apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

I hate moving. I agree with moving the little stuff yourself in the morning and then hiring guys to move the big stuff.

In Chicago, Affordable Moving Company is $100/hr which gives you two men and a truck. Not bad for a couple hours of moving. Their insurance isn't too good, but it's available to purchase extra for $120 per $10,000 worth of goods.

How about not moving unless your job requires it - Then your company can pay for it and/or you can write off the expenses from your taxes?

Another thing to remember: if things get damaged because you packed it or you and your friends moved it yourselves, you're on the hook - but if professionals pack it and they break it during the move, they have to pay. (Or are you really going to ask your boyfriend's college pal to pay for your TV because he dropped it?)

Besides, how much are you really saving in time and money - wear and tear on your car and fuel - by making dozens of trips with a few boxes to the new place?

That is a good idea- you do the little stuff and rely on the movers for the big stuff. BUT - If you only have one day, ALWAYS hire the movers to get there AS EARLY AS POSSIBLE, otherwise you may get seriously shafted. When my boyfriend and I moved in together, we hired movers to show up at 10 AM. 11 they were not there and we called. We were told they'd be there within an hour. By 2 pm, after repeated calls, and repeated delays, they asked us if the guys could come tomorrow! They got held up at their "morning" job. According to our new building, we only had the service elevator till 4pm. We went onto Craigslist and lucked out finding 2 big guys with a small truck that got there in 20 minutes. It was a HORRIBLE experience. When we moved out of that apt into our house, we learned our lesson and hired the (different) movers to be there at 7AM. They were there at 7 on the dot and by noon, they were still disassembling furniture & loading the truck, and fielding calls from their boss who wanted to know when they would be done, because their 11 o'clock appointment was getting upset that they were late. They never did make it to their second job that day, and we kept saying "thank god we're not those people... again"....

How about a cross country move? Any suggestions on moving 2 cars, an apartment full of stuff and a cat from Ohio to California? We have done the background research on pod style boxes, drive it ourselves and movers but we just can't decide what really is the most economical and logical!

Oh dear... This is just what I've been needing to read! We're moving also, in August... just one state over for my husband to continue on with college. We were lucky enough to have our stuff moved by some company that the military paid for back in the day when he had retired, but we moved with our 2 parakeets and one parrot from North Carolina all the way back to California. We both drove our cars and had walkie talkie things...

He really wants to have a full-service move, while I wanted to pack stuff myself so I have some sort of peace of mind. We looked into the "pod" type of move- they claim to be cheaper than a Mayflower/American Van Lines... but when I was looking up the rates on having us pack, having them load, drive and unload, it was well over $1,000. When looking up through THEIR services on just having someone help load and unload, they were quoting me between $500-$800.

He and I came to the conclusion of renting a Uhaul, it's about $170-ish, and we'll just have to work our asses off. This time will be fun, while we still have our original 2 parakeets and parrot, we accumulated 2 more parrots and hamster sisters. *sigh* I'll be checking to see if anyone still has any ideas... thank you for posting on this subject!

Save money by getting free moving boxes via Freecycle or another online recycling reuse website. (You can spend a LOT of money buying brand-new moving boxes from U-Haul or Office Depot, etc.)

Just last month, I was able to get more than 30 free moving boxes -- in very good shape -- along with tons of bubblewrap and other packing supplies by responding to posts on my local Freecycle.

I'm all for movers. As bepsf said, it's not worth it doing it yourself if professionals can do it in half the time and you're not risking the health of yourself, your friends, or your friendships by trying to go it alone. Some things are worth paying for. Find a great mover and use them and pay them what they're worth. That being said, this last time I moved (first time in 6 years) I got rid of any extraneous stuff and did all the packing myself.

refreshed --

My Dad was in the USAF and we moved cross-country 4 times - one time with two cars, two kids and two dogs...

We packed up the cars, waved at the movers as they drove away, and each of my parents drove a car from Upper Michigan to California - 5 days straight and overnights at the Holiday Inns off I-80. Mom had the car (the one w/ A/C - we were moving in July) with my 4y/o sis and I, and Dad had the truck with the dogs in the back under the camper shell with tons of luggage and boxes. We used CB radios to stay in contact, but nowadays you would use cellphones...

We had tire trouble all the way across the country - brand-new Firestone 500 tires blowing out every other state (Remember the Explorer tire issues a few years back? That wasn't the first time for Firestone to sell faulty tires...) By the time we crossed into Nevada, we were driving on snowtires that Dad had loaded into the back of his truck and they ended up buying an entire new set of tires for Mom's car at the Sears in Reno, Nevada...

