5 Ways To Plan an Easy Move
1 – Make sure your employer is paying for it.
You should always be a good steward of money, even when it isn’t your own. However, when someone else (i.e. an employer) is footing the bill, you are more likely to receive the very best. I’m not sure why this is so, but in my experience, when a service provider knows my employer is paying, they tend to give me the red carpet treatment.
Professional movers are paid in two ways: 1) the estimated weight of your personal belongings and 2) the time it takes to pack, deliver and (if you’re lucky) unpack. When weight is not a factor, you don’t have to make untimely decisions to get rid of things. You don’t have to decide if you should take your washer and dryer or sell it at 1/2 the price you paid. You don’t have to decide if you should take your fridge or give it away. I was given a maximum weight of 18,000 lbs so that was one less thing I had to worry about.
When time is not a factor, the movers are more careful with your things. The packing is more delicate and the boxes are more organized. The loaders are more precise with how things are placed in the truck. When unloading, they are more aware of putting things down in the right place. After the truck was unloaded, each mover took a room and started emptying boxes. At the end of the day, every piece of furniture was assembled, all electronics were accounted for, and every box (at my request) was unpacked. It was great!
2 – Be nice to everyone you speak to about your move.
From the receptionist to the truck driver. These people work for the company that has your life possessions at their disposal. Yes, there is a claims process, but who wants to deal with that hassle if you don’t have to. The nicer you are to them, the harder they will work for you. Less stress = fabulous Single Ma. :-)
3 – Have plenty of drinks, food, and snacks available.
My grandma always told me “baby, don’t ever let a guest leave your house without feeding them first.” And big mama knows best. LOL I mean, think about it. Everyone loves to eat and we all work better on a satisfied stomach.
4 – Have cash for tips.
Anytime someone is providing a service, you should always tip. The amount of that tip is up to you, but in my opinion, excellent service providers deserve generous tips.
5 – Watch the men do all the work while you sit back, relax, and plan your next vacation. :-)
I felt so lazy because I didn’t lift a finger all day. I literally sat on the couch and watched those big, strong, fine, sexy…*ahem*…men earn their pay. Mmm, mmm, mmm…the eye candy was in sufficient supply. Lawd! Why did one wipe the sweat off of his forehead with the bottom of his shirt and expose his abs? *faint* Something told me to offer him a paper towel, but I wanted to see him use his shirt again. Ha! Was that rude?
There’s still plenty to do but I’m just tickled at how easy this move was for me. [This moving company is HIGHLY recommended. If you're moving soon, let me know and I'll send you their contact info.] I can’t believe it. It’s now May 8th and I’m an official VA resident now!! Aaackk!!
This post was inspired by problogger’s Top 5 – Group Writing Project.
Peace & Blessings
~*~*~*~*~*~
Work to achieve, not to acquire.
And as always, BE FABULOUS!
~SM
This blog is a personal account of my journey to achieve financial freedom. If you like what you've read, feel free to subscribe via (feed reader) or (email) to follow along.
You go girl! Gotta love some nice eye candy that you are paying to work on your house/yard!! Deee-lish!
I’m glad you survived! :-D
Welcome to the South! *winky*
So true, so true.
When we moved from California to Ohio, the movers told me how one rich couple didn’t even offer them a glass of water while the movers worked hard all day!
Glad you’re back to blogging, Single Ma!
Would you and your readers PLEASE do me a big favor and Digg this for me:
Paula’s List of Blogger Salaries…Are you on the list?
A sistah’s trying to make that front all-white page of Digg!
Thanks!
Paula
I have to admit that one of the perks of being female is (generally speaking) no one expects you to do any heavy lifting.
I have moved more times than I have years of my life so consider myself a bit of a pro now… apart from the heavy lifting bit. I find it saves time and money to move a few boxes yourself before the movers arrive, especially the precious stuff so you know it’s safe.
we’re military so of course we definitely LOVE The perk of having other people move our stuff.
the last time we offered the movers something to drink i even offered to make lunch, etc.. you know to just keep them there and focused well, let me tell you once we made it here to cali, our tv, vcr and a few other things NEVER made it with our move. LOL
huz said they figured we were so nice we wouldn’t MISS our stuff. so, now, I never offer anything and I say the bathroom is broken. ok that is bad i know :)
Glad to know your move was ’smoove’ Single Ma. And the eye candy was a bit of a bonus huh? Dang you coulda called a sistah – you know I’ain gots no job so a short drive wouldn’t have been a thang. LOL
ohhh that’s comforting to know cuz we are moving from Cali of Washington next week and the company is paying. My hubby is used to it as he was moved from DC to Cali but I ain’t. I’ma have to email you when we get settled regarding our relocation.
