Moving to a new home does not have to feel entirely stressful and overwhelming, especially when you plan and prepare ahead of time. Decluttering your home’s garage may feel daunting, but it is possible with a plan of action that works for your household and the number of items you have stored away. Taking the […]
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The Pros and Cons of Packing Yourself Versus Hiring Professional Packers
You’ve found a fantastic new home and have a moving date set. In addition to deciding what to keep, donate, and throw away , you’ll also need to decide whether to pack yourself or hire professionals to do the job for you.
In making this decision, it’s important to consider the pros and cons of each choice.
Packing Yourself
Pros
Packing yourself gives you complete control over the process. You’ll be able to decide what, when, and where to pack your possessions. Additionally, you can sort your possessions into piles of things you want to keep, donate, sell, and throw away as you pack.
Packing yourself is the more economical option. When you pack yourself, the only expense you’ll have is the purchase of adequate packing materials, such as boxes, tape, packing paper, and labels. You can even cut these costs by finding sturdy boxes at local businesses, such as grocery or liquor stores.
According to this St. Louis moving company, packing yourself also gives you the advantage of meaningful organization. You can pack items together that make sense to you. Placing descriptive, meaningful labels on packed boxes will make unpacking much simpler when you get to your new home.
Cons
Packing yourself is incredibly time-consuming. Don’t underestimate the time it takes to pack an entire house or you’ll end up haphazardly throwing items into boxes at the last minute, resulting in disorganization and possibly broken and damaged possessions.
When you pack yourself, you may inadvertently pack your possessions incorrectly. According to Movers.com, while you can read online guides on how to pack your items properly, you are still more likely to rush or to pack your possessions with inadequate materials than with professional packers. When items are ineffectively wrapped, put into flimsy boxes, or not taped adequately, they are more likely to crack or break.
Furniture requires special wrapping, and if you don’t pad your furniture adequately, your items can end up damaged or dirty during the move.
Finally, if you hire movers to move you, they are not liable for anything they don’t pack. Therefore, if something you pack is damaged or broken during transport, you, not the moving company is responsible for it.
Hiring Professional Packers
Pros
Hiring professional packers means that you don’t have to deal with the overwhelming task of packing yourself. Professional packers have a strategy for packing; they can pack your entire home within several hours. Professional packers use high-quality packing materials to ensure the safety of your possessions while they’re in transit. Moving companies know the common pitfalls to packing and can avoid them.
When you hire a moving company to do your packing for you, they typically accept responsibility for any items that are damaged or lost along the way. Most professional packers will unpack your possessions and reassemble your furniture at your new home for an additional fee as well.
Cons
Hiring a professional packing service will cost you financially – from several hundreds to several thousands of dollars. According to Movers.com, while some companies charge by the hour, others base rates on how many possessions you have to pack. Some companies include packing materials in the cost of the service while others charge extra for necessary packing materials.
Professional packers are speedy and focus on keeping your possessions safe during the move. However, they do not have the time to properly organize your items. In fact, you might find yourself becoming annoyed and frustrated when you unpack at your new home because random items will be grouped together into boxes.
Having someone pack up your personal possessions can feel strange. It’s hard to trust strangers with the responsibility of packing up your valuables and sentimental items. Before you hire professional packers, do your research, read reviews, and ask your family and friends for recommendations.
Deciding whether to pack yourself or hire someone to do it for you can be a tough choice to make. Which option is right for you depends on your specific situation.
Planning a Move from San Diego to Denver? What to Know!
If you are planning on moving from San Diego to Denver, there are many things you should know beforehand. While Denver is a wonderful place to live, it is quite different than San Diego both in terms of environment and lifestyle. Here are some of the most important things you should be aware of:
1. State Income Tax Is Generally Much Lower in Colorado, and It Is Flat
California has a progressive state income tax, with rates ranging from 1% all the way up to 13.3%. Single filers earning over $30,000 a year pay at least 6% in state income tax. But Colorado has a flat state income tax, in which all residents pay 4.63% in taxes regardless of how much money they earn.
2. It Is Colder in Denver and Snow Is Not Uncommon
While San Diego has mostly warm weather year-round, it is far colder in Denver during the winter. The January low in San Diego is only 45 degrees, but in Denver, the low in January is 19 degrees. Denver also receives 62 inches of snow per year on average as opposed to 0 inches in San Diego. Keep the the weather variation in mind if you are planning a winter move. While movers in San Diego may be great for moving locally, chances are, they won’t have any experience with moving in winter conditions like snow, sleet, and ice. It may be best to hire a Denver moving company for your relocation.
Though both cities have similar amounts of yearly rainfall and similar amounts of sunny days, and the temperatures in the summer are not much different.
3. Denver Has a Much Higher Altitude
While San Diego is only 62 feet above sea level, Denver is a whopping 5,280 feet above sea level. If you are not used to living in high altitudes, it can take some adjustment. Experts recommend that to avoid altitude sickness you should do the following when you first arrive:
- Drink lots of water.
- Limit the amount of alcohol you drink.
- Eat foods rich potassium, such as bananas.
- Limit physical activity a bit.
Also, you should dress in layers, as the altitude can cause temperatures to vary greatly during the course of the day. You should further wear plenty of sunscreens, as the altitude in Denver causes the sun to be very strong there.
4. There Are Lot More Single Men in the City than Single Women
Denver has been nicknamed “Menver,” and for a good reason: there are a lot of single men there. Men that have never been married outnumber women who have never been married in the city by nearly 20,000. Interestingly, though, there are still more women in the city than men.
5. There Is a Lot of Great Skiing Nearby
Those living in San Diego have to travel a great distance to go skiing, but Denver is near some of the best skiing in the world. The following great resorts are located within 60 miles of the city:
- Winter Park Resort
- Loveland Ski Area
- Arapahoe Basin
- Eldora Mountain Resort
There are other great winter activities as well, such as snowboarding, snowshoeing and mountain hiking. But keep in mind that all this winter activity can cause a lot of traffic, too.
Advice for Making a Local Move Across Town Go Smoothly
Few things are more stressful in life than moving, even if your new location isn’t too far away. First, you have to sort through mounds of stuff you’ve accumulated throughout the years, and then you have to deal with packing and transporting it to your new location. The work isn’t over when you’re finally in […]
How to Stage a Successful Moving Sale Before You Move
One of the best ways to save money when you move is to downsize as much as possible. This is also convenient because one of the best ways to downsize is to hold a moving sale, from which you can also generate some extra income from moving. Between the money you save by not moving […]