were our grandmothers. If we do that, every customer will be treated with respect, patience, and empathy during difficult moving situations.”

A large part of our customer base involves senior moving, and this makes the mindset of THE GRANDMA RULE all the more important.

Nearly 52% of all moves we complete are for people over the age of 50, and these can generally be tough moves due to the emotional factors involved of people parting ways with a home that has meant so much throughout their lives.

Our teams are specifically trained on how to handle senior moves and understand the importance of making sure they are able to communicate with the customer and provide the highest levels of care in order to make them feel at ease as they complete their moves.

“Often times, a senior move involves downsizing from a long-term home, and it can be a complicated and emotional experience,” said Alexa Lanier, a multi-unit marketing director for the TWO MEN AND A TRUCK® Fort Lauderdale and Boca Raton locations. “Our customer service representatives and in-home consultants work with the customers to account for the destination of all items, which can involve multiple stops or storage. Our movers then take the time to make sure every item gets to where it needs to go.”

To learn more about THE GRANDMA RULE and its beginnings, click here! If you know a senior looking to complete an upcoming move, visit our website to get started on a free moving quote.

September 19, 2022October 10, 2022 Movers Who Blog Giving Back

TWO MEN AND A TRUCK franchises give back to their communities through fall cause programs

As we wrap up the summer season and head into fall, TWO MEN AND A TRUCK®’s efforts to give back to the community are ramping up.

This is an ongoing mission for our company throughout the year to do our part in giving back, but the fall season is an especially prudent time for participation in our fall cause campaigns. Our founder, Mary Ellen Sheets, made giving back to our local communities a top priority for our franchises, and this mission has continued since the mid-1980s.

In addition to our four, TWO MEN AND A TRUCK branded fall campaigns, we also have great relationships with organizations such as Cheeriodicals and Convoy of Hope. We work year-round with these organizations to donate our resources to aid in their missions. At TWO MEN AND A TRUCK, donating our resources to such great causes is an effort our team is especially passionate about.

Find out more below about the four fall campaigns our franchises run in their local communities each year.

Movers for Meals®

The goal is to support families in the community that face hunger by partnering with schools, businesses, and other organizations. These organizations gather and deliver non-perishable food items to food pantries and local shelters that will then help support people within the community that are in need. TWO MEN AND A TRUCK assists with this process by delivering these items to food banks for those in need.

Movers for Mutts®

This is a program created by TWO MEN AND A TRUCK in order to help local animal shelters or organizations who care for and foster stray animals. This program is hosted each fall and partners with local businesses, schools, and organizations to collect food, toys, and other essential items pets may need while waiting for their forever homes.

Movers for Military®

We also believe it’s important to give back to the brave men and women who have served this country. Local TWO MEN AND A TRUCK locations partner with schools, businesses, and veteran’ shelters to collect essential care items each fall and deliver them to veteran’s shelters the week of Veteran’s Day. The Movers for Military® program helps care for the brave veterans that have fought for our freedoms.

Truckload of Warmth®

This program was made to support local shelters by providing warm clothing to those in need. This includes new or gently used coats, hats, gloves, scarves, and anything needed to stay warm. TWO MEN AND A TRUCK partners with local schools, businesses, and organizations to collect these essential items each fall. Next, they are donated to the local homeless shelters.

Giving back to our communities is a mission we don’t take lightly and we hope to inspire others to do their part in giving back as well!

September 12, 2022October 3, 2022 Movers Who Blog Moving, TWO MEN AND A TRUCK

Budgeting for a long-distance move with TWO MEN AND A TRUCK

Life can change quickly and without notice and sometimes this can include needing to relocate yourself to a new state or region.

This can be daunting and stressful as you pack up your belongings and head to a new area, but with TWO MEN AND A TRUCK, it doesn’t have to be! Generally, people think of us as your local, residential moving professionals helping you move from one home to the next across town. What many don’t know is we specialize in long-distance relocation services, too.

Just like our local moving options, you’ll have a dedicated and professionally trained moving team handling your belongings for the loading and unloading portions of the move, giving you peace of mind that your items are safe and protected. Even better – we offer exact dates of delivery and GPS tracking of your items, as well as the guarantee of never having to share your shipping space with the belongings of other customers.

Check out our long-distance moving options below to see what works best for you!

Expedited

This is the original long-distance moving plan for our brand, and it’s as simple as it gets: a TWO MEN AND A TRUCK moving team loads up your belongings into a moving truck and hits the road!

Our expedited plan offers you an exact delivery date, which will help you plan ahead as you commute to your new home. Like we mentioned above, you’ll have GPS-tracking abilities to check the progress of your move, and you’ll never share truck space with another customer.

Crated

This TWO MEN AND A TRUCK long-distance option is ideal for those who just need to ship a few belongings long distance. Your items are loaded into a secured cardboard crate that holds approximately 1,000 lbs. The crate is then loaded onto a third-party carrier and delivered to the TWO MEN AND A TRUCK location closest to your new destination.

As always, your belongings are the only items in the containers, and you are given a 48-hour window of delivery for your belongings. Please note: This option is only available at select TWO MEN AND A TRUCK franchise locations.

Corporate Relocation

For business professionals on the go, we can help with our corporate relocation option. Through this employee relocation service, you’ll get all the benefits of a traditional TWO MEN AND A TRUCK move mentioned above as we get you to your next stop. We’ll work with you and your company to set up the best plan for you so you can get where you need to be without the added stress or effort.

