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Movers Give These Tips for Avoiding Furniture Damage When Moving

By cchouston | January 28, 2020 | No Comments | Furniture Moving

Relocating and moving into a new home is always such an exciting and stressful time. There are so many details to consider, one of the biggest is avoiding damaging your treasured and valuable items, including your furniture. For many people, furniture is an investment that they can connect to precious memories. Hiring movers is an excellent way to ensure safe travels for your furniture, but even then, you must prepare for the move. Some excellent tips to avoid damaging your furniture when moving are the following:

1. Plan ahead.

Plan your move from beginning to end, including all of the small details. Consider mapping out how you will load the furniture into the moving truck, or trailer, and its placement in your new dwelling. Prepare a list of required moving supplies in the move. Decide on who will help with the move and what moving equipment is needed (moving truck, dolly, etc.); call and make reservations if necessary.

2. Gather supplies.

Gather all of the supplies you will need for the move, including bubble wrap, furniture blankets, packing tape, corrugated cardboard, ropes, and any other items that will protect and secure your furniture during the move. Having all of your moving supplies together and in one place will help keep you organized and ready when the relocation occurs.

3. Prepare the furniture.

Prepare the furniture for the move making sure it’s clean, disassembled when appropriate, and correctly wrapped and secured. Giving your furniture a good deep cleaning before the move will help cut the stress when unpacking, and it protects furniture from scratches and scrapes during the travel. Taking off drawer pulls, and other removable details is another way to keep your items safe. Things will most likely be on top of bigger furniture, so protect them with covers, blankets, etc.

4. Load with a purpose.

It will help if you load the furniture with intent and purpose following the layout mapped out in the preparation phase. It will avoid chaos and confusion with unloading, and helps ensure the safety of your furniture. Larger items should be loaded first with smaller things to follow. Very fragile or valuable items should be considered and put aside separately so that things don’t stack on top of them.

5. Unload with intent.

When unloading furniture, put it in the desired rooms and as close to the desired spot as possible; less relocating and moving items around will help with avoiding damage to furniture and walls in your new home and makes unpacking much more efficient.

Whether finding volunteers to help with the move or hiring movers, include them in the plan and share your expectations with your valuables. Having copies of where you want items placed in your new residence will be beneficial for you, the movers, and your furniture. It is essential to be present on moving day as much as possible because these items are yours and nobody understands their value as much as you do.

Moving Cheaply: Six Ways to Move on a Tight Budget

By cchouston | April 14, 2019 | No Comments | Tight Budget Moving

Moving, even with the promised reward of new life is stressful. It’s doubly so when you’re trying to move on a budget. Fortunately, there are some effective ways that you can structure it, so your move doesn’t break the bank. Try out these six tips on your next move.

Tip 1: Research Professional Moving

Depending on your situation, it may come out cheaper than doing a DIY way. You can call a couple different moving companies for different quotes. It’s also possible to negotiate with moving companies for a better rate. Depending on how much time and help available you have for the move, this may be a necessary option.

Tip 2: Find Packing Materials

There are many packing material sources, so it’s not necessary to buy them most of the time. One of the biggest places you can get materials is in the office. Think about how many boxes of copy paper go through your work that you can use.

You can also use materials you already have. Suitcases certainly should not travel across the country empty. Linens also work in place of bubble wrap for your more delicate pieces. It just takes a little longer to unpack on the other end.

Tip 3: Keep the Receipts

There are two big reasons to keep receipts. If you’re in the military, you can still deduct your non-reimbursed moving expenses from your taxes. Unfortunately, the IRS removed this deduction effective 2018 for everyone else.

Another reason is for keeping your moving receipts is employer reimbursement. It cannot hurt to ask your new job to cover all or part of your relocation expenses. They will either say no or give you a budget that they will reimburse. Keeping all the receipts, whether it’s the truck or the hotel rooms while driving, gives you the best chance to get your money back.

Tip 4: Ship It

Certain items when you’re moving are just a hassle to move. For example, if you have a large personal library, it may be better to send it separately rather than dealing with the weight. As this article points out, the less you pass off to the movers, the cheaper their services will be. Even if you’re renting your own truck and doing your own moving, that weight can kill fuel efficiency.

