[*** minimaxer note: Part 4 of a 4 part series]
Moving is hard. There are so many details in the logistics. How do you decide the best way to move your precious new stuff?
For some people trying to get their stuff safely across the country it may be tempting to just farm it out to a moving company so they don’t have to think about it… but if you’re reading this blog I bet you have more of a DIY attitude. Your temptation may be to take the time to do it all yourself…
It’s important to evaluate the value you may get by hiring out some part of your move and not doing it all yourself.
There are clear reasons to do it all yourself – I almost did that with my move in this story. But once I did the financial evaluation it became clear that moving it all myself not only cost me more in terms of dollars, but it cost me a lot in terms of time and energy… not to mention potential safety concerns with driving a heavy trailer across country.
That said, your move may be small enough or local enough that doing it all yourself makes sense. In fact, if you’re moving less that 100 miles or so, it does make more sense to handle it all yourself if at all possible. The control you get from seeing it through from start to finish is well worth the effort on your part.
If your move is farther than that, you need to consider some key points before making the decision.
complexity
How much stuff you are moving, how much variety, and how many heavy items will determine the best method to choose for your move. If it’s all packing boxes roughly the same size and you can lift them yourself, then your choices are easier. But if your stuff has large, heavy or awkward items mixed in with boxes of various sizes and weights you may need a little more help.
In my case, it was a fairly complex move with several large and heavy items. I needed to get help loading them up on the from side, and I recruited a few strong local youngsters to help on the to side lifting the heavy equipment into place in my garage.
If your move is local and you can fit your stuff easily into your car or truck, then even driving a few loads within 100 miles can be possible. You may even be able to hire out a moving service to just move the one heavy and awkward item too – like a piano or large furniture – for a reasonable rate.
getting help
These days there are many moving services to choose from. If your stuff resembles a whole house move, you can work with a moving company that will load up your boxes and stuff into their semi trailer and carry it across country to unload it for you on the other side. But we are discussing smaller moves here so the cost of that white glove service is probably more than we would find reasonable.
In my case it came down to a choice between a storage pod and renting a Uhaul vehicle. The costs actually came out very close which made it more difficult for me… I am a frugal DIYer by nature so I was convincing myself that making the drive across country with all the stuff was going to be a fun adventure!
The trade offs were blurred too. If I rented the Uhaul it was ultimate control over the move (or so I thought) since I would have more time to pack the trailer and could take my time to deliver it on my schedule. Hiring out a moving service or storage pod meant I had to follow their schedule and wait for them to pick up and deliver at their convenience. I also had concerns about the quality of the move itself – would they be as careful with the drive as I would?
I factored in everything I could think of to make the decision: rental costs, car maintenance and gas vs plane fare, time, and stress. In the end it was very close and the few hundred dollars I would save by driving the load myself was more than offset by the time and stress I would save myself by not having to make the 4 day round trip journey in my own car.
It’s a good thing I’m married – my better half helped me see the wisdom of saving my energy and time to do the more important elements of the move and outsource the parts that would wear me down.
There were a couple of key areas I got significant help with the move.
heavy metal
On the from side, I had to manage the logistics of transporting a metal lathe (very heavy equipment) across town from my brother’s garage to my mom’s. It was well worth the cost of a professional moving company to handle this part for me. They even wrapped the equipment up tightly with plastic wrap which prepared it for the longer leg of the trip later.
I also learned some new tips and techniques or moving a heavy and awkward item by watching the pros in action. So I guess you could call it a crash course in heavy move skills.
Moving technology is amazing today!
I have to admit, the technology for moving is really impressive now. The folks at 1-800-Packrat were amazing and their system is fantastic. The machine they used to deliver and then pick up the pod I rented reminded me of a scene from iRobot. They were so gentle and patient with the pick up that I had confidence they would follow through with that in the cross country transport. Fortunately that was the case and there was no real problem with anything inside the pod when I opened it up in my driveway.
Last blog post we discussed the packing steps. I had to work on the Packrat schedule to load up the pod, which was probably for the best as it put a deadline on the calendar which kept me moving quickly through all the steps at my mom’s house. We even decided to move one of her blueberry bushes and I timed it so it was fresh out of the ground and in the truck just minutes before they picked it up! Sometimes working to a schedule helps you maximize your time too.
The only issue I had with the service was when I got impatient and tried to get the pod delivered earlier than scheduled. I could see it was in town at their staging yard, so I thought it would be a possibility to get the pod early and ensure the blueberry bush was happy.
I guess it was the moving busy season because they could’t manage to get the pod over to me early. Fortunately the blueberry is a hardy plant and although it was a bit parched, it survived and is starting to thrive in our garden at home now.
Probably the toughest part of using a company like 1-800-Packrat or another professional service is waiting for your stuff to arrive. We can talk about that next time…