Many times if you’re moving for a job, your employer may offer you a relocation package that includes the cost of hiring a moving company. However, sometimes moving expenses must come out of your pocket, and moving companies can be expensive.
Weigh your options with moving yourself or using a moving company. You’ll still need to rent a truck, pay for fuel, boxes and packing materials then spend hours of hard work packing, loading and unloading your belongings. Most truck rental companies also charge extra for mileage, and driving a truck maybe a daunting task for some. Many times, tie downs, dollies and other equipment rental can add to your expense. Unless you have really good friends or a wonderful, helpful family, you may also have to hire a few extra hands to help load and unload the truck. Hiring people to help also lends itself to other problems. If someone gets hurt on your property, you may be responsible to compensate him for his injuries.
Take into consideration that you and your family members may have to take time off work. Not only will this use up vacation days, or perhaps you don’t get paid for your time off, it will also put you behind at work; is it worth the savings of moving yourself?
Maybe you’re not up to moving yourself, but you want to save money with a moving company. Many moving companies will allow you to pack your household items yourself. The movers will load and unload the truck. This will shave time off of the moving company’s billable hours, which will save you money. Taking on the task of packing yourself, you may encounter accidents and/or damage to your belongings. Most moving companies will not compensate you for loss, damage or stolen items if you pack them. Consider purchasing insurance coverage from a third party insurance provider.
Whether you move yourself or hire a moving company, moving can be costly. Before you make your decision, get quotes from several moving companies and compare those prices with all the costs you’ll incur with a do-it-yourself move. You may just find the savings isn’t worth all the headache and hard work.