How to move stuff to Florida?

What's in Atlanta at 3 am, besides my brother-in-law and his family?

I have a lady friend who is going to go with me, to help drive or whatever I need her to do. I am just trying to figure out which means of moving my stuff - (it should all fit into a 10' truck or covered trailer) - which is the most reliable? I don't want to be stuck in the middle of Georgia at 3 am!

Which is the most economical? I don't want to be taken for a financial ride, but I want to get the best for my money.

I am green at this, so I need all the suggestions I can get from those who have DONE IT.

All of the suggestions, so far, match our own. We have done it both ways more than once - professonal, and self-pack/haul.

We have so much, professinal packing and a miving van is required. Used Allied, Atlas, and United. All of the drivers and loaders were fine, but the packers are another story. First from Houston to Denver - Atlas - packers were outstanding (and this was our first professional move) - unloading was perfect. Denver to LA - Allied - packers were very good, but not as good as the first crew, but unloading was excellent. LA to Houston - United - Packers were horrid - several things were "never found again" - some things broken. Unloading was even worse.

I don't blame the company, just the laborers they hired.

First 3-4 moves were self-done - initially with a trailer, then using rental trucks.

Last move (sort of) was unloading mom's house when she passed - rented a 24' truck. Wound up being too large, but we were not sure how much would be left after the auction, and would not be able to get what we needed in the middle of Missouri on short notice.

Overall - packing is the secret. Properly done nothing gets lost or broken. Better to have more lighter packed boxes than heavy overstuffed ones - and always keep things separated and labeled - do not mix kitchen stuff with garage with bedroom with bathroom -- way too much trouble unpacking.

Allow enough time for everything. Rushing will only cause delays.

Good luck and make it a fun trip.

If you do hire movers to pack things try to be there when they do it. My in-laws were unable to supervise their movers and ended up with boxes full of items that really should have been thrown out. It was their own fault, not the movers. Everything arrived in excellent condition - opened boxes of crackers, paper towels, used tin foil, half burned candles. What a mess!

All the advice has been appreciated - keep it coming - I am learning SO MUCH - THANKS!

Looks like you got alot of good info. I do see moving boxes for pickup on CL since you have some time it may be worth looking into.

Start thining out things now...so you do not have a huge time crunch towards moving time...alot less stress that way. Go thru drawers and closets now...get rid of any thing you will not take with you.

I used colored tape for the boxes....red for kitchen...blue for bath..etc...it was fast and easy.

I would say get your plants potted at least a month before the move. They should be over the shock of transplant then.

Oh and heavy items should NOT be packed in the back of truck or trailer...for balance they should be to front closest to driver or center. If you rent a truck...do ask them for the safety manual and read it. They do not always have them in the truck so make sure you see it before the trip. They have alot of good advice in them.
Good luck with your trip and your new life.

The worst thing to contend with in Atlanta is traffic. If you are determined to break down as claimed above I still say 3AM will get you the best service as all those 24 hr AAA folks are available and you will have less competition for their services.

Thanks, Sugarweed - I will keep that in mind! I just weeded out last October when I moved into this house. There is no time frame - I will get there when I get there.

And do you know about the "last box"? That's the box that you pack last that has the important stuff that you want to have first at the new place. Scissors, cell phone and charger, tape, tp, cleaning supplies for the new place, moving contract, pen and paper, phone nos for the utilities.

If you hire movers, have a cold six pack waiting at the end of the the first day and see how much more careful they are with your stuff.

The only advice I can add is to make sure you have insurance on everything...and make sure when they are unloading, that EVERYTHING arrives..do NOT sign anything if something is missing..even if they say it doesn't matter....believe me, it does.

Once you sign, you are saying that you got everything so have no recourse when a box of (whatever) comes up missing. Stand firm on that if you value your belongings.

Kris

I don't know if someone else mentioned it (too many things said) but one thing I always do, is make sure personal papers are WITH ME! Anything with your SSN or bank accounts and credit card numbers. ☺

Keep sharing your ideas and experiences with me - I am printing them off, and will definently use all of them! THANK YOU!!!

I would say that if you go through a full service mover, the rates will be less in the off season, which generally is when kids are in school. For some reason in this country, most everyone moves in the summer, when the kids are out of school and that is when the household movers are the busiest. The nice thing about a regular household mover is that you can get everything packed, they notate all scratches, and damage on forms when they p/u. when they get to your new home it is all arranged, and you check off everything that comes off the truck and tell them where to put it. I wouldn't rent a u-haul for anything. they are usually very poorly maintained. ryder or penske might be a better choice. ABF trucklines, will ship your stuff also but you have to pack it. They are a less than truckload carrier. I think they only move the boxes though and you'd have to check on the restrictions. You might even pack and move some of your stuff through abf and the rest through a household mover maybe. Clothes and unbreakables abf and furniture and fragiles household mover. The pods would be containers that you would have to load yourself or hire packers, that would probably charge you for the time the "pod" was at your house to be loaded and unloaded. Containers are usually packed tight and solid and secure so that nothing would be sloshing around and getting damaged. Moving is a very tiring and stressful time and i would get estimates,estimates, estimates and do the easiest most cost effective route. sometimes your moving expenses if for reasons of employment can be deducted on your income tax.

