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An inclusive Lemmy network for progressive preppers; inclusive community for all women, LGBTQIA+, and men. Our goal is to provide a place for like-minded individuals to come together during trying times & share ideas about prepping, homesteading, home security, activism, legal self defense/hunting, & more.

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goldenquetzal@lemmy.world

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Moving Tips Megathread (lemmy.world)

submitted 3 months ago by goldenquetzal@lemmy.world to c/shtf_preppers@lemmy.world

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As someone who moved last year and paid way too much and then had the moving company go "why didn't you just do it like this" here's my pro tips for saving money moving:

If you need to store things, have a moving company that is insured load your stuff (or count on your renters/homeowners insurance since it's less expensive and SHOULD cover it).
You don't have to pay to have them pack unless you want to.
Have the company deliver and unload it to an actual storage unit near your chosen domicile. Storage units are usually like 1/4 the cost of using a POD or anything else and they're way more secure than you'd think. It would have cost us at least 65-75% less if we had done it that way.
If you provide the boxes, moving blankets, and tape, they won't charge you an arm and a leg for their supplies if you want them to pack.
Pack books in things with wheels or you'll break your back. and if it's gonna be in storage for a hot minute, wrap the books in paper individually and store in totes to keep them weather proof. You can throw in some desiccant packets too

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[–] goldenquetzal@lemmy.world 1 points 3 months ago

Tips from group members:

My moving guys worked out a deal with me to work for cash at 1/5th of the price. Your renters/ home owners insurance is better than a moving company 's. Movers insurance is something like .34c per lb, ask me how I know.
I also tipped them very very well both days, like 30% under the table
I also asked them how much they made for how fast they packed my house (it was under 20 bucks an hour)
Buy them lunch and get them something to drink
Get the movers' numbers, give them big tips, and they'll offer to help you move paying them directly instead of using the sales middle men

[–] Depress_Mode@lemmy.world 1 points 3 months ago* (last edited 3 months ago) (1 children)

Have the company deliver and unload it to an actual storage unit near your chosen domicile. Storage units are usually like 1/4 the cost of using a POD or anything else and they’re way more secure than you’d think. It would have cost us at least 65-75% less if we had done it that way.

My moving guys worked out a deal with me to work for cash at 1/5th of the price. Your renters/ home owners insurance is better than a moving company 's. Movers insurance is something like .34c per lb, ask me how I know.

Could you elaborate? Is this assuming for some reason you aren't able to get everything into your new place, and you'll require either an extra storage unit or a POD no matter what? Are you just talking about the savings between the two? How do you save money using a storage unit? Did the moving company offer lower rates for storage containers, or is it for some other reason? If you don't already have a unit to deliver to, that's going to be an additional expense to factor in. Was the price that much cheaper just because it was handled through rental/home insurance? How did that work?

If you even use a moving company in the first place, I'd assume the moving company has a hand truck, so putting heavy stuff (e.g. books, weights, pots/pans, etc.) in a box is fine, just set them aside for the hand truck. That said, I've never hired a moving company to move, myself, and we never used one growing up; rent or borrow a truck or trailer (they often come with a hand truck. Otherwise, I think hand trucks can perhaps be rented from some places, or you might have to ask around for one to borrow) and if you have some friends/family you can convince help you move, that'll speed it up immensely. Thanking your friends with donuts/OJ/coffee when they show up in the morning and pizza/soda/beer for lunch (and maybe even dinner afterward) is probably cheaper than hiring a moving company, but I guess I haven't looked at any moving rates. I don't have experience with any super long-distance moves, either, so getting people to help you for every step might not be feasible, but in that case, you could at least maybe get help loading up the truck. If you still require help unloading, perhaps you could hire a couple guys hanging outside Home Depot or off of Craigslist for a few hours? Your new neighbors might also be willing to help you carry a couple heavy or bulky things in for free if you're unable of doing it yourself.

The only other tip I have to add is that you can sometimes get free boxes from grocery stores and such. I've had better luck with places with deal with a lot of produce and places that are less corporate (some large chain stores have policies against giving away free empty boxes).

I might question the relevance of this thread in this community in the first place, though. Perhaps c/lifeprotips might be better?

[–] goldenquetzal@lemmy.world 2 points 2 months ago* (last edited 2 months ago)

Is this assuming for some reason you aren’t able to get everything into your new place, and you’ll require either an extra storage unit or a POD no matter what?

Yes, that's correct - this is if you need to hold some of your things in storage because you cannot move into your new domicile right away or if you are renting or in a temporary living situation while looking for something more permanent.

Are you just talking about the savings between the two? How do you save money using a storage unit?

That's correct, just the savings between the two; PODs cost a LOT of money depending on the size of the POD to store. Think almost $1000 or higher per month, and you don't really have access to it because it's stored in an enormous facility. A storage unit can cost around $20-100 per month so you're saving a gigantic amount of money if you need to store your belongings.

Did the moving company offer lower rates for storage containers, or is it for some other reason? If you don’t already have a unit to deliver to, that’s going to be an additional expense to factor in.

Our moving company did not; we found a separate storage facility. Moving companies base their fees on a few things in addition to moving materials and their insurance - how long it takes to pack (if you have them pack), load at the first location, transport to the second location, and then unload at the second location. They don't really care where they are unloading. So the process would be: first obtain a storage unit, then arrange the movers. (edit to remove trailing sentence)

Was the price that much cheaper just because it was handled through rental/home insurance? How did that work?

Prices for movers will be much cheaper if you don't get their insurance and if you supply the moving materials yourself. We personally asked multiple movers for breakdowns of what their packing materials cost and realized it was significantly less money for us to buy them separately and then give them to the movers to use. Bonus is that we got to keep the extras and sell them on Craigslist or FB market afterward vs the moving company taking certain things back (eg moving blankets, extra paper for packing, etc.) We also were able to pile up the boxes we used that we had obtained from local bookstores (super sturdy, great source for moving boxes too, in addition to your suggestions) and give them away for free once we'd finally moved in to someone else who needed them.

For your other notes: movers in this case are really most beneficial if you have a full home to move or if you're moving long distance. You can definitely ask friends for help, but as you get older, that becomes less and less of an option esp with the more household goods you own lol so at some point it's just easier for your health and the sake of your friendship/family goodwill to have movers handle things.

Relevance in this community - part of prepping being discussed now is preparing to flee if necessary since many people in our community are part of marginalized groups. We share tips from all areas that relate to that. :)