I hate moving.

I'm signing a lease Sunday on a new rental so I can get out of this one I'm in now (problems with the landlord). Problem is we need to be out of here ASAP and as soon as I sign that lease we take possession. We have like less than 3 weeks to be out.

So, my plan is to make several small trips to move smaller stuff and then rent a Uhaul on the final weekend and move all the large stuff.

As everyone knows, nobody wants to help you move. Period. I know I'm not going to be able to carry a lot of smaller stuff with my Durango, so I need a pickup. If I had the dough, I'd buy a truck off CL and go that route, but like I said, if I had the dough.

I'm hoping that my uncle still has his '00 Chevy 2500 that he barely drives due to gas costs. I'm hoping that I can borrow it because it does have a trailer hitch on and that way I can hook up my grandpa's trailer, so I can kill several birds with one stone. I have a feeling though he's going to tell me he sold it or it needs a transmission or some BS.

This is not going to be easy in less than 3 weeks.

I just moved in one week, with a grand caravan and a 4x8 enclosed trailer. I have a 6x10 open trailer to move my work bench, tool box, snow plow and my kids play set.

You can do it; it just sucks with the short time frame. Renting a trailer to pull with you Durango should net you some extra space also.

In reply to chandlerGTi:

I don't have a trailer hitch on the Durango, I think I have one of the very few on Earth that didn't come with a factory hitch. I don't really have the extra money to go buy an aftermarket one either or the time to install it.

If I did, I'd just use grandpa's trailer and wouldn't have to worry about it.

Crap, I've never seen a Durango without a hitch. I wish you luck; if I were closer I'd come help out. I took the whole week off to move now I just need to finish the basement shop and garage. The house is done.

In the past year, I have moved 6 times. I hate it.

Any way you could "borrow" one of your comcast vans for a day?

In reply to chandlerGTi:

If I still lived in Lima, you wouldn't have been to far.

mtn wrote: In the past year, I have moved 6 times. I hate it. Any way you could "borrow" one of your comcast vans for a day?

They track them now, we had too many people doing that. Plus there is so much crap in them that they have about as much room as my Durango on the inside, except the van is taller.

Never join the military.

But also, look to the sketchier U-Haul places. Sometimes their older trucks can be rented for a day for pretty cheap. I wouldn't trust a U-Haul for a cross country but in town.

Also, I have had good luck with the shameless moving plea. "Look guys, I know it sucks. I have doughnuts coffee and soda and beer and pizza for when we are done." Usually gets more support than I expect. If you do get friends to help, have a serious plan. Not like a slave driver, but folks hate giving up their day off and standing around with no clear direction. Set start and stop times. "We'll starting at 9 and be done at 2 O Clock regardless" and stick to it. That way your buddies know they aren't giving up the whole day with an open ended commitment. Keep everyone hydrated with lots of water and gateraid will make it much more pleasant. Folks with truck will never ask, but fill their tanks anyway. Be ready with the coffee and doughnuts about 30 minutes prior and have a radio at both destinations and keep everything light so no one gets mad (becuase they are carrying your stuff)

Your plan for several smaller trips is a solid appraoch. I have found it helps to actually focus on a room at a time. Its not efficient, but lessens the confusion and settle time after a move (which as we can all agree, sucks.)

I wil add that a move is alsways a perfect oppurtunity to simplify your life. If you haven't touched it in a year and it didn;t come from your distant relative, sell it, donate it or trash it.

Ideally, in one year and 29 days, I will move for the last time.

^This. And for goodness sake, make sure you've packed. You are asking for help moving, not packing . . .

I can vouch that nobody will help you move. My wife and I moved ourselves completely the last two times. And that is a house full of furniture and crap.

My advice would be to start packing everything you can in boxes, even if you have to buy boxes. Look on Craigslist, somehtimes people give them away after they move. But try to move everything at once. Not a bunch of small things in several trips. Around hear you can rent small Uhaul trucks for $19.95 a day +mileage. The mileage ads up. It may be cheaper to rent a big truck for one day. And since I hate Uhaul, check out Penske.

I am in the middle of moving too and I will agree it sucks but I have never had trouble getting people to help. I guess it is cause all my friends are just out of college/ still in college so all of us are moving a lot and beer and pizza are much better bribes for my age group.

Why waste time and money with lots of small trips? Spend you time gathering help, then rent the largest truck you can and do it in one big move.

I've already decided if we ever move again, we are packing up the house, labeling the boxes, and calling someone to move it all. Thankfully I haven't moved in almost 4 years, but before that it had been something like 12-13 times from 18-26.

