Moving yourself can be a real pain. Using a full service moving company can be a real expensive pain. I have found the best alternative to those options is one of the self pack moving companies.

To satisfy your own concerns, you can get quotes from full serve movers but I’m confident you’ll go with the self pack movers unless you have a major time constraint or physical limitations. The area you live in will have several of these firms for you to choose from. I suggest you contact at least three and get prices and references from each. It is very important that you reach out to the references and find out from them how satisfied they were with their moves. Based on their feedback, your impression of the firms and their price quote, you’ll be in a good position to make the best decision on which mover to use.

With one of the self pack moving companies, you can save time and money. You’ll do the packing, they’ll do the moving. One of the advantages I’ve found going this way is that I can pack at my own pace. I don’t have to worry about being home when someone else is packing my things. I’ve had “packing parties” with a few friends to help me out. Of course I’d suggest you make the refreshments non-alcoholic.

You can get all of your supplies from the self pack company you select or from a couple other sources. Some people go to liquor stores and ask for spare empty cases. That reduces your box expense dramatically. You can go to an office supply store or a full serve moving company. You’ll also be able to find moving supplies at storage companies. By making a few phone calls you’ll find the best deal and save yourself unnecessary expense.

When you do the packing, get some tips from your mover. Find out what they suggest to prevent breakage. How should you mark your boxes, what about an inventory? By taking time on the front end you’ll prevent damage and dissatisfaction on the back end. Your mover will tell you when you need to label boxes “fragile” and when to include “this side up”. I’ve found it helps to keep the weight of the boxes as consistent as possible. Too many very heavy boxes could get shipped on top of fragile boxes and crush the lighter boxes in storage or transit.

If you have a car to relocate, there are many companies that can handle that for you. My personal experience has been with a California auto transport company and a New Jersey auto transport company. You will be able to find several using a web search and each will send you a quote via email. Besides price, I suggest you find out how the vehicle will be protected when it’s shipped and check a couple of references too.

Posted on February 22nd, 2009 by admin
Filed under: Fun Stuff