August 19th, 2010 | 
Author: What is the largest and heaviest of our belongings that we all must move when moving from one place to another? Yip, you guessed it. Furniture is heavy bulky and can be down right impossible to get through door ways and up tricky flights of stairs. If you want to have a much easier move and you also want to save a bit of money then you can hire people to do your furniture move while you box up and move everything else. If you have a lot of heavy furniture or live in a high-rise building then get professionals for your furniture move is going to be worth it. Whether you take my advice or not here are a few things to keep in mind before you move your furniture.
Plan Ahead
You got that furniture into the place you live so you know what it is going to take to get it out, but you need to consider the difficulties of getting that same furniture into your new place. Doorways might be a bit smaller, ceilings lower, corners and stairs could even be trickier. Take your furniture apart as much as possible so that you won’t have trouble getting it into its new home.
Hire Help
I still strongly recommend hiring help moving your furniture. If you do take this advice than you will need to book movers ahead of time. Keep in mind time of year will directly effect how hard it is going to be to get your desired dates for your move. Unless you all ready know some good furniture movers then you will need time to get some good references from friends or do some research to know which of your local movers will be the best.
Have Proper Equipment
If you plan on moving your own furniture then make sure you have the best equipment on hand to make the move easier. You don’t want to hurt yourself and you certainly don’t want to have to run out on moving day to find what you need. Consider getting moving blankets, a heavy duty hand truck, and traps. Also don’t forget to get a rental tuck.
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There a many ways to move you things from your old home to your new one. Moving containers is becoming an increasingly popular option. Before you move you should think about all of your moving options before you decide which one is best for you. Here are some to think about.
Full Service Movers
Full service movers are the most expensive way to go if you are moving very far. If you are just moving across town then hiring people with a moving truck that will do the heavy lifting and even take apart your furniture is not quit so bad. Generally when we are talking about full service movers we are talking about hiring a large moving company that can pack your belongings in there boxes, put everything in there truck and drive it to your new home, store everything if you need them to, and then deliver and unload for you.
Moving Containers and Moving Pods
Moving containers and moving pods is my favorite way of moving long distance. You can get a few containers delivered to your residence, pack them at your own rate, and then get them picked up and driven to there destination for you. You can also have these containers stored in there warehouse if you need some time. This method does tend to be more expensive then just renting a rental truck or using your own vehicle, but the convenience can be worth it.
Moving Trucks
Moving trucks are a great option if you have too much stuff to mail or the distance is too great to use your own vehicle. Even if you are moving just a few miles renting a moving truck can save you lots of time since you can make fewer trips. In my experience the rental truck always costs at least twice what you think it will.
Moving With Your Own Vehicles
Unless you don’t have much to move, moving with your own vehicles is a lot of work and can take a really long time. If you aren’t moving far then this is one place you can save a lot of money moving. I moved a few years ago just using an old van and the trunk of a car. It took three days, still not sure if the money saved was worth it.
Moving With the Post Office
Moving with the Post Office only works if you are not moving much. This is very likely the most expensive way to move per pound. We used the post office to move once from Anchorage to Albuquerque. We got rid of almost everything and shipped the rest. It was easy to do and cost us less then moving everything we owned in a rental truck. That was over nine years ago and we still have a few boxes from that time that are still sealed. Obviously they were not worth the time and money to ship. Just make sure you really want everything that you ship or else you will be wasting your money.
Getting your hands on cheap boxes is a must for moving in this down economy. Ok, getting cheap boxes for moving in any economy is a great idea. If you want to save money on your moving boxes then you need to plan ahead so that you don’t have to spend your moving money on expensive boxes from your moving company or the ones offered by the company you are renting your moving truck or moving container from. So if you shouldn’t get these convenient boxes then what boxes should you be looking for.
Great Source for Cheap Boxes
Did you know that you can get cheap boxes that are used? These are quality boxes that have been gently used. By getting these boxes used you are doing your part keep some cardboard out of the trash heap. When you are finished your move you also have the option of reselling those boxes. You won’t get your money back, but you will get some back to help offset your moving expenses.
What’s better than Cheap Boxes? Free Boxes!
One thing to keep in mind when you use free boxes as opposed to cheap boxes made for moving is that these boxes were custom made for whatever came in them. Free boxes are often in odd sizes, don’t have lids, are dirty, or are very thin. If that is just fine with you then here are a few places to look for free boxes. You can look for them at groceries stores, liquor stores, retail stores, and hospitals. These days most cardboard is broken up and crashed while still inside the building, so looking in garbage bins out back is no longer the thing to do. You are going to have to ask, and ask, and ask some more. Many employees that you ask are going to be unpleasant about it, but that’s OK. You know that you are making sure these boxes get used at least one more time before getting thrown away.
Piano really do need to be moved the right way. Unless you know everything there is to know about moving a piano then don’t attempt it yourself. In fact if you do no everything there is to know about pianos then you probably wouldn’t want to move such a delicate and heavy instrument yourself. You need a piano move, where do you get good piano movers.
Yellow Pages
I know it seems obvious, but you could start by looking in the yellow pages. There are plenty of moving firms that specialize in moving complicated things like pianos. Call some of those numbers and ask lots of questions you should get a good feel if they know what they are talking about or not. Of coerce it would be better if you knew they were good at moving pianos. If you don’t personally know someone that has recently had a piano moved and it worked out great then you really don’t know what this moving company is going to be like.
Piano Sellers
If you want a company that moves a lot of pianos and does a great job then call the stores that move the pianos for them. These stores wouldn’t use people that are not going to move it the right way. If they won’t tell you who they use then call the next one on the list, someone will talk to you. If they have there pianos moved in house then maybe they will let you pay them to move your piano. You never know until you ask.
