Organizing to Move: Part Six
Hello everyone:
It has now been two and a half weeks since I moved out of state. I had a moving company come, to help me with the heavy lifting and I have some tips to help you save money on your move.
First, do as much of your own packing as you can. The mover fellow said I saved about $1,000 by packing my own things. However, please note that anything you don’t pack, they may pack, unless you say otherwise. As a result of my not being as clear as I could have been, I am now the proud continuing owner of a broken clock radio and a couple of ugly tables that I didn’t want. Oops!
I didn’t pack all of my pictures; they did. My casual wave around a room led to them packing everything in it. Oops. Now I can’t tell which picture is which in Unpacking Land. I wanted to keep some of them safely wrapped until I move out of this rental and into a house I purchase about a year from now.
They will mark the room on the wrapping but they don’t always call your rooms by the same name that you do and, if you carried a picture into another room, that’s the name the picture’s wrapping will get. It’s confusing. [It’s also not rocket science, but I digress.]
Next, thoughtfully consider how badly you want the stuff in your filing cabinets. My five filing cabinets would have added $1,000 to the cost of the move. I don’t need outdated student records that badly. What can you get rid of? The mover man said he estimated each filing cabinet weighed in at about 500 pounds. Five of them=$1,000 in added costs. Time to get the shredder out, in my book.
Finally, how much do you love your possessions? It might be cheaper to sell or give away your things and buy new items with the money you save. It cost me about $6,000 to move. Was my stuff worth that much money? As a matter of fact, yes it was, but only because I had some Amish furniture that I loved and paid quite a bit of money for. Otherwise, the cost of a new bedroom set would have easily been justified, rather than moving the old, decrepit one. Food for thought.
What tips do you have to share? This was only my 24th move and I’m always looking for tips to pass along.
Best,
Dr. Sheri