As professional movers, we understand how much time and effort goes into moving a home. You spend countless hours deciding what to keep and toss away, cleaning, packing and much more. As opposed to moving with a professional company, a DIY move can come with a few hidden costs you may not expect. Here are some tips and things to consider before doing it yourself:

Insure your Belongings

When moving your belongings, remember to consider every possible outcome. Your 62 inch flat screen TV may be packed tightly but the dresser may not be. Opening up the box truck and discovering your treasured LCD is now shattered can be avoided! Insurance options for covering your belongings are fairly cheap, so ask about insurance when renting a truck or speaking to a moving company.

Packing for your DIY Move – with or without help

The time has come to pack everything into a few boxes..fun! If you’re less enthusiastic about packing, you may also want to consider some assistance and the costs of going with or without it:fox-moving-packing

Time off work – Packing all of your own items may not seem like a costly venture, but once you consider taking time off work to do so, the money you’re losing may add up. What you could earn in a day may be more than what it would cost to hire packing help!

Full and Partial Packing Services – Some moving companies offer timely, efficient packing services to help you expedite the process. It may be more cost efficient for you to take one day off work and hire packing help as opposed to taking a whole week off and doing it all yourself. While we’re on the subject, Fox Moving offers all kinds of packing services,  so no need to look elsewhere!

Friends/Family: A cost effective way to go about packing is by bribing your friends and family. Forget cash, a few pizza slices can go a long way. Trade their services for food!

 Other Costs

diy move

diy move

Here’s a breakdown of the costs you can expect to encounter for your DIY move:

  1. Insurance: As previously mentioned, you may want to consider insuring your fragile belongings. Plus moving insurance is cheap – better safe than sorry!
  2. Moving Truck: Unless you plan on fitting your 3 bedroom home into your mini-van you’ll need a moving truck. Before pulling the trigger on a random company, do your research! Companies vary on their daily rates, and will charge less if your rent on less in demand dates.
  3. Storage Unit: You may not encounter this situation, but at times being in between homes or waiting to move in may require temporary storage services. If only there was a moving company in Nashville that offered climate controlled, temporary, secured storage 😉
  4. Gas: Generally larger moving trucks average between 10-16 miles per gallon. Do the math! Divide your travel distance by your vehicle’s mpg and multiply by the average gallon price.
  5. Packing Materials: You’ll need materials to pack all your stuff. Look further into the companies you’re moving or renting from, generally they offer all the materials you need at affordable, one stop rates! If you’re moving locally and use Fox Moving, we even have an offer to get you started with some free boxes for your move!

Remember before taking on a DIY move that each step of the process involves more detail than meets the eye. Packing, for example is not simply just packing – it involves time off work, purchasing packing materials, disassembling of furniture and much more. Do your research and price out rentals, gas, packing materials and insurance. Sometimes a combination of help from a moving company and doing it yourself is most cost-effective. Best of luck on your move!

Have more questions about your DIY move? – Or want to consider Fox Moving to help? Give us a shout! Request a free quote online or call us at 615-770-3000.