Walking the Rightsizing Walk — Part 4: Moving Day Ways to Save

The movers stormed the house like a SWAT team, dismantling large pieces of furniture as if they were Legos. They loaded all our earthly belongings into a giant truck then drove away. And just like that, we were de-homed.

An hour later, my husband, DC, and I are outside an ice cream stand stress-eating ice cream because that’s what you do when your world is upended. It’s sort of working but doesn’t change the fact that we are in limbo, and we will be for weeks. Maybe, it occurs to me, forever.

“Every single thing we own is not where it was a week ago,” I say to DC trying to put words to the upheaval I’m feeling while I sneak my plastic spoon into his salted chocolate caramel, “and it’s not where it’s going to go,” I say with my mouth full. “In fact, I don’t even know where it’s going to go.” My breaths are coming short and fast like the last gasps of a fish that can’t get enough oxygen.

For someone like me who needs to nest like an Osprey, moving from my home of eight years to nowhere feels like falling out of a plane with no parachute. But I need to get used to this unsettled feeling as our new home won’t be ready for weeks. I eat more ice cream.

The plan, which sounded great in theory, was Number One, sell the house at a nice profit (check). Number Two, buy a new less expensive house that has everything we want (including no mortgage) but that needs cosmetic renovating (check). Number Three, satisfy our buyer’s home inspection requirements, move out, leave the old house empty, sparkling and clean, park our household possessions in storage and live elsewhere while we renovate (check). Now we’re displaced and about to embark on a major renovation, which is Number Four, before we get to Number Five, the part where we move in and hope to God our vision plays out and we don’t regret this. Regret is a real possibility.

Pass the ice cream.

When panic sets in, every 15 minutes, I try to focus on how far we’ve come. I look at the high hurdles we’ve cleared between where we were pre-home sale and where we are. But we still have hurdles ahead. To get through this, I need the faith of the Virgin Mary and the fortitude of Rosa Parks.

Meanwhile, as this is one of those control-what-you-can situations, I reassure myself that we hired what appears to be a good moving company and have done our part to keep moving costs down. Next time you are gearing up for a move, and don’t say I didn’t warn you, here are a few ways to come out ahead:

·       Choose a reputable company. Get a few bids, but don’t consider any moving company that isn’t licensed and insured. We got bids from three reputable companies that offered not only moving but also storage. When sizing up our job, two of the companies came up with the same weight guestimate. Even though all else was apples to apples, one company’s estimate was dramatically less ($4,000 less) than its competitor’s.  Shopping saves.

·       Ask how they charge. Some movers charge by weight, some by cubic feet, especially for local moves, and some by the hour. For long-distance moves, they typically charge by miles traveled or a combination of mileage and weight.

·       Check reviews. Not all movers are created equal. Some are terrible, even criminal. A look at online reviews of movers is enough to make you stay in one place forever. You’ll read about companies that hold freight hostage sometimes for literal ransom. Others disappear for weeks. Some treat your fragile items like King Kong treats boulders. And if a truck is not fully filled, they sometimes “package” your move with someone else’s.

·       Move what you can yourself. A hybrid move, where you rent your own truck and move some items yourself and save the big stuff for the pros will save you. Because we were not renovating the primary bathroom or the adjoining closets, we packed our clothing and bath items in a U-Haul, and moved those items in ourselves the day we closed on the house. I put all bedding in large trash bags labeled by bedroom, and, because most moving companies won’t move bags, only boxes, those, too, went into the U-Haul. We stored those in the primary bathroom, as well. We also moved in kitchen and laundry room items because, although the flooring in those areas was being replaced, the cupboards in these rooms were not. Items inside would be protected. Moving these key areas ourselves saved a lot in moving costs and would give us a big head start on actual moving day, which was still weeks away.

·       Pack up. You will also save by packing items that you aren’t moving yourself and have boxes ready for the movers to lift and load. Label each box on at least two sides identifying the room it should go in and contents.

·       Save on supplies. You will need far more boxes and packing material than you think. Start saving all your incoming boxes from deliveries as soon as you know you’re moving. Also ask for boxes at your local grocery or liquor store. Hoard them. Our local U-Haul facility has a box area where folks discard gently used moving boxes for other to grab for free. I depleted this supply several times. Also, rather than packing your towels, throw pillows and blankets, using them as protective padding in boxes will save on bubble wrap and packing paper.

·       Eat ice cream.

CAPTION: The Right Moves —Choosing the right moving company can make or (literally) break your move. Do your due diligence. Be sure they’re licensed, insured and have excellent reviews. Photo courtesy of Marni Jameson.