SyntheticBlinkerFluid wrote: As everyone knows, nobody wants to help you move. Period.

When I had my conversion van I was everyone's friend come moving time. Sadly, it's long gone...

I remember one time helping a friend move and we basically fit everything she had in her 1 br apt into the van. After it was packed, she stood back and said, "I'm not sure if I'm happy or sad that everything I own will fit in your van..."

Datsun1500 wrote:

SyntheticBlinkerFluid wrote: In reply to chandlerGTi: I don't have a trailer hitch on the Durango, I think I have one of the very few on Earth that didn't come with a factory hitch. I don't really have the extra money to go buy an aftermarket one either or the time to install it. If I did, I'd just use grandpa's trailer and wouldn't have to worry about it.

I had a 99 with no hitch. Advance auto had one in stock for $160 and it took all of 30 mins to install. I'd at least look at that option. How much is a trailer rental? If it's anywhere close to 1/2 of a hitch, I'd put the hitch on. Then you can use grandpa's trailer all of the time What does grandpa tow the trailer with?

Well since grandpa passed on long ago, nothing. My uncle uses it from time to time and he pulls it with his truck, that is if he still has it.

The cheapest hitches I have found are on eBay, which are around $160. The local parts stores want anywhere from $200 to $250.

Just called my uncle, he got rid of his truck a couple years ago.

Ian F wrote: I remember one time helping a friend move and we basically fit everything she had in her 1 br apt into the van. After it was packed, she stood back and said, "I'm not sure if I'm happy or sad that everything I own will fit in your van..."

Happy, definitely happy. I strive for that, minus furniture and guitars. I don't think it will ever happen though.

mtn wrote:

Ian F wrote: I remember one time helping a friend move and we basically fit everything she had in her 1 br apt into the van. After it was packed, she stood back and said, "I'm not sure if I'm happy or sad that everything I own will fit in your van..."

Happy, definitely happy. I strive for that, minus furniture and guitars. I don't think it will ever happen though.

I've often said I would be perfectly happy if I could fit everything I own in the largest Uhaul type truck. Excluding cars of course.

Yes moving is teh sucks. I'm getting ready to move from TN to FL at the end of this month. Had Atlas and Mayflower out to give me estimates. 7000-7500 to move all my crap. Then I would need to rent 2 trailers to cart my Celica and Camaro down there behind my truck and a friends truck, all while my wife drives our 3 cats in her Mazda3.

I just can't pay that much, even though it might save me a ton fo time and trouble. So I'm renting 2 of the 26' U-Hauls, 2 trailers and hooking them up to the U-Haul trucks. I'l have to fly back for one of the cars tough. I'll still be saving almost 4 grand this way though.

There is a lot to be said for garage sales if you're moving more than 100 miles or so--on every end of it. Buy all (or most) of your furniture at garage sales and estate sales when you move in. Sell it when you move. Buy "new" stuff in the new location.

Wife and I decided to split up. I moved downstairs. She is now gone from the house, and I don't even want to move upstairs again.

In reply to mtn:

Not so easy if some of your furniture are antiques passed down through family...

I rented a 26' box truck just to move my tools from my g/f's garage to mine (33 miles). While that was mostly because I needed a lift-gate to load my scissor lift and tool chest, I was amazed at how little room was left in the truck when I was done. Big, shop-type tools are a bitch to pack.

My movers arrive on Wednesday for my cross-country move.

Biggest suggestion I have for a DIY move is to use this as an opportunity to get rid of things. Before you put it in a box, think about the last time you used it and if you really, really need to keep it.

I have a pile of stuff that's getting donated to my super's church, and I've used up half a box of kitchen bags throwing stuff out. Less stuff is better!

If hiring pros is out of the budget, you can look at hiring loading/unloading help. I did that the last time I moved and it was super awesome. Got two guys who really knew what they were doing, I provided the truck full of stuff and a couple of hand trucks, they worked along side me and handled the bulky and difficult items. They were an independent contractor I found through a website.

I used emove.com, but that was several years ago and it now appears to be owned by that awful "UHaul" company. A quick Google of "moving help" turns up lots of pages.

Solution, pack EVERYTHING up during a week, rent a Uhaul cube van or box truck, then enjoy at the fact you should be able to move everything in a day, 1-3 trips even.

I have helped countless people move, and the biggest bullE36 M3 thing is not being packed. If things aren't packed, I won't wait until they are.

I called one of the moving companies that was listed in the classifieds of the paper. They came and moved all the boxes and furnature for ~500. By the time you buy all the beer and gas, and return favors. Ithink it saved me money. (This was 10 years ago so i would look on craigslist now.)

Chris