Another possibility is to use freight companies to ship your stuff rather than moving companies. Depending on what routes your stuff can take to your new home, this can really open the budget choices. It’s even possible to go cheaper and use a company to do a storage container move.

Tip 5: Enlist Friends

Your friends are there, so let yourself ask for help. Even if it’s just one end of your trip, they can really help lighten the packing load. If you’re not paying them to help, throw in food or some other small gesture of thanks.

If you don’t have available friends on both ends of the journey, try hiring some help on the local online marketplace if you need it.

Tip 6: Time Your Move

There are peak and off-seasons in moving like there are in many other professions. If you can, try moving in the fall or winter. These are off-seasons in most places, so the price is cheaper. It also may pay to move mid-month and mid-week. Try playing around with the timing a little bit, and the savings may surprise you.

Conclusion

Moving is a stressful event. Take a moment to breathe and organize. Moving cross country on a budget is a marathon, not a sprint, and these tips will help you go the distance.

Five Ways to Responsibly Dispose of Unwanted Household Clutter

By cchouston | November 29, 2018 | No Comments | Disposing Household Clutter

If you’re moving, you’ve probably identified some things you don’t want to bring with you. How can you dispose of these items responsibly? While it’s tempting to toss them in the trash, many still have value. Here are five ideas to help you declutter responsibly before you move. #1: Have a Moving Sale If you […]

The Top Mistakes to Avoid When Moving Across the Country

By cchouston | November 20, 2018 | No Comments | Affordable Moving

If you’re planning to make a move across the country, you might think that it’s similar to moving right down the street or even to another state. Moving across the country often requires more planning and more supplies. It also requires more time for driving and ensuring that your belongings make it to your new […]

Six Strategies for Keeping Your In-Town Move Affordable

By cchouston | November 16, 2018 | No Comments | Affordable Moving

Moving can be a major hassle, even if you are doing it in town. When you don’t have a lot of money to spend, you need to find ways of keeping your move affordable without making yourself miserable. Let’s look at six strategies that will let you move without breaking the bank.

1. Find Free Boxes

Paying for moving boxes can get quite expensive, especially for something you are going to use for a day or two. You can find free boxes from multiple sources. Here are a few to get you started:

Grocery store
Liquor store
Craig’s List
Family and friends who recently moved
Recycle

2. Declutter Your Belongings

Why move what you no longer use, need, or want? It is a waste of your time, money, and space. Moving is the perfect time to declutter everything you own. Go through everything you own. Get rid of those items that you have no use for, have no need for, or have no desire to keep. Donate them, sell them, trash them. The less you have to move, the lower your moving costs will be.

Another quick tip. Measure the furniture you plan to move to make sure it will fit in your new place. If it doesn’t, donate or sell the oversized pieces.

3. Use Towels Instead of Bubble Wrap

Bubble wrap and packing peanuts can get expensive. The better option is to use the thing you have on hand instead. For example, wrap plates in towels. You can use dish towels, bath towels, linens, and even pieces of clothing to wrap the fragile items you need to move.

The only downside is that you may have to do a few loads of laundry when you unpack.

4. Track Your Expenses

You can easily lose track of just how much you are spending for your move. Buying packing supplies can add up quickly. Track your expenses from the start of the move, so you know if you are getting out of your planned budget. The best part? You may be able to claim many of those expenses on your taxes next year.

5. Move During the Off-Season

May through September is the prime moving months in most of the U.S. If possible, plan your move outside those months. You will likely get lower estimates from movers who want to keep busy during their slow season. Of course, this may not be possible given your particular circumstances, but it is something to keep in mind for your next move.

6. Get In-Person Estimates from Movers

If a mover gives you a rough estimate over the phone without seeing what you need to move, find another moving company. Reputable movers will want to see what you have to move before providing you with an estimate.

Read the estimate carefully and look for any hidden fees or charges that you could encounter. A reputable mover will be upfront with all pricing and be willing to answer any questions you might have.

These six strategies will help you keep your in-town moving costs down. Do you have any other strategies you use?