Is it Cheaper to Hire a Mover or Move Yourself?

I've moved many times over the course of my life, and most of the time it's been without the aid of a professional mover. In most cases, this was due to the fact that I was young, in good health, was moving from one small apartment to another, and was moving between locations weren't more than several hundred miles apart. However, things have changed in my life.

As my family now prepares for our upcoming move, I've seen things from a different light, and it has opened my eyes to the certain advantages and possibilities of using a professional mover.

Length of Trip

The length of the trip that lies before you can play a huge role in just how expensive it is to move and whether it's cheaper to do it yourself or hire a professional. I've had experiences when I'm only moving across town. In such a situation, I didn't even have to use a truck, simply using our SUV and making about 15 trips. Sure, it was time consuming, but it was definitely cheaper than hiring a moving company.

However, if you're moving cross-country or even just several hundred miles, it might be more cost effective to hire a mover who can get you there in one trip. Otherwise, between the cost of the truck, gas, staying in hotels, and possibly having to haul or drive your personal vehicles as well, it might be just as costly as having professionals handle the job.

Amount of Stuff

Professional moving companies often charge by distance and weight. This means that the amount of stuff you have to move can make a significant impact upon how costly your move is. The size of this stuff can make a big difference as well.

If you have relatively small, lightweight items, you might be able to move them on your own, otherwise, getting rid of heavier items ahead of time might not only make it easier to move (whether you do it yourself or not), but could make you a few bucks by way of resale options in the process.

Available Help

The human resources available to help you move might make the greatest impact of all upon your decision to move yourself or hire help. With a large family or plenty of friends and neighbors to assist in the moving process, you may not need to hire a moving company. Having a large group to help you with your move could even make it a halfway enjoyable time -- not to mention, cheaper.

Safety and Ability

While in some situations it might be cheaper to move yourself, if you end up backing the truck into the side of your house or wedging it beneath an underpass, it could end up costing you much more than you planned.

Your personal safety, as well as that of your belongings, is something to take into consideration when moving yourself. It you aren't comfortable driving a large vehicle or traversing long distances in one, it might not be worth attempting to move yourself. Plus, there are the considerations of your moving truck breaking down out on the open road, finding a place to accommodate your truck when sleeping (it might be fine at truck stop, but if you're already in big city, it might not be so easy), and lack of experience behind the wheel of a large vehicle heavily loaded with tons of possibly valuable possessions.

The Moving Company

As with any industry, there are good moving companies and bad. My wife and I have a good friend who is a mover, so we have a trustworthy source in the business who we can count on not to take advantage of us.

However, fully understanding pricing, reliability, and knowing the things you can do to reduce the costs involved in using a professional mover (using your own boxes, tape, packing material, hand carts, etc.) could make using such a service cheaper as well. It's also not a bad idea to read user reviews before jumping the gun and signing on with a prospective moving company in order to ensure that they are a reputable service. Remember, they will have access to your prized possessions, so you will likely want to do all you can to ensure they are trustworthy.

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Disclaimer:

The author is not a licensed financial professional. The information provided in this article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal or financial advice. For financial advice, readers should consult a licensed financial advisor. Any action taken by the reader due to the information provided in this article is solely at the reader's discretion.