Moving Cheap is always a great idea especially now. I have hit this particular point numerous times, but it is so important that we will take another shot at it.
Pack Rats Have The Most Expensive Moves
Most of the time the most expensive part of a move is the moving of your stuff. If moving cheap is a priority to you than hanging onto unnecessary objects is going to bust your budget. If you don’t need it or you haven’t used it for the last 6 month then get rid of it before you move. Of course there are exceptions like seasonal and Things that mean a lot to you.
Even better than just throwing your unneeded things out you can sell them. Think about listing those objects on Ebay, Creags List, Yahoo Auctions, Your local want ads, or having a garage sale. You could help pay for your move with the things you sell.
Most of us do not have the choice of what time of year they can move. Usually there are outside factors that dictate when we move like; a new job, the sale of a house, kids schools, and getting evicted. I hope you are not moving because of eviction, but it does happen. If you do have the choice of when you move and need to be moving cheap then pick winter.
Many places around the country have a ton of ice and snow during certain months. You should probably avoid those times. Moving trucks usually don’t have studs or snow tires. But you will have to use your own judgment on that. Moving cheap is also quite possible in the early spring and late fall. Just avoid the summer.
Why should you avoid the summer if at all possible? Everyone and there dog is trying to move during the summer. You are going to be competing with a lot of other people for movers, moving trucks, and those containers for container moving. Just remember the law of supply and demand. The demand is higher than the supply in the summer so they can charge a premium. In the winter the demand is much lower than the supply so they are more likely going to give you a discount to get your biasness. Moving cheap in the winter is definitely the best way to go if you can.
Winter can also be a better time to get a rental or buy a home. Since most people are not looking in the winter so you might get to work with a desperate seller or land lord. This of coerce depends on the housing market. It does not hurt to try.
Moving in this economy can be tricky. Most of us out there are very interested in saving every last penny that we possibly can. Moving is generally down right expensive and can cause a lot of stress. Saving money by moving cheapis simply a must to ensure we can enjoy our new home instead of just being overwhelmed by all the money it took to get there. Here are a few things to do to keep your move cheap.
Move less Stuff
If you are moving cheap than this is the best way to save money. When you move your biggest expense is moving your stuff. You pay a lot to get your belongings from point A to Point B. Call a moving company or self moving truck rentals to get a quote for moving all of your stuff. Now with that quote in hand make a list of your things and how much it would cost to replace them or if you could easily live without it. This will be your biggest indicator of what to sell or give away. The time you spend doing this will be worth it in the end.
Do your own Heavy Lifting
Movers charge a lot for the convenience of loading and unloading the truck for you. If you are moving cheap than do your own heavy lifting. Also skip having your furniture and breakables packed and unpacked for you because it is going to cost a bundle. If you really need the extra help than call in some fevers from family and friends. You could also hire a shout group or some neighborhood kids to help. Then get a rental moving truck or a moving container.
You’re moving to a new city because of a new job, but you don’t know where you will live yet. You book the first moving company you see in the phonebook. They come to your house to get your stuff and pack it into there truck. When you get to your new city you find out that finding a place to live is going to take longer than you thought. The moving company says “no problem we can store your things in our where house for an extra fee. One month later you have finally found a decent place to move into and you are ready for your furniture and clothing to be delivered.
How much was that storage bill?
To avoid the extremely expensive storage fees that moving companies like to charge try these.
1. Find a temporary home to rent that can hold your things ahead of time. You can use it as a base to explore the area and take the time to find the perfect place to live permanently.
2. Get the moving company to deliver to a storage facility of your choice. Any other storage is going to be cheaper than what the moving company is going to charge you for using their where house. Keep in mind that you will need to spend a little more money when you are ready to move your stuff into your new home.
3. Use a container moving company with storage facilities. This can be expensive and you will need to do your own loading and unloading, but it is still going to be cheaper than the above scenario.
I am as cheap as they come, even when it comes to moving house. So, anytime someone tries to get me to pay extra on anything, I can’t help questioning the expense. Every time you move you are taking the chance that your belongings could be damaged or the moving equipment you are using could be damaged and you would be liable. The question is if you are moving cheap, should you get moving insurance.
Check the insurance that you already have
If you are renting a moving truck then check with your car insurance to see if it might cover your rental truck as well. Most cat insurances don’t, but a few do. If you are concerned about an expensive piece of furniture or electronics than check your home owners or renters insurance.
Are your things worth insuring?
How hard would it be to replace your most breakables? If you are using movers for your cheap move then it is almost a given that something is going to get damaged. If you don’t care if one or two of the items being moved are destroyed then don’t bother insuring your stuff.
You have to think of everything when you are moving cheap
How much of the stuff that you have do you use all the time? Generally the biggest expense when moving is getting your stuff from the old place to the new one. It doesn’t matter if you hire a professional moving company, get a moving truck rental, use moving pods, or transport everything in your own van or truck the less stuff you have to move the cheaper it is going to be. Even that last option is cheaper in gas if you can make fewer trips. Here are a few things to keep in mind while deciding what is worth keeping and what can go.
Start with the things you have permanently stored. Separate the seasonal things like Christmas decorations and lawn furniture that you use every year out from the rest. Then pull out the keepsakes you have to keep. The rest is just a waste of space and moving costs, just let it go.
Thin out everything behind doors and in drawers. Chances are you only use what is in front and on top. Go though coat closets and junk drawers. These tend to be dumping places. If you don’t know what to do with it or where is should go then you probably don’t need it.
Go though your clothes. Most people only wear 20% of there clothing. Figure out what you haven’t worn in the last year and then try to get rid of the rest.
Books, magazines, movies, and music are heavy and take up a lot of room. Try to get rid of as much of them as you can. You can sell some books, movies, and music to earn a little extra moving money.
Good luck moving cheap, I know you can do it.