Hi, I’m a new reader-love your blog. I was wondering, are relocation expenses something you negotiate when you get a new job or if they offer them do they determine how much they’re going to give you and you can’t negotiate it? Or do they reimburse your actual expenses? And if you leave a job do you have to pay them back? I’ve never had a job where I relocated and I’m just curious how that works and how to get the best deal if possible.
@ cheryl – I would say more about the eye candy but I’m already in enough trouble as it is. Ha!
@ mapgirl – Thanks for the southern hospitality. Think I’m gone like it ’round these parts. :-)
@ paula – You always figure out a way to leave one of your links in my comments, huh? I like you but that shyt is annoying. Cut it out!
@ rich – By the time the movers arrived, the precious stuff wasn’t even IN the house. LOL As for moving boxes myself, no way! *shaking head profusely*
@ tanyetta – I’m sorry that happened to you. Man that sucks! I’d be jaded too.
@ msjayy – Dangit, I shoulda invited ya over. The view from my sofa would have been worth the trip. :-)
@ aly – Good luck with your move! I’ve heard horror stories but mine was seamless.
@ shoestring – Relo is paid based on IRS limitations – the distance from your home to work must be 50 miles or more. Whether it’s offered or not is usually in the job advertisement or discussed when the offer is made.
In my experience, most employers have a standard relo package with a list of what’s included but anything is negotiable. Sometimes it’s just a matter of ASKING for what you want.
As for “how” the relo is paid, it depends on the employer. Some of my pkg was an advance, some will be reimbursed, and some expenses I was given a choice of actual reimbursement with receipts or a fixed amount.
The terms of the relo pkg also vary with the employer. Some require a 1 year employment agreement (or more) and some do not. If a specific time in service is required and you break the agreement, the consequences will vary based on the employer as well. Sorry I couldn’t give you more definitive answers.
ok put the dog away, vacuum and I’m taking my meds.. I’M COMING OVER TO SIT IN YA LIVING ROOM AND CATCH UP.. I CAN’T BE READING ALL THIS STUFF lol
*hugs*
@ bk – My living room is still a mess (on my ‘to do’ list for today, kitchen was yesterday), but you’re always welcome honey. Just call to give me about 30 minutes advance notice and I’ll have some food ready for you too. LOL
We’ve only been here two days so the dog hasn’t infiltrated the pad with her allergens yet. Check ya email and let me know what you think.
Welcome to the neighborhood, ma’am.
I’m glad the actual move went smoothly after everything else.
Great top 5! I grew up in a military family, so we moved every couple of years, and your list really rang true for me, especially the part about making sure to provide food and drinks. These people are handling *all* of your stuff. Of course you want them to be clear-headed and happy!
Awesome Top 5. So many people forget the food.
Hi Single Ma,
I found you on ProBlogger’s top five, and I’d love to have you join my upcoming link train. I’m still working out the kinks, but it’ll probably wind up being a work-at-home parent train. I’m a single mom of a baby girl too (she’s 22 months and fiesty!)
Nice blog! And I’ll keep these tips in mind for the next time I move.
Great post – some very useable and needed ideas here. I never thought about tipping the movers. Next time I will.
I came here via pproblogger.
Came via problogger – it’s neat to see a window on a world. I’ve never had a corporate job, and the idea of someone paying moving expenses is fabulous – the kind of thing I think would be awesome but never expect to have…like health insurance :)
Great submission for the ProBlogger Group Writing Project. I think that is what I like best about projects like this, discovering all those blogs you might not ever visit otherwise. If you are interested here is a link to my submission, Top 5 Sins. It isn’t what you think :) but take a look you might like it.
While neither of us won I think it is definitely a great way to increase visibility and plan to participate in the future. Hope you enjoyed it as well and I can’t wait for next time.
We’ve moved twice since we’ve been married and it has been horrible each time. During our last move we had to get our lawyer on the phone, it was that bad. Yuck. I hope we won’t have to move again soon, but if we do, I’ll get the name of that company from you.
And I need to move soon and also would like to use services of that company you did. Can you write contacts of that company here? I guess many people became interested in services of this company.