Moving: Getting Your Stuff from Point A to Point B

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If only life were like “I Dream of Jeannie.” You could cross your arms, nod your head and viola! A hard project would be completed effortlessly. Nowhere is the desire for these magical powers stronger than when you have to move. Moving is stressful enough from calming your kids’ fears about going to a new and strange place, saying goodbye to friends and sorting through your stuff.

The last thing you want to worry about is actually physically moving your stuff. Here are some tips to help you get your stuff from where you live now to where you will live later. It’s not as difficult as you might think.

The Truck

Get a good moving truck. Make sure you look at all of the companies that rent trucks in your area. Compare rates, reviews and referrals. When you’re looking at price make sure you look at how much you will be charged per mile and per gallon of gas in addition to the day rate. Is there an additional charge if you’re picking up in one location and dropping off in another? Make sure you know those numbers before you sign on any dotted lines.

Make sure that you can actually drive the truck. We all think that we have the ability to drive our own gigantic moving trucks. If you live in a rural area you can probably maneuver the truck without incident. But are you confident in your ability to get the truck through narrow urban streets?

Hiring Movers

Some moving truck rentals furnish the truck and transportation and then let you hire movers separately. Others include the heavy lifters and are therefore required to get bonded through certain agencies and then get permits from the local department of transportation. They also have to have insurance in place should they damage anything of yours during the course of the move. If you’re hiring a company to take care of every aspect of the move for you, make sure the company has all of these things in place before you hire them.

Do a thorough background check on any company you’re thinking of hiring to facilitate your move. Ask for local references. Check them out with the Better Business Bureau and through sites like Yelp and Angie’s List. Make sure the company is on the up and up before you trust it with all of your worldly possessions.

Hiring Heavy Lifters

The good news is that you can hire pretty much anybody to do your packing and heavy lifting for you. In fact there are some moving companies that only offer those services. They come to your house, load your rented truck and then meet you at the new place and unload everything for you. Many people feel that this is the best of both worlds. They can oversee the move, make sure that their things get from point A and point B (anybody who has ever had movers show up late understands the panic that sets in when your stuff isn’t where someone promised it would be) and then oversee the unloading, without having to risk giving yourself (or your loved ones) a hernia.

Moving your life from one place to another is stressful. Use these tips to help you make sure the physical aspect of the moving goes as smoothly as possible.

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