Any Tips on Low Cost Moving? (NJ->IN)

[Skerby]

Thanks for the continued insight! I'll be moving to Auburn.

 

[dooleysm]

Indiana's the place to be it seems! It's gonna start getting crowded with all you foreigners moving in!

 

[zeuspaul]

Another vote for ABF pack yourself. I used it with no problems. It was a lot cheaper than movers and cheaper than any of the rental trucks. The rental trucks are rather small and you may not fit everything in their largest ones.

ABF drops off a 38 ft trailer and you use as much as you want and then install a bulkhead if you don't use the whole truck. They may use the rest of the truck to move a commercial load but not another residential load. We used the whole truck.

You should have good packing skills.

Zeuspaul

 

[Pilot]

Many years ago when I got out of the Air Force, the AF paid for my move, but I got to choose the company. There was only one nationwide company (Bekins); all the rest were alliances of some sort. The upshot was that at least 2 companies often got involved & neither would take responsibility for anything that went wrong. Might be different now.

Rental trucks: Done that 4 or 5 times. U-haul franchisees don't always maintain their trucks; some probably should be junked. Check the truck our thorougly before you sign. You don't want to broken down on some Interstate 50 miles from the nearest town in the middle of a snowstorm. I towed cars twice with rental trucks, be aware that you can't back up when hooked up.

If you move yourself, you may have friends to help you load, but what about at the other end? Go to your local college's student employment office & hire a couple kids to help you unload.

 

[CurlyDave]

P.S. When we moved from Tucson, to San Diego last year, we rented our own vans and did the move ourselves. It was very inexpensive, under $2,000, and we timed the move much better. Best of all we enjoyed PEACE OF MIND all the way, and that as they say, is priceless.

Hakim is absolutely right.

I have moved both ways and the DIY method is much easier and less expensive.

To me, the trick is finding "helper labor".

Pack into boxes, properly labeled, before actual moving day comes. Rent the truck, then go down to the local Home Depot, or day labor center, and hire two or three day laborers to pack the truck. These guys are strong and used to hard work. For about $10-12/hour they will load your stuff on the truck and pack it in the way you want. Use your head in how you get it packed. Heavy stuff on bottom light stuff on top, etc. Get it in so the load won't shift.

At the other end, get more day labor to unload. Get your furniture spotted and then put stuff in the right rooms.

Sell or donate everything you can. All of you furniture is used right now. Look into buying more at thrift shops at the new house. You can upgrade over time. I just won't pay to move a dresser that I can replace for $50 at Goodwill.

 

[zeuspaul]

Correction to my post. I stated the ABF trailer is 38 ft. I should have indicated 28 ft. It is taller than the rental trucks so the volume is significantly more.

Also I had to make a ramp at the other end out of a couple of 2 x 12's as the ramp was not available on the receiving end.

Also the bulkhead is a bit bulky when installing.

And they did not have an option to supply moving blankets.

Zeuspaul

 

[Skerby]

After reading all your helpful posts and investigating a bit, I think i'm just going to buy a used box truck and use it. I look at it this way, 1.) i'll acquire an asset 2.) i'll move what i want when i want 3.) i won't run into any overcharges for time/date/miles/weight (fine print stuff you talked about!) 4.) box truck will not need cdl and have a lift gate (abf doesn't seem to have an option for a lift gate, who wants to empty their toolbox to move it?).. Any last thought on this decision? i'm thinking 16' class 6, diesel, with liftgate.

 

[Dusty]

My experience moving from Florida to New England, was about equal to all the horror stories. The truck got lost, and then the box got flooded. A lot was damaged, and they pay the damage by the pound times a fixed dollar amount. If a chair weighs 30 pounds, and the value they give is $1.50 per pound, you get $45 for the chair. I dislike moving companies, no matter who they are. Sure there might be some good ones out there, but I have never heard of one.
Dusty

 

[RayH]

I didnt read through most of this but my experience is that for a long move, you wont get off any cheaper by doing it yourself verses hiring a company. A few years ago, I moved my mom from IN to MD. I rented a big U-haul and a trailer to tow her classic T-bird. I also recruited two friends to help. They didnt want any money, only some food and beverage, a place to stay in MD and a rental car to get back to IN.
Between the rent of the truck, the trailer, the rental car, the hotel room, the pizza and beverages, the fuel for said truck and car. I ended up spending as much as I would hiring a company to do it and still had no moving insurance.
That being said, I trust myself and my friends more than I do a moving company. If I were to do it again today, I would probably do it the same way but not for the money savings, because there really isnt any, but because I like the control of doing it myself. We moved five rooms and a car and ended up with a broken wall mirror, not too bad.

 

[dbdartman]

After reading all your helpful posts and investigating a bit, I think i'm just going to buy a used box truck and use it. I look at it this way, 1.) i'll acquire an asset 2.) i'll move what i want when i want 3.) i won't run into any overcharges for time/date/miles/weight (fine print stuff you talked about!) 4.) box truck will not need cdl and have a lift gate (abf doesn't seem to have an option for a lift gate, who wants to empty their toolbox to move it?).. Any last thought on this decision? i'm thinking 16' class 6, diesel, with liftgate.

I'm available as a driver, am experienced & can make that run in a day, if you need help.