Should I hire a mover?

Apr 23, 2012 9:02 AM by Alicia French

Posted in Home / Moving & Packing

Let Someone Else Do The Heavy Lifting

Just about everyone cringes at the thought of moving, even if you are excited about where you are going. The packing, purging, moving, organizing, and re-packing is a chore that most people have to fit into daily lives that include work, school and a million other things. Hiring a mover might seem pricey, but the savings in time and your energy could be worth every penny.

Woman with moving boxes

Figuring out whether hiring a mover is worth the cost involves considering a few factors, like how far you are moving, whether you have time off work, you have a toddler running around, etc. Weighing the pros and cons can help you determine if hiring a full-service mover, hiring partial help or doing it all yourself is the best option for you.

Distance

Some people make the assumption that a move just a few miles down the road doesn’t require a mover but if you don’t have a large vehicle, multiple trips can take their toll in terms of time and gas money. Having to pack and unpack your car each time you take a small load to your new place can turn a short move into a day-long event. Don’t just consider distance when figuring out your moving options; consider how many trips it will take you to get all of your things to the new location. If your new location is not nearby, making multiple trips back and forth can be stressful and a waste of time.

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Time

Are you taking time off to move or are you cramming the dreaded task into your weekend? What about packing? Time is money, and spending a little cash to save you some time could be worth the investment. Full-service moving packages include movers coming in and doing all or some of the packing, loading your goods, transporting them and unloading. Something that could easily take you weeks to accomplish can get done in just a few days by professionals, leaving you more time for all the other things going on in your life.

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Extra hands

Do you have friends willing to help? Is someone able to watch your kids while you move? Are you on your own? Having help can make a huge difference. If you have young children or pets, just having someone to watch them can mean you can help with the moving process. In addition, after the packing and transporting is done, someone likely needs to stay behind and clean your old place while someone else is at the new place unloading and getting organized. If friends are willing to help, designate set tasks to keep things organized. If not,consider hiring help, whether that be someone to actually help you move or someone to clean your old place.

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Moving options

Full-service moving companies base their quotes on a variety of factors including how far you are going, how much work they are doing, how large your home is and even how heavy the items are that you are asking them to move. If you are on a budget but still need help, consider what would save you the most time and energy, as well as what you are willing to do yourself -- for example, you could pack all your belongings and transport them, and just hire help to move your large furniture pieces or you could have movers pack some but not all of your things.

The other option is to rent a moving truck or trailer, which can be a good option for people on a budget or for people with a lot of extra help. A decent-sized truck can be inexpensive and help reduce the trips you make, saving you time and money. Companies like U-Haul or Penske have locations all over the country and offer a variety of sizes and prices to fit your needs.

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Comments

Comments on "Should I hire a mover?"

I decided to sell the majority of my stuff when i relocated to a different state. For what my material things cost to replace, and the thousands i would have spent hiring a professional state to state mover, I'm pretty sure I saved myself a bundle by bringing basics and buying some new things once I arrived.

Unless you have very minimal stuff, I think it's always worth the money. So many people try to do it on their own and end up asking for help. I think it's best just to let the professionals do it and you can worry about unpacking and getting reorganized!

Plastic bags make good padding when packing delicate items. The supermarket I shop at goes crazy with the bags, and I never know what to do with the 300+ bags stashed in my closet. When I moved last month I finally found a good use for all those bags. They kept my lamps, glasses and plates in one piece on the long ride from Salt Lake City to Cincinnati.

Having another person to help around the house can be invaluable, but if you have to go it alone then hiring extra help is probably a good option. If you need to borrow somebody's muscles for a couple of hours, staffing agencies like Labor Ready can provide workers on demand. If you decide to go with a moving company, however, consider buying moving insurance. Having a mover manhandle your great-grandmother's dining room table can cause anguish...but getting compensated for such things can alleviate some of that pain. I am somebody who has moved a lot.