We had another bout of snow last night and woke to the news and pictures of an 18 wheeler that had turned over on its side..turns out it was a moving van and someones belongings were scattered all over the highway...not to scare you cause I am sure its a rare thing to happen, but its another reason to make sure you have insurance above what they may offer..check with your insurance agent for advice..

I have moved many times and have had pretty good moves, but for the couple boxes I lost and signed for the load without being aware they were missing..the packers did a good job..I did the unpacking.

Good luck with your move, its usually more stressful in your mind than the actual move..

Kris

well earthling, i guess that means that they would be getting their deliveries from the furniture stores. Hopefully the clean up crews would rescue all their pictures and other sentimental items.

Thanks, folks, for your input. I remember, when we moved from Kansas City to Minnesota, we hired a moving company (Mayflower), and on the way there, a Pheasant flew into the windshield of the van, delaying it for 10 days - we were there, in an empty house, awaiting all our belongings - what a nightmare!

Yes, if you don't have a full van load in the small print you will see they may store your stuff, etc until they have a money making load going your way.
I agree with the rental of pensky, budget rental, hertz and others. Since you have time do some internet searches for the different options available to you.
Sidney

I just heard from a family member (DIL's family) that they used a moving company and it was quite expensive. I guess I need to research cost options. I will be doing this either BY MYSELF or possibly one older friend, so I need to consider the SAFEST way, too. It won't matter HOW much the move costs if I screw it up by doing it myself. I am thinking that a moving company has to be SOMEWHAT competitive with self-moving options - what do you folks think?

If you don't have a lot of stuff to move, and are not in a big rush, and your healthy enough to do the heavy lifting, then I think doing it yourself would be the cheapest way to go.

Len, I don't have a lot of stuff, as such - I have plants, which is going to be a challenge - there are several large Hibiscus - may have to sell them and get some when I get down there.

What plants do you have beside hibiscus which i know nothing about? Yes i think if i was you i would just maybe take a few cuttings and sell them. florida will be a whole other world as far as what you can and will want to grow. They may look out of place anyway in a tropical garden, or are hibiscus tropical?

Moving some plants to Fl may be in violation to Florida and US Dept. of Agriculture regulations also some states do not allow plants in soil without the proper inspection and paperwork
Califonia has a 20,000 fine for violations.
It would be cheaper to sell your plants and buy new ones at destination.Florida plants are very cheap

Thanks - the Hibiscus are tropical. I think it would be best to sell them, too.

If you don't have a lot of stuff look at freight companies where you pack your stuff, and in some cases load it onto the truck yourself. Then they partition your section off and charge you for the footage.

Also, a great packing tip if you have a lot of clothes is to use those as packing material around breakables. It saves on styrofoam.

You might also go onto CL and find some local help to get you packed up and loaded. I hired a couple of college kids for my last move and they were a help packing and running errands. You might also look for local handymen to help pack your truck. They were cheaper than conventional movers.

Also, number your boxes and write the number/code on each side of the boxes, but try to avoid naming what's in the box on the outside of the box. That way you can tell what's in the boxes without having to unload them or turn the box around to see the number. Keep a spreadsheet of all boxes.

And when packing - make the small boxes heavy and the large boxes light.

And be wary of the rental trucks where they charge for the hand cart. They chain it inside the truck, and if you cut the plastic ties they charge you a ridiculous rental fee just for the cart on top of the truck fees. You could buy one yourself at an office supply place for less than one day's rental fee. They just count on people assuming that it comes with the truck.

I will shut up now.

Please don't stop with the information - I NEED help with this, and am really appreciative of your kindness. I have a hand cart, so won't be using theirs. Thanks!

having suv sounds like a trailer is your best bet.and most resonable cost i would think.? but i do not know much.
i know when was 10 or 11 we moved form southern minne. to northern minnesota whole house of furniture in a CATTLE hauling trailer long one. not much expense. i thought it was embarrassing.

Thats quite a move to.. Best of luck. be warmer there. but think higher living.

One other thing that comes to mind - if you pack up your rental truck or personal auto and have to stop for the night at a hotel en route, be very careful with the parking. I would suggest parking somewhere other than the hotel.

Hotel parking lots with visibly full cars are targets for thieves. In a rental truck one thing you can do is at least back into a parking space against a wall so that things can't be unloaded from the back. With a regular car with windows, theft is a risk.

Andi, I have thought of this, and worried about having the vehicle broken into - where WOULD be a good place to park, if I should decide to move stuff myself?

I am thinking I won't have much stuff to move, as my sister-in-law wants to buy all my big stuff, if her husband agrees - what a blessing that would be! I can get rid of most of my clothes and plants, so maybe a small trailer would work.

I know of friends who moved from Wi to Ga. They were so pleased that the movers had such a cheap rate, but it was too good to be true. The movers ended up with a couple hundred dollars and all their things, and they were never seen again. So be careful. I myself, would try to sell as much stuff as you can and travel light.(Have a moving sale) Maybe you could drive your car with your personal items and valuables and if you have another person, maybe they could drive a small rental truck with the rest of your things and travel together with planned stops together. Best wishes to you!