Paying for Movers: Is it Worth It?
Apr 14th, 2010 by Carlos
I apologize to everyone who checks the site regularly expecting another brilliant, entertaining romp through the madness that is personal finance. I have been busy lately and haven’t been posting. For that, I apologize. Here’s what’s been going on:
- M and I moved into our new place
- Work
- Side projects
So while it’s all very exciting (except for #2), that’s no excuse for not posting. After all, I have ideas, it’s just time that I need more of. Maybe I’ll try to read Getting Things Done again. I will say one thing—the more stuff I want to get done, the more productive I am with the same amount of time I have. So my post on getting things done by having less time seems to be holding true.
Anyway, today I want to talk about moving because that’s the big thing that’s going on in my life.
Moving SUCKS
We all know this—it’s what we call “a truism.” It’s also one of those things you forget about after some time passes. Your mind starts to forget how horrible it really was. You start to say things like “It wasn’t that bad” or “it could’ve been worse.” Let me set the record straight: I hate moving so much that I would rather spend more money than I have to to avoid it.
This is not a trivial thing for me to say. We’re talking about the guy who eats the same sandwich every day to save $2,000/year. I hate spending money.
But moving is my kryptonite—I give in to it’s powerful will. I am no match for the destruction and havoc it brings on us humans. Here is a list of things that happened thanks to our recent move:
- Our sofa got torn up and now needs to be replaced (not cheap)
- It was raining and me and the two guys that helped out got soaked
- I was very ornery
- My arms are still black and blue from the bruises
- My arms have cuts on them from carrying things that were too heavy
- There were four flights of stairs
- The stairs were in the back…outside…in the rain.
- One of the guys helping me out fell off the truck (slipped actually, because of the rain) and hurt his back.
And this is all with help! M and I paid around $250 for two guys to help us move things for four hours. Which is a pretty good deal when you count the only other expense: $39 for the U Haul. That’s a total of less than $300!
In case you’re wondering—that’s a steal! But I won’t be looking for a bargain next time I move. I have learned my lesson. I would rather pay $1,000 and not lift a finger—I was so anxious the night before and so defeated for the two days it took to move that I don’t want to ever feel that way again.
This is another one of those times where money helps. It’s one of the good reasons we have for wanting to have more of it. This is a perfect example of how money helps.
Anyway, I’m convinced—paying a premium for movers to do all the work is worth the money. But I took this thought to the GetRichSlowly forums and a lot of people disagreed. They still think the best way to go about it is still the “friends, pizza, and beer” recipe. Good for you. Go save your money for something that really matters to you.
As for me, I’ll keep eating the same sandwich so that next time I won’t feel what I felt during this past move. For more of my whining on how moving kicked my ass, check out this post.
This post was included in the Best of Money Carnival over at Fiscal Fizzle, the Personal Finance Carnival, and the Carnival of Money Stories at Buxr.
Image by Katie Tegtemeyer
[...] Oh look! I hate moving so much I bitched about it again a week later! [...]
[...] Paying for Movers: Is it Worth It? (posted at the Writer’s Coin): Sometimes, it’s worth paying money for things that just plain suck. [...]
[...] where money helps. It’s one of the good reasons we have for wanting to have more of it. – Paying for Movers: Is it Worth It? ( @ The Writer’s Coin [...]
Before I had kids, we did not use movers. We invited some friends, fed them well, and reciprocated when it was time for them to move.
When we moved a year ago, we had two boys: 6 and 1. You can bet we paid movers. It was hard enough just to get the move organized and the boxes packed.
We did, however, still move a few things on our own: boxes of crystal and china, a few very old antiques, and computers. The super-breakable and very valuable.
OH, one other thing. We have an upstairs now, with a staircase that has a 180-degree turn. Couches up those stairs? Movers required.
I’d say paying for movers is worth every bit of the money. I moved into a place with two flights of very steep stairs and my back hurt for two weeks straight. I will definitely be paying some movers when I move out.