I just can't imagine what could have happenned if we'd been towing a trailer with our furniture, etc. behind that car with tires blowing out at 65mph on the Interstate...

refreshed - it really depends on how much stuff you have and how much you can't part with and MUST take with you and how into road tripping and DIY you are.

I would suggest hiring a moving compay to move your stuff one car and then drive with the cat and whatever will fit in your car from Ohio to California. Or you pay to move one or both cars and drive a truck cross country with your stuff.

I made the move from Atlanta to LA and decided that almost none of my furniture was worth the cost of moving so I sold it all on Craigslist and packed everything else in a 4x9 Uhaul trailer and towed it with my Ford Escape. The whole move cost about $700 vs. thousands for a moving company to move all my stuff and car. And it was really nice getting a fresh start on furniture.

I'm all for using movers, too. In my experience it saves time, is more efficient, and is less stressful on body, mind, and relationships. It's money well spent.

But do your own packing--you'll inevitably weed things out as you're packing. And, yes, do ask for the first appointment of the day. They'll show up on time and won't be exhausted and cranky from moving other people.

My best piece of advice is to label a box "first box" and to put a clean towel, bar of soap, roll of paper towels, roll of TP, box of band-aids, hammer, screwdriver, box cutter, extra set of keys to the new place, clean t-shirt, and a pair of flip-flops (trust me) in it. Open it as soon as you arrive at the new place.

No, I'm not a control freak.

Really.

We did a long distance move a few years back. We used a UHaul, but we hired people, off craigslist, to help us pack and unpack the truck. This was much, much cheaper than having a professional company do the whole thing. And having the help SAVED OUR LIVES.

wow, thanks to everyone - it helps to hear other's experiences.

Moving is an adventure for sure. We are in for the cross country journey and would love to enjoy it as we go, but with the cat we'll have to keep things moving. We definitely are trying to sell, donate and minimize in order to simplify the move and our clutter but we have some key pieces that would cost more to replace than move so they are making the cut. Pods is out (bad consumer reports) as well as ABF (not big enough) and Penske is the best rated for diy trucks from what we're gathering. We just haven't found much on reliable movers within a reasonable price range (I'm just finishing grad school and my BF will be starting in CA so we're in the ramen noodle range, ha) - ideally we'd like to find one that will carry one car (already has 110,000 miles on it) and our stuff - we'd drive the other car with some belongings and the cat.

Mllemiki - thanks for the tip about free boxes, that is a HUGE help!

Klt108 - as a "planner" (read: control freak) I'm definitely using your #1 box idea ... too many times have I moved without tp available!

We've never used a mover. We're too cheap. But then, we're fortunate enough to have the use of a truck that will fit all the big stuff, even if we have to drive across the city a couple times.

As its been said, recycled boxes are great! And you can just pass them on to someone else once you're done with them...

I totally second "first box". A GREAT set of movers (Titan, for those of you in the DC metro area) packed just such a box for me when they moved me out of my beloved Arlington apartment. I was SO thankful for the box- it had a stool, a lamp, a knife, and a few rags so I could keep clean. (I had a suitcase with towels and such, so no need for towels).

I did not realize that double booking moves was such a problem- my last move was easily the most horrible because the movers showed up over three hours late. They were held up at the first job. I fired them mid-move, and hired a second company. I'll always be the morning person after this.

We recently used a packing company for the truck: we just hired people for about 6 hours- four for packing, two for unpacking. We found them on Uhaul.com, and bribed friends with chinese food and beer to help with boxes.

I hate moving. Something about moving from empty place to empty place takes a toll on your spirits and energy. With that said...

I'm 100% for movers if you don't have a lot to move. Even with a modest income, I found it entirely worthwhile to hire movers who could load and unload my 10' or 14' U-Haul truck quickly and efficiently. I HATE lifting things, and at the age of 24, already have chronic lower back pain from attempting to lift heavy boxes. Plus, I hate imposing on my friends for help. So a one-time $$ is totally worth it to me.

I've used movers for the past 3 years (once each year), but this last time, I only hired them to load the truck. I was moving several hours away, and I had days to slowly unload the truck myself.

If you have time to pack slowly, type up a box list: Number each box, then create a list on your computer of each box's contents. Much more detailed and easy to reference than just using a Sharpie.

