Saving Money Moving?

[My English Castle]

Does any one have any advice on saving money while moving and packing?

It looks as if we are going to be moving in the next six months or so to help care for my aging mom.
We'll have a house to sell and buy, new jobs to find etc, but what I dread most is the packing and cleaning before the house goes on the market.

We anticipate packing ourselves, and probably moving the boxed stuff ourselves while getting a moving company to haul the furniture. We'll be moving about 350 miles. Anyone use those POD storage things? Have advice on cheap packing materials (my usual is the liquor store boxes), advice on how to evaluate a moving company? What to do before we move? Where to get cheap Valium(this is a joke, but I suspect I'll need it!)

[ktmarvels]

We asked our local grocery store for their apple boxes. Another option is see if there is a freecycle in your area or ask for packing supplies on craigslist.

[savingandinvesting]

You can order some of the packing materials from the Inernet and then rent a truck at a reasonably priced rental location.

Having moved a number of times myself, and the time that it takes, has led me to conclude that despite potential savings, I will hire someone the next time, and hopefully spend that time on other productive activities.

[sweeps]

One idea you may want to consider is using PODS (or one of their competitors), especially since you're selling your house. You can box up a lot of your stuff to make the house look less cluttered. Load it in the pod and have it stored off-site. Then when you're ready to move, it can be delivered right to your new house.

[scfr]

Ahh ... Moving .... This is something I know a thing or two (or three or ... ) about. My last move was last year (sold my house and moved in to a rental with a pretty typical 4 weeks between mutual acceptance and closing), and I'm moving again this year (half way across the country). Here are a few bits of advice:

1. If you don't already have a good comprehensive how-to manual, consider investing in the book "29 Days to a Smooth Move." It is absolutely the best, loaded with tips that will help you save money and time, and keep you on track. It's currently available for sale used at Amazon.com for $9 including shipping, and it's absolutely worth every penny of that. Much cheaper and better for you than Valium.

2. Moving Companies: For my last move, due to the short amount of time, I hired movers. I used "Checkbook.org" (a non-profit consumer rating business, not available in all areas) to choose a couple movers to interview and get quotes from. I ended up with a dream team; they did an absolutely perfect job. I did all of the packing myself and let them do all of the heavy lifting. They provided boxes. If Checkbook.org isn't available in your area, ask around for referrals. Do NOT choose the company that advertises the most --- The best moving companies don't need to advertise because they get their business by word of mouth. Check out any companies you are considering with the BBB.

3. Moving Trucks: This time around, I'm moving myself. I looked at many moving truck companies and went with Penske. They offer a 10% discount for booking on-line, and an additional 12% discount for AAA members for a total savings of 22% off of prices that are pretty competitive even at full price. A couple others members of this forum have also used Penske recently.

3. Moving Company vs. Moving Truck: When you interview moving companies, get quotes for not only moving your furniture, but for moving everything (including boxes) as well. You may find that it's cheaper to either use the moving company for the entire move, or do the entire move youself, rather than trying to do a hybrid of the two.

4. DIY Move: If you decide to do the entire move yourself, check out these things they sell called "Forearm Forklifts" that you strap around your arms and use to move furniture, mattresses, etc. I have not used them and won't be using them this time (I have sold off most of my furniture), but they look awfully slick and I would definitely consider buying them if I had heavy stuff to move.

5. PODS: I priced this prior to my last move and found the cost to be staggering, so I didn't do it.

6. Packing Materials: If you use a moving company you may not have to worry about this. But if you DIY, definitely look for free boxes and other materials from Freecycle or Craigslist.

Good Luck to you!

[pearlieq]

We used PODS for our last move and it was great! Very easy and inexpensive. It was a local move, though. I don't know how it works if it needs to be delivered a long distance.

We got large quanities of boxes pretty cheaply ordering directly though a company called Uline (Boxes, Shipping Boxes, Shipping Supplies, Packaging Materials, Cardboard Boxes - ULINE) They were very fast.

As for the valium, I hear that Canada is a great source for cheap drugs of questionable legality.

Good luck!

[My English Castle]

Thank you all for your advice. I've checked into PODS now, and although they look expensive up front, the convenience and ability to get the house ready seem worth the expene.
And I've ordered the book recommended, bu tam holding off on the valium.
Maybe I'll try margaritas instead.

[JanH]

One thing we find very useful is to go through everything before you start to pack it all up or as you go. It will be cheaper not to move things you don't want anymore. We failed to do that one time and moved all sorts of junk we didn't need to move. Fortunately, that time we were moving within the town! And after helping both kids move households this summer, I agree with the drinks. Too bad I can't tolerate alcohol!

[southerngal8]

I am moving in a few weeks to and decided to use " Units" , they are similar to Pods, and the cost was alot cheaper than moving my stuff to a storage unit and then hiring movers to pick it up an deliver it to my new place 3 hours away.
The moving quotes I got were around $1,800, and the total cost for Unit was $1,000, which includes all the delivery charges, storage and delivery to my place.
The only downfall is I have to load and un-load all of my stuff.

Good luck!