by admin on October 2, 2009
There are definite risks associated with looking for a cheap moving company, but with the amount of cash involved, it is difficult to know where to draw the line. However, there are ways to make you more cheaper, and the first way is to not use a full service moving package. This package does most things for you, and of course the moving company will charge you for this.
Instead, let the moving company know you will be packing a lot of things yourself. This can reduce your cost, but, the moving company are not then responsible for any breakages. They only insure your belongings for the things that they have packed for you. For most people this isn’t a huge problem. The occasional breakage is only to be expected, just like breakages occur during normal living.
If you are concerned about very fragile objects, you could pack these yourself well ahead of moving day, and either store them in temporary storage, or move them yourself ahead of the real moving day. Perhaps you could move them to a relative’s home or a friend’s house just for a few days. People are glad to help, but often don’t know how they can be of benefit to you. This is one way that they can, without having to do any strenuous work, and it probably will not be too much of a burden to have a few boxes stacked in a corner somewhere. If you do this, make a note of which boxes you have stored at what location so that you can round up everything quickly later on.
If you have valuable furniture, then you want to make sure that whoever you choose to be your moving company uses padded covers to protect your furniture. There are some cheap moving companies that don’t do this, and it can lead to damage that is difficult to repair.
One thing you must do is check a moving company’s insurance coverage. Find out in advance exactly what is and is not covered. Yes, it can be complicated, but it is worth doing thoroughly. Check out how to make a claim, just in case, and how long it will take to be processed.
Another option for cheap moving is to have a bunch of friends help you load a rental truck with your belongings, but there is a problem with this. If a friend should hurt themselves while moving your possessions, you probably will not have insurance to cover any claim they make. Yes, they are your friends, but these days, even friends sue each other for injuries and damage, so although it is probably much cheaper to get friends to help you move, it is not always a good decision to make.
If you do use friends to make it a cheap moving experience, remember that your goods will not be covered by insurance, so if anything is damaged, or broken, there is nothing you can do about it. Any damage will not be on purpose, but accidents do happen, and friends probably are not familiar with how to load a truck properly to reduce the risk of damage.
So, to conclude, when you are considering cheap moving options, do some serious research, and make sure there are no negatives with the company you plan to move you and your life to your new home.
Keys to your new home
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by admin on October 2, 2009
Moving tips are valuable at any time, because moving at any time of the year can be very stressful, whether you are moving to your dream home, or moving to a new renting home. Your move will still take time, no matter what you do, and planning, with the list of good moving tips below, will make your life a little easier.
Having a check list means you will not have to remember quite as much, so refer to your moving list and moving tips often so you don’t have any last minute surprises.
Good House Moving Tips
- As soon as you know you are moving, look around your house, in each room, including attics, basements, and garages, and decide what items need to be sent to charities, and which need to be thrown in the garbage, or recycled.
- Begin to move out discarded items, recycled items and those for charities, so that you have more space in your home, and can see more easily what needs to be dealt with.
- Start using up tinned and frozen food from your food stocks. This will give you less to move, and will also save you spending as much on food during the time of your move, which is often a financially difficult time too.
- Decide whether you are doing the moving yourself or hiring someone, and choose the company as soon as possible, so you can get the date that suits you best.
- Make sure the moving company know of any special items, like pianos, freezers, art work.
- Draw up a plan of your new home, and where each item of furniture will be placed. Make sure your furniture will actually fit in the designated area! This planning will take time, but believe me, it is well worth doing properly, as it will reduce the number of unnecessary surprises on moving in day!
- Return all borrowed items, like library books, dvds, cds, etc, and collect anything you have sent out – like dry cleaning etc.
- Make a list (if you don’t already have one) of all the monthly bills you have, when they are due, and when you have paid them. This way you can make sure that no bills are overlooked during the busy moving time due to wrong addresses, or simple misplacement of the mail!
- Notify the Post Office, and all your accounts of your new address, and when this address change takes effect.
- If you have young children, arrange well in advance for a babysitter at least for your moving day. If you can arrange one for a few hours the day before your move, as well as the day after, then this will help you a great deal too, but this may be hard if your children are very young and are stressed by the move.
- Pack and box as much as possible that you do not need on a daily basis, and just leave unpacked all your necessities.
- Try to be home the day of your move so that you can give extra advice to your movers.
- Also make sure you have someone at your new home to direct the men plus furniture to the correct room according to your plan. Make sure the furniture is put in the right place before the movers leave.
- Notify the power companies, telephone companies etc of your day of leaving and the day you take over at your new home.
- Make sure your doctor and dentist offices know of your move, as well as your children’s schools, library etc. Again if you can make a list it is useful to refer to and update for your next move!
- Confirm with your movers that they have the correct address to move to, and that they have a cell phone number to contact you if there is a problem. Also confirm the day and time!
- Remember to check behind doors for anything hung there.
- Take down drapes and curtain rods in advance if possible. The same applies to blinds, except bedrooms where it will probably have to be the morning of your move.
- Make sure to get as much rest as possible before your move, especially the night before. And yes I do know this is extremely difficult as there are always so many last minute things to see to!
- Make sure all your friends know your new address and phone number if there is a change.
- Remember to defrost fridges and freezers and wipe them dry.
- Clean cupboards ahead of time if possible.
- Clean bathrooms, and carpets, and wash floors.
- Cancel newspapers and magazines, or give them your new address.
- Empty water from garden hoses, and empty the gas from lawn mowers.
- Make sure you have drinks and food on hand at each house for you and your workers – and remember to eat it and drink it. It is easy to forget to eat when there is so much going on, but you will need your strength!
If you do all of the above, you should find that your move will go more smoothly, but be prepared, there is usually something that gets overlooked. Good luck with your move, and I hope you found the moving tips above useful!
Be careful with your packing!
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