Also, with movers and U-haul, I agree with comments above regarding reserving as early as possible. I've saved myself from standing in line at U-haul in SF by calling several days beforehand and requesting a pick-up as soon as the store opened. U-haul can't guarantee a time, but they can put in a requested time. And generally, you'll have an easier time if you go first thing in the morning.

It's also important to check in with your movers to confirm their arrival time. And always anticipate their being late, because they usually are, for many reasons: traffic, last job going late, pretending the last job is going late (that's the excuse I got last time, but I think they were just being lazy and not wanting to show up early Sunday AM).

Moving Scam.com is a useful site when appraising cross-country movers. We learned the hard way.

I'm moving on Monday. At this very moment I'm in packing *hell* and AT is my momentary escape.

I've been taking small boxes of chachkes, wardrobe boxes ull to bursting with clothing, bedding/linens, a rug, a coffee table and some bathroom and kitchen boxes over in friends' cars (like most NYers, I don't drive) throughout the last two weeks.

Movers will be taking the rest -- 80% of my stuff (including lots of books, heavy boxes of work files/papers/magazines -- I'm a writer, and I work from home), and all the furniture on Monday. It will be expensive but there's no other way to do it, since I can't lift that stuff myself and none of my friends have vans.

Liquor stores have the best moving boxes. Just ask the cashier for extras while paying for your bottle of wine!

If you have a lot of stuff, order your supplies from Uline.com and drive up to Waukegan to pick it up.

Many moving companies will charge you for the supplies they use to wrap your furniture/pictures/mirrors/glass/marble/etc. Thus, even if you've packed up all the little stuff yourself, buy the materials the movers will need (transport bags, mattress bags, extra tape, and extra boxes) to avoid the markup the movers will charge.

More help can actually make things cheaper - for instance, I wouldn't do a move with less than four workers - anything less and the movers get too tired too quickly and you actually end up paying more (assuming you're paying per man per hour).

Pack small boxes - especially if you've got lots of books/cds/lps (or anything else that's heavy). You won't wear out the movers as quickly and you'll be able to move them more easily yourself when you're unpacking.

I wouldn't suggest that you move the small stuff yourself, as competent movers will make short work of a stack of boxes. I would, however, suggest that you move extremely valuable/fragile things yourself. For instance, I always move my electronics, my lamps, and my wine myself. The insurance movers offer really only helps if the truck explodes (i.e. if all your stuff gets destroyed as opposed to a particular item) so I prefer not to take chances with high-ticket items.

I also want to recommend EMS - they just moved me the other week and did a great job. While they ended up being a bit more expensive than companies I've used in the past, they did my entire move in about 2.5 hours - the last moving company I used took over 8 hours to move less stuff (and EMS had to travel a greater distance).

I second many of the comments here. I used movers the last time I moved and it was worth every penny (Man with a Van, for those of you in the Boston area). I liked going with a small local company because they communicated extremely well and knew exactly who/what they had to offer and when. Some tips that made my and their day easier:
-I booked them first thing in the morning (7am I think)
-I had every single thing packed and ready to go
-I could stay at the old apartment to supervise while someone else was at the new one supervising (one truck but lots to do in each one - cleaning, prepping, etc)
-I had water and sports drinks for the movers (being nice never hurts!)
-I labeled each box with the contents in small writing and the room in large writing so the movers knew where to bring it
-I bought mattress bags etc. beforehand ($3 instead of the $20 the moving company would charge)
-I brought recycled boxes home from work every day for a few weeks before the move; grocers and liquor stores are also great places to get old sturdy boxes
-I took fragile and valuable things myself

In the end, the movers assembled my bed for me, brought all the boxes into the right rooms, didn't break a thing, AND finished early!

Since you have a bit of extra time, unpack as you move things over to the new house instead of waiting until it's all there. It's a great way to figure out what you don't want/need anymore and you can Craigslist or toss the extra stuff and not spend the time and money to move it and then get rid of it.

If you can get / make a floorplan of your new space, try to assess ahead of time exactly where your furniture is gonna fit. Or, if it's gonna fit. You may find you're better off getting rid of some pieces on Craigslist before you move.

Always get at least 4 people to help you move. If you're trying to move a long distance in a single day, or you haven't done much packing and preparation in advance, get 6 or even 8 if you're trying to move anything bigger than a studio apartment. If you need to get far that day you absolutely cannot afford *any* delays. And be the first customer of the day.

Packing supplies are crucial. You *always* go through more tape, more paper, more peanuts, more bubble wrap and more boxes than you think you will. So buy a ton. You can always sell any excess on Craigslist - I think some moving outfits will even buy any unused packing material back from you.

