apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

I've never hired movers.. although I've never lived in anything big enough to really require them. Most of my friends are male so I can usually convince a couple of them to help with the furniture. I have a Ford Escape so I usually move all the small breakable stuff myself with a few trips in my car and then get the boys and a Uhaul to move the furniture.

Last time I got some beer for during the move and took em out to dinner that night. We're all pretty young so I think thats fairly acceptable for us poor kids. I always do most of it myself anyway and then only get help for the big things that need strong guys to lift and carry up and down stairs.

I've only hired movers once - and that was for my only in-town move! Funny now that I think about it.

My parents have helped me move in state to state moves. Dad gets around the U-haul state to state charges by renting it in his town and returning it there. (Not so sure we're saving money once you add in the gas on either non-moving end!)
So for the folks... I just fill my car and their truck at each gas stop.

The intown move, I hired movers and they were crybabies. Third floor walk up to third floor walk up (which I specified on the phone) and they acted as if that wasn't part of the deal.

My last move, I handled everything I could shove in the car on multiple trips then two guys from work helped me with the bulky furniture. I bought pizza during the move and gave them both $30 gift cards to an electronics store.

The best part of moving the small stuff is... you can get your house pretty well set up (kitchen, bath and closets in order) before the big stuff shows up. I love that element!

my last couple of moves: I moved the boxes that I could then hired movers for the "big stuff". it seems everyone is so busy and their backs are bad (are we just getting old??) so it seemed much easier in every way to hire movers vs. ask for favors.

i've always moved myself, even cross country. well, i employ all of my big strong boy friends to help, but im a pretty tough girl and don't mind heavy lifting.

i pay in pizza and beer.

I'm on the receiving end of the move right now but it's payback time though since my best friend of 35 years has helped me move at least twice over the years and now I'm helping him and his wife and child move from a 2 bedroom, 1 bath house to a somewhat larger 4 bedroom 1 full, 2 half bath house. Most of the smaller stuff has been either moved or in a storage unit and this weekend is the actual move of the remaining furniture.

Fortunately, they are only moving a short distance away in the same community and pay us with food and libations of various sorts. :-)

Hey, what can go wrong with free food and drink?

I have hired movers for the last 2 moves and I think it is well worth the money. I love my friends but no one really WANTS to help you move (unless you repay the favor, and I'm not sure I want to). I also like the drop-dead deadline of the guys showing up with the truck-- if you haven't packed it, they won't be able to move it for you. I know if I were doing it myself with friends it would take days.

With one or two exceptions in the distant past, I always do my own packing but hire movers. After 20 years of this, I can do a more accurate cost estimate than many of the guys sent out by the moving companies.

The glamor of extensive heavy lifting wore off early for me.

I hired movers once b/c I had a large sofa that was tricky to get up the stairs and through the narrow doors and hallways of my new place. First, they called to tell me that the previous job had run over and they couldn't make it. Since it was the last day of the month and we had to be out (I had told them this when the move was arranged), I had to fight to get them to even show up. And once they did, jeez did they put me on edge with their constant complaining over how hard the sofa was to move - um, that's why I hired a *moving* company. At one point I thought the two guys were going to come to blows! A few months ago my family and bf helped me move the sofa from that same apartment with very little drama. To thank them I took them all out to a nice dinner.

i've moved MANY times, never with movers, although i've sworn to use them next time...to thank friends/helpers we always buy them beer and pizza, and promise to help THEM move next time, which is really the most appreciated gesture.

I always ask friends to help and rent a truck for a day. The small stuff i move by myself, taking a bit every day. For the "Thank you " i take my friends out to a good restaurant.

I've always moved myself and with the help of some friends. Free coffee and pastries early and food & drinks later are always involved for everyone.

For our next move, I think we will hire movers for the big & delicate stuff. With a kid in tow and nicer pieces of furniture, I think it would be wise and less stressful to hire professional & insured movers.

I have both used movers and gotten help from friends. The best arrangement is to ask your friends to help you pack, then have the professional movers move everything. My last move, no professionals involved, required 8 friends and took 3 days, literally, as I moved from a house to a highrise building. I also suggest that you arrange for significant overlap time (1-2 weeks min) between the occupancy of your new place and the end of your occupancy of your old place. The more time you have the less harried you will be.

The best move I ever had, if there can be one, was one of 100 yards between two apartments on the same block. I got 14 friends to come over the course of a weekend, with everyone helping out for about 2 hours on average. I had sandwiches, pizza, beer, beautiful weather, it really turned into a big moving party.

I usually have 2 guys and 1 woman help me move and buy them dinner. When I leave my current apartment I'll probably hire movers because its a 4th floor walk up. To get in here I had 4 guys help and paid the two I wasn't related to $20 each afterwards.

I just moved last week, we had been moving smaller stuff in our car for a week or so, then the big stuff over the weekend. Everyone who was to help all of a sudden could not show, (my daughters freinds, they were hung over) except for one. So my hubby, a 19 year old and myself moved everything (Upstairs condo, brutal) We said never again! Next time we are hiring.
We hired drivers when we moved from NY to Las Vegas, and it was worth the money since they unloaded too. I will never again move myself!!

One of the ways I thank friends for helping me move is to be completely packed when they get there on moving day. I make sure that there is a case of cold bottled water for the move and provide the traditional pizza and beer for when we're done.

The most important thank you is helping them move too. They may end up waiting for a few years to collect your debt, but it is worth it. If I'm helping a friend move, I'll collect boxes for them the week before, as well as bring extra sharpies and a roll of packing tape on the day of the move. I show up on time, and don't stop until we're done.

I can't afford to buy people thank you gifts at this point in my life. I think when I get to that point, I'll be hiring professionals to help me move.

I think if you make a decent amount of money, it's just not cool to ask your friends to help you move. I think it's the same as going on an awesome vacation and asking people to drive you to the airport... a cab is $20 - $50 depending on where you live and you're going to Paris and you didn't budget the cab fare into your trip and now you want me to drive you at 4am?? Come on. Same with moving. It's like the worst thing you could ask a friend to do for you. I would rather save up for other favors like helping me out in a pinch when something unplanned and bad happens.

But for broke friends or younger friends who don't have money to pay movers, of course you gotta help out. Thems the rules.

I would never pay for a "professional" to move me. I ask friends and relatives and usually pay them afterwards, but if they insist on doing it free, I pay them back by making them dinner or buying a case of beer.