Moving Tips from a Frequent Mover

Ugh. It’s that time again… Every few months or so, I brace myself for a big move. My boyfriend and I both work in the entertainment industry, so unfortunately, this “gypsy” lifestyle has become all too familiar for us. We finally decided that we wanted a permanent zipcode (to us, that translates into one year) and Santa Monica ended up being our calling! We will be 6 blocks away from the ocean and in a totally different world from Chicago or New York City- sooo exciting! It’s always been a dream of mine to live near the ocean! But the daunting task of packing up all our stuff (again) and moving cross country lay ahead. Being the Type A personality I am, I wanted to make sure the move went as smoothly and efficiently as possible without losing my freaking mind. If you are relocating in the near future, I feel your pain.

Here are some extremely helpful moving tips I’ve learned along the way…

1. Decide whether or not you are going to hire a moving company or do it yourself. For me, I had done the U-Haul thing numerous times and wasn’t in the mood to deal with any drama. This time around, I was making the drive to sunny CA without the hassle of a huge trailer behind me to maneuver.

2. Be very careful when hiring a moving company. Check them out on the Better Business Bureau right away. I had a list of about 10 companies to call. When I went on the BBB’s website, I was shocked to see the majority of them had crazy consumer complaints. Whew! Good to know. I quickly narrowed it down to 3 companies that were members of the BBB, with exceptional records.

3. Negotiate! Negotiate! Negotiate! I wanted to get the best deal possible. Make sure you get a guaranteed rate in writing. (I actually ended up going with Guaranteed Movers Inc.- b/c your rate doesn’t change. Most movers will quote you a really great low price, but it’s only an estimate. When they get to your place, suddenly the boxes don’t fit in the truck and the cost goes way up. It’s bogus.) So, I made sure that I got all my rates in writing on the contract. Then I would negotiate with all 3 companies to see which one would give me the better deal. They didn’t want to lose my business, so they were all willing to come down.

4. Your contract. Have them put everything in writing. Not only your rate, but all other fees. (Do they charge for stairs, if you have MORE items then what’s on your contract- what is the cost per cubic foot, etc.) You don’t want any surprises. I also made sure they put down the latest I was to receive my items. If they told me 14 business days, I wanted it in writing. I’ve heard horror stories of people waiting months to get their stuff! No way.

5. If you want to save money, do the packing yourself. Moving companies will charge extra for boxes and packing. Grocery stores will usually give you a ton of boxes for free! Have a good supply on hand and don’t forget the tape!!!

6. Keep an inventory of your belongings! When you are doing the packing yourself, this part is easy. Just keep a list of what’s inside each box. For the obsessive compulsive person in you (thanks dad!), you can even color code your boxes. Yellow- bathroom stuff. Red- kitchen Blue- bedroom. Whatever makes your life easier, right?!

7. Carry traveler’s checks for quick, available funds. I’m a peabrain. Just recently, I was rushing around to get the movers a cash deposit and I left my debit card inside the ATM machine. The second I got back to my truck, I knew it was in there. I frantically rushed back inside and watched in horror as my card was sucked into oblivion. Darn it! Oh-well, it happens.

8. Don’t forget to fill out a change of address order form! You can even do it online- no problem!