We mentioned in our previous post that you have control over how much money you spend on your move – and you do. You can call around to see whether companies have a minimum number of hours they charge for. If you are just moving in town and you have a one- or two-bedroom apartment, you can easily get away with hiring movers just for a few hours. So here are the steps to ensure that the movers can just pick up your items and load them:

1. Pack everything you can into boxes and stage them close to the entries. Picking up loose items and small shipping boxes can add up. Would you rather have the movers take 50 laps with one or two items they can’t stack well in the truck, or 10 laps with moving boxes?
   • One note: dispose of items that you no longer need. You get a fresh start at your new place anyway. Sell the furniture and clothing you won’t use anymore, same with documents, nicknacks, and all the “miscellaneous stuff” that you don’t really need. You will have to buy less boxes and the movers will have to move less items, too.
2. Disassemble furniture like bed frames, dressers with mirrors, dining room tables – if they would not fit through doors and corners.
3. Take items out of dressers, the drawers are not made to carry that load, and the movers might need to remove the drawers anyway if the dresser is too heavy.