I grew up in the same house for many years, and knew nothing about moving. It wasn’t clear how much time it takes to pack; how much labor is involved; how hard it is to find help moving; and, finally, how expensive it is. Sure, you’re paying for the new place, that’s obviously expensive. At some point we all have to move out of the rent free parent-owned abodes we all love so much.

Hire movers to save your back, time, and relationships!

My first move

I moved from a room in my parent’s house to my own apartment. It was super labor intensive because, being a woman, I chose to live on the second floor. Women living alone: it’s the safer thing to do. So the move was brutal.

• dragging my stuff through a parking lot up to the apartment building
• lugging everything up the stairs

Moving out, just as difficult. Both times, had a lot of family and friends helping out. I was young, had no money to pay movers, so I saved a few bucks and abused friends and family!

The second move

A second floor condo. What the heck was I thinking?!!! Another pain in the butt moving everything up a flight of stairs. Again, family and friends were enlisted to lend a hand.

The third (and hopefully final) move

A condo to a HOUSE. Stand-alone, no one attached, house. With a garage. However, it was during the middle of the week and almost everyone was working. Spending money on movers wasn’t happening, not after closing costs, and the purchase of a HOUSE.

A fun bonus this time around: two kids. Little Miss was two at the time, almost three. The Boy just about nine months old. Amazingly, he had a well-visit schedule right in the middle of all this moving. Let’s just say it required help! A good friend helped me at the office with Little Miss, so I could get The Boy done without her seeing him get his shots. What a nightmare.

Looking back, the move I should have spent the money to hire a mover? The one to the house. It took a lot of energy to get that done. Contracts stated a super fast exit from the condo once the papers were signed. I didn’t want to pay rent to the girl who bought it. All of us were totally exhausted after it was done, it took a lot to recover from that move. I was out of commission for a bit, thankfully the family was able to help out with the kids.

The best way to figure out if a mover is the right choice?

Factor in

• How many times you’ve harassed, I mean asked, your friends and family to help you move prior to this current move (for me, it wasn’t that many.)
• Are stairs involved, and if they are, how steep are they?
• Is it during the work week? If so, can people get off from work to help you, or have off already?
• How much time do you have to GET OUT,  before you have to pay rent to the new owner?
• Finally, how much time can you take off from work after you’ve hurt yourself from moving without hiring a mover?

Once you realize you need one, start calling around to places. Don’t just get quotes, but ask around to see if people recommend a good service. If you can, rent one of those storage pods, load up as much as you can into those, have them move it to the new place. This works if you have a bit of time, not just a day, to move.

Sometimes it’s just worth it to pay for a mover! The chiropractor visits you’ll save yourself from going to is worth it alone!