Costco sells big box kits from 3M, but the boxes aren't terribly durable in my experience, and the kits don't come with enough packing material. Still, they might be the cheapest way to go. U-Haul's prices on boxes and packing supplies actually aren't too bad, and their stuff is pretty good. They also have a pretty broad selection - and it's still a lot cheaper than buying stuff from your movers.

Oh, and get a bigger truck than you think you'll need. Even if you're just moving a 1 bedroom apartment, a giant-sized truck makes the whole process go much faster because you won't be spending time trying to solve the puzzle of which box / chair / mattress fits best in a given space inside the truck, or what can be piled atop what. It's much faster to load (and unload) the truck if there aren't a hundred layers of junk stacked atop one another, there's less risk of damage (just secure things with rope and plastic wrap), and with a big truck several people can climb inside and work at the same time. Most importantly, you won't run the risk of running out of space.

Believe me, I speak from sad experience. 7=^[ Although I didn't have the worst move that day. That honor belongs to some folks whose moving fan caught fire and burned to the ground on Interstate 5 in the middle of nowhere in central California.

Which reminds me - you may want to put your valuables in your car and have somebody else drive that to your new destination. Most of these moving vans don't strike me as being in terribly good condition, and if they catch fire they're gonna burn.

Maybe bring along a fire extinguisher, too . . .

Oh, and don't forget enough cash to pay any helpers, to pay for food, to pay for gasoline (if your card stops working for some reason), and to pay bridge or highway tolls. You may need to start taking cash out at the ATM a couple of days in advance to avoid hitting any daily withdrawal limits (or just go in to a teller).

Also, keep in mind that moving yourself might not be all that great a deal when you factor in the cost of gasoline. Moving trucks get truly godawful gas mileage. You can easily spend more on fuel than you do on the truck itself.

We moved about 2 weeks ago and went DIY. We moved from a one bedroom apartment to a 2 bedroom apartment, about 20 minutes far.

On Friday, my uncle came with his van, my 3 teenage cousins, and my aunt with her small SUV. Our 37 boxes (mainly 2 foot cubes, those boxes are excellent for books!) all fitted in the van (plus they were excellent size for moving - the kids were running them down to the van - great help!) and my aunt took all our clothes and laid them flat on a blanket in the back of the small suv. Friday afternoon I unpacked all my kitchen boxes.

Then we rented a U-haul (about 3 weeks previous) for that saturday, bright in early at 7 am. 2 of my uncles, my dad and my 3 cousins showed up again, plus my bf and they loaded the U-haul (I can't remember how big it was 13 foot? anyways it's the one with 'mom's attic' ) and by 12 it was done.

I know not everybody has a family that's there to help but it's just the kind of things we do. I did buy a nice bottle of wine for my uncles and my aunt and went and got a movie pass for each of my cousin as a little thank you.

We were a bit tired after the move but all in all it went great. The 2 part move (boxes first, furniture second) really help. 2 foot cube boxes = great for books and dishes. I would suggest to rent a couple of furniture blankets, they did come in handy (most of our furniture is from Ikea, so you have to be careful of the soft pine...!).

I'm happy to report that last sunday I unpacked the last boxe! :) Good luck to everybody!

We're moving next Friday. When we put our house on the market last July, we rented a storage unit and started filling it up. When the house finally sold last month, we got a second unit and have been packing up everything we can and taking it over there. Hopefully, the only thing that will be left at our house on moving day is some clothes and the furniture.

We've rented a U-Haul for that evening (our closing is later in the day) and have it until the next morning, which means we don't have a ton of time, but should have enough. We've helped enough people move over the last few years that they "owe us" and will be helping us move.

As far as boxes, I want to mention that Sam's Club has a 3M set that includes 3 sizes of boxes, bubble wrap, and packing tape for a decent price, as well as packs of boxes for super-cheap. U-Haul charged something like $1.50-$2 for one box, and we got 6 for $2 at Sam's. I'm guessing CostCo and the other big guys would have similar options, if they're available in your area.

The best advice for moving is don't. The second best is get rid of EVERYTHING before you move. After our last move, we filled up our ginormous Honda Pilot 4 or 5 times (and I mean filled every spot but the driver's seat) with donations. Why did we pay to move, store, then move again all that stuff?!?! Moving is THE best opportunity to edit your possessions, including pantry items, clothes (especially the kids), books, music, you name it. Moving really highlights the cost of dragging all that stuff around in your life.