To learn more about TWO MEN AND A TRUCK long-distance options or to get a free quote, click here!

September 6, 2022 Movers Who Blog Downsizing

Top 4 tips for an easy and efficient downsize

As summer concludes, we quickly begin planning for what needs to be done during the fall season. During this time, many are looking to downsize their homes before the winter season hits. Downsizing means freeing up the clutter of your unused items, moving to a new home altogether, or transitioning into a smaller space.

If you know you have a downsize moving on the horizon, we’re here to help you through any concerns and offer advice to make it a success. Parting ways with the home you’ve grown close to and built memories in is not an easy task, and we’re here to relieve some worries.

Follow along with these tips to make the process a little easier!

Get ahead

Start the process early. You want to have a good idea of the downsizing plan. Get started a few months ahead of the move day so you’re prepared when the movers arrive. Each day, gather more and more of your belongings to pack in boxes. Taking it day by day will allow for less chaos on move in day.

Get rid of clutter

During the packing process, it’s a good idea to sort through the items you do and don’t need anymore. Donating is a great way to give back and will free up room for you as well. You don’t want your new home to be packed with unnecessary clutter. TWO MEN AND A TRUCK offers junk removal services at select locations and can get rid of unwanted items for you! A good rule of thumb for sorting is if you haven’t used or worn it in the last year and don’t see yourself using it, it’s probably safe to get rid of.

Stay on track

It’s easy to get sidetracked with all that we have going on in our lives, but with a move its important to stay focused and be prepared. Have a checklist as well as a packing list ready to help track your progress. Remember to be flexible, as things don’t always go as planned. For more resources and checklist to help you stay on track, click here!

Be patient

Keep in mind, not everything will get done in one day. It’s important to stay patient with the process and allow yourself time to relax when you can. Take it day by day as the move approaches approaches so you won’t have as much to tackle when the day arrives.

With a downsizing move, we have all the right professional tools to help you. We can assist you with the entire move, the packing, delivery, loading/unloading, junk removal, or even storage for things you don’t want to keep in the new house. Learn more about these services by clicking here.

August 29, 2022September 19, 2022 Movers Who Blog Movers for Moms

Five TWO MEN AND A TRUCK specialty services to keep in mind even if you aren’t moving to a new home

Movers carrying wrapped couch through doorway

If you’ve seen our trucks driving around, you probably think we’re just another company in town.

While this is the bread and butter of our brand and what we’ve hung out hat on for more than 35 years, we’re able to offer much, much more than just traditional home moving to our customers. We’ve become a one-stop-shop for all moving needs our customers may have so that when they come across a situation and need help, we’re able to answer the call.

These services can include just hiring our movers to do the heavy lifting, hiring them to get rid of items you don’t want, or even letting your local team pack up belongings prior to a move because you don’t feel like it (we don’t blame you!).

Take a look at our special and secondary moving options and see how TWO MEN AND A TRUCK can help you as we head into the fall season!

Junk Removal (available at select TWO MEN AND A TRUCK franchises)

Having launched just a few years ago and steadily growing is our TWO MEN AND A TRUCK junk removal service. Our professional teams will arrive to your home or business with specialized junk removal trucks to remove and dispose of your unwanted items.

This is great for businesses who are changing out office equipment, or for residential customers who are undergoing home renovations, decluttering, or just looking to part ways with old belongings.

For availability or to see if this is offered in your area, click here.

Load and Unloading (available at select TWO MEN AND A TRUCK franchises)

Have you ever been in a situation where you know you don’t need the moving truck, but you just want the moving help? That’s where our loading and unloading services come in.

You can hire a TWO MEN AND A TRUCK moving team to come out to your home or business and help you load up a rental truck or storage container – whatever the need might be. This saves you from having to do the heavy lifting, and they’ll be able to get the job done quickly and professionally.

Business Moving and Storage

Our moving services aren’t limited to residential customers – businesses often utilize our movers, too! Whether you’re looking to relocate your entire office or you just need help moving items around the office, our teams can help.

As a business, we understand the important of limiting interruptions to your business, and that’s why we’ll work closely with you to build out a moving schedule to avoid the busiest times of your operation and keep distractions to a minimum.

Pickup and Delivery

The excitement of making a large purchase such as a piece of furniture or a new appliance can quickly fade away when you start thinking about how you’ll get that item home.

Thankfully, we can help with the delivery of large items! Using our moving teams and equipment, we’ll pick up whatever item you have purchased and deliver it right to your home or business, and we’ll even move it inside where you need it, too.

From items like new washers or dryers to refrigerators, exercise equipment, tanning beds, and more – we’ve got you covered.

In-Home Moving and Lifting

Similar to the load-only services, sometimes you find yourself just needing the help with the lifting. You can call a TWO MEN AND A TRUCK moving team out to your home or business to help with moving furniture around or a heavy appliance – whatever the need might be.

This saves you the trouble of trying to lift something heavy on your own and gives you peace of mind knowing that the lifting is being handled by professionals.

Please note: Each TWO MEN AND A TRUCK location is independently owned and operated, therefore specialty moving services can sometimes be limited to select franchises. Please use our franchise locator link to find the location closest to you and see if they offer these services.