We just finished moving (again) and now consider ourselves mini experts on the subject. This is the first in a series of tips on moving in the Bay Area.
Getting Packed:
Laundry baskets and a few orange boxes from the grocery store worked fine when we were in college but now that we are starting to amass things we need boxes, and a lot of them. Bay Area Box Express not only offers moving boxes at half the price of Uhaul but better yet, they will deliver them to your house!
Coming from someone who has moved 5 times in 17 months (don't ask) having a professional packer come to you with ALL of the necessary supplies is the best way to go.
Why? Here are my reasons, in no particular order:
1. They bring every shape/size box you could possibly need and they only use what you need.
2. They use newspaper to wrap, BUT (and this is key) it is NOT PRINTED on yet, so no messy ink on your hands or your stuff when you unwrap.
3. No messy ink on your hands and stuff b/c you're not wrapping anything
4. Special spongey wrapping/boxes for mirrors and prints
5. Greater efficiency. The continuity of the boxes make it easier to put in a moving truck, instead of the utter randomness of dumpster diving for boxes that are every imaginable shape and size.
...and last but NOT least
6. Unexpectedly inexpensive for the value. My 1-bed apartment with a LOT of tchotkes was less than $300 and they were done in less than 3 hours!!!
view SF_Gal's profile
We used professional packers/movers last time, which seemed like a good idea...but they packed for their own movers, who could lift much, much heavier boxes than my roommate or I can. So for months we had a giant stack of heavy boxes in the living room, couldn't move them or access them.
Perhaps better movers would have anticipated this, but at the time it didn't occur to us as a possible problem.
view thursday's profile
To comment on Thursday's comment...my packer knew I was doing the move either myself with day-laborers and a U-Haul or another moving company altogether.
view SF_Gal's profile
SF_Gal, please share the name of your packing company with us! I had NO idea having a packer could be so affordable, and since our family has a toddler & is planning an overseas move, I can use all the help I can get.
view jessicat's profile