In Chicago, I swear by J. Bradtke Antique Movers. They move everything (not just antiques). I've used them at least 3 times over the years & have been lucky enough to have some of the same crew. Even though they've moved me into and out of 3 and 4-story walkups, not one thing has every been broken, scratched, dropped, etc., even after I wore them out with large furniture and huge quantities of book boxes. (I always did my own packing, but they handled all the furniture wrapping/padding, moving, etc.)

Quick tip about boxes - check Craigslist. Some folks give away their emptied boxes. Did that after my last move - great way to recycle & the recipients were happy not to have to buy them, especially the wardrobe boxes.

A really great idea is to cut your expenses by getting used moving boxes . . . they are available at U-haul. U-haul has everything you need all in one place for your big move!! They carry boxes, tape, box dolly's, car trailers and moving trucks, as well as vans and pick-up's!!!! So no matter how big or small your move. . . U-haul can handle it!! You would love their prices. . . I know I did! Their national number is 800-468-4285 and the website i visited was www.uhaul.com/trucksales Thank me later : ) jk lol Happy Hauling!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I buy plastic storage containers in place of boxes. They have nice lids and handles. Plus they are super easy to stack. After the move I return them and get my money back!

I'm moving from Boston to Illinois this summer for grad school. After selling everything during my last long-haul move, I've decided on UPack, a service very similar to PODS, but at a much cheaper rate. The whole thing, including one month of storage at their facility in IL, is costing me around $1,000. Granted, I'm only moving a small one bedroom, but still, it worked out to not much more than the U-Haul, without the massive hassle of trying to drive it all that way. They had great reviews on epinions, so I'm crossing my fingers for a positive experience.

I can't wait to live in a WHOLE apartment for the same price that I pay for a dingy room in a basement hole in Boston!

Last time I moved I did it myself, and it was one of the biggest mistakes I've ever done. I am not doing it again! I still think it was something of a miracle I actually managed... It's really sad to be a victim of own lack of imagination and the need to prove I can do everything by myself ;-)

I thought that moving just one bedroom across the street (almost, it was about 500 yards) with 3 days to do that would be doable... I don't have a car (that should be already enough for me to give up), I was actually using a big dolly (like they have in grocery stores) - I thought that after moving many boxes that way, the rest would be easier with the help of some friends... it wasn't. After the few runs with the dolly I was absolutely exhausted, sore and wanted to cry. I don't have family here and only a few friends (I moved not that long time ago), and it is not easy for people to find time just like that... it also didn't help that it was over 90* for two of the days. anyway - in the end yes, I did move from one place to the other. It was marked for me with horrible back, muscle and joint pains, many hours of very heavy manual labor, nerves, worries, stress... oh, and lost over-sized sofa, as it didn't make through a narrow turn in the new apt.

next time I move (and I hope not that soon - now I have even more stuff as I moved to 2 bedroom) I am hiring movers. I will be saving for a few months if needed - but I don't want to go through the horror again!

If I ever have to move again, what I'd love to be able to do is get the new place cleaned up and painted first, then start moving the non-essentials. That way, when the big day arrives, I just have to move the things I can't live without, get the big pieces of furniture arranged, and hang the artwork. I really hate moving into a new place, unpacking things, and then having to rearrange them weeks or months later when I finally have some help with painting and whatnot.

First, I would totally second the movingscam.com recommendation. The cross-country moving business is FULL of scammers. On my cross-country move in 2005 the less-than-reputable movers held our things for nearly a month, it was awful.

United Van Lines is very reputable and also very expensive, but given the alternatives it was worth it to me. We had a great move with them in 2007.

I always get the movers to pack, even the small stuff. My one caveat is that long-haul movers will usually put your stuff on an 18-wheeler where it will share the move with many other peoples' stuff. So, you need to make sure that there's a place to park that 18 wheeler, and that everything is super-securely packed so that your things won't migrate to another person's storage area (since they're usually separated by webbing, or even just a tape line, in the truck's body).

I was lucky in my 2007 move that I was moving "back home" so my sister was able to meet the movers and get everything taken care of for the move-in, without needing to be there myself. Therefore, my partner and I were able to drive our little Honda hatchback for the journey from Portland, Oregon to Washington, DC, over the course of about 3 weeks. It was an amazing trip that included several days in southern Utah and in the Smoky Mountains, stops to visit a friend in Memphis and family in Virginia, and Friday Night football games in small towns in Utah and Oklahoma. I loved it all!

The whole thing was great, if you ever have the opportunity to travel or move this way, I strongly, strongly recommend it.