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There’s just one thing standing between you and enjoying life in your new house. Packing up your current home and transporting all your belongings to the new place. Now you’re faced with a decision – do you rent a truck and do it yourself or do you hire professional movers? Do you try and save money by tackling this project yourself, or should you sacrifice the cash by outsourcing the work? What’s the right decision? Is there a wrong decision? Keep reading below where we’ll list out your options and give you the pros and cons of each scenario to hopefully, help you make an informed choice.
Moving Yourself
When you choose the route of moving yourself, you’re responsible for every part of the move. You buy your own boxes and pack them yourself, load them into your car or rented truck and unload it all at the new place. If you don’t have a lot of stuff and aren’t moving far, this is by far your cheapest and easiest option. A college student moving one bedroom’s worth of belongings to a new apartment across town is a much more manageable task than a family of five moving their entire home’s worth of stuff across the state.
However, if you do have a lot of stuff and still want to move yourself to save money, it’s important to note all the costs associated with this option. While we’ve all seen those rented trucks driving around town, advertising low prices, those are not flat fees. There are often charges for mileage, insurance, taxes, dollies and let’s not forget fuel. These types of trucks often have a low MPG rate in the teens, meaning that if you’re driving any length of distance more than just across town, gas costs will add up quickly! And let’s not forget, you’ll have to find gas stations along your route that can accommodate such a large truck, as not every corner gas station will be able to.
Another important cost to account for is your time investment. The simple act of packing everything in boxes and loading it on the truck is not only time consuming but exhausting! And then you are still responsible for unloading everything once you reach your destination. Moves often take longer than we believe they will so it’s important to account for extra time and if you can recruit some friends to help out!
The self-pack middle ground
If you can’t see yourself doing the job on your own, but you also don’t want to pay for professional movers, there is a middle ground! You can look into the self-pack option, in which you will still be responsible for supplying the boxes and packing everything but instead of renting a truck, a moving company of your choice will drop off a shipping container at your home. You can then load everything up into the container, and they will come back for it and transport it to your new location. While you will still have to unload everything at your destination, you won’t have to worry about the hassle of renting a large truck and driving it.
While this option does save you money when compared to full-service movers, you will still invest quite a bit of time and energy in the loading and unloading process. But if you’re looking to cut costs and reduce stress where you can, consider the compromise of a self-pack move.
Full-service professional movers
Moving can be a stressful time for so many different reasons! By hiring professional movers, you can reduce a large amount of stress by knowing everything will be handled for you. From packing to transporting to unloading, a full-service moving company will do it all for you! Now, this perk does not come without its costs – you’ll definitely pay for what you get with this option. But while your movers pack and transport your belongings, you can focus on other elements of the move that need your attention. And thanks to the option of damage coverage, that most companies offer, you can rest assured your grandma’s antique china from her wedding will not only be packed securely but if something should happen, you’ll be covered.
Many companies offer a multitude of packages you can choose from. If you prefer to pack and unpack your own items, you can opt to just have your movers do the heavy lifting, loading, and unloading of the truck. This is an excellent option for those that want to save where they can without taking on all the stress and responsibility.
No right or wrong choice
When it comes to moving, there is no one size fits all choice. With so many options to choose from, you can make the choice that best fits your needs and budget.
If you need help deciding which option you should go with, please contact us at Family Matters. With over 25 years of experience, we understand that moving is a stressful process and we are here to help you navigate this change and make it as stress-free as possible.
Not only are we full-service professional movers but we will help you declutter along the way so that only the essentials make their way to your new home. Additionally, we understand that moving is an emotional process and are here to offer you FREE emotional support throughout the move!
Please don’t hesitate to reach out to us and together, we can make this move one you’ll look back on with a smile and nothing but good memories!
together!