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In an ideal world where money is not an issue, probably anyone who has to relocate would prefer to leave everything up to a professional household moving company.  Moving is listed as one of the most stressful events for people.  If you could have a household moving company pack, load, transport, unload and unpack, moving would be a breeze.  Most people, however, cannot afford to hand over everything to a moving company and choose various other moving options instead.  Many people hire a household moving company, but do all or most of the packing themselves to cut costs.  Some rent a moving truck or portable storage containers and do all the labor themselves.  And there are many different ways to combine various options to suit the needs of your budget and circumstances. 

Here are some things you need to consider before you come up with your own moving plan:
1.  What can your family handle?  Do not take on any do it yourself option, unless you think you and your family are up for it physically and emotionally. 
2.  What is your time frame?  If you have to move quickly and do not have any time to prepare or take care of logistics, hiring a professional household moving company may better suit your needs. 
3.  How flexible are you with your moving dates?  Do it yourself moves offer a lot of flexibility.  You can rent portable storage containers, for example, and take weeks to load and unload your belongings.  You can have your containers delivered on a day you choose and do not have to worry about the available schedule of a household moving company team.  With a rental truck, you can drive across country at your leisure.  A household moving company will require you to sign a contract and commit to a moving date. 
4.  Do you need temporary storage?  Many moving and storage companies offer temporary storage options along with their portable storage container rental agreements.  You do not have to unload your belongings (or pay a household moving company team to do it) into a storage unit, only to have to load them back up and move them when your home is ready. 
5.  How fragile are your belongings?  You are responsible for lost and broken items with a do it yourself move.  If you have a lot of original artwork, china and antiques, it may be smartest to leave those items to the household moving company team. 
6.  How much are you moving?  If you have a small apartment, moving everything yourself requires much less time and commitment than moving a 4 bedroom house.
7.  What is your budget?  If you plan well, you can save a lot of money doing a move yourself when compared to hiring a professional moving company. 

Figure out what you need and what you and your family can handle all within the context of you budget.  Once you know those things, you can come up with a moving plan that utilizes one, several or all of the various do it yourself and household moving company options. 

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Summer is a popular time to move. The kids are out of school, the weather is more dependable and it is a comfortable season for big road trips and getting settled into a new home. When you plan to take on a do it yourself move on a budget, summer is also a popular time for companies to put out advertisements for moving coupons and specials. In fact, beginning your moving to do list with a search for moving coupons is often a smart place to start. It gives you an incentive to start calling around for deals and the best prices. And often when you call a moving or equipment rental company with moving coupons in hand, they will then let you know about even better offers. Once you are on the phone with a company and they know you are shopping around, they are going to offer you the best deal they can.

Finding moving coupons is, luckily, easy and will give you the jump start you need to get your move in motion. This time of year, the real estate section of your weekend newspaper will usually have advertisements from moving, storage and equipment rental agencies. If you recently sold your home, your realtor will often give you a packet of moving resources that will include moving coupons. If you filled out a change of address form at the post office, that will usually prompt companies to send you advertisements and moving coupons. If you already know which moving, storage or rental companies you would prefer to use, simply visit their web sites. Most companies have moving coupons and deals listed on the main page and are easy to find. If you are unfamiliar with a company that has a great deal advertised, make sure you do a little background research on the company to make sure they are legitimate and reputable.

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When you plan to use a household moving company for your move, you still need to come up with a strategy for packing. Most consumers end up doing the bulk of the packing themselves, simply to save on hourly labor costs. And many like to know that their belongings were packed the way they want them packed. Regardless of how involved you plan to have your household moving company in packing, take some time to plan ahead.

1. Make sure you have boxes of various sizes and appropriate packing material to protect your items from damage. You can order boxes and materials from your household moving company or find them on your own.

2. It is never too early to start packing.

3. Start packing non essential items first.

4. Label everything very clearly. Come up with a system, so your labeling is consistent and can easily be recognized and understood by your household moving company team. For example, many people have a color code for each room.

5. As you are packing, get rid of anything you no longer want. Do not pay to move extra things.

6. Remember that your household moving company will have to stack boxes on top of one another. Leave room on the top and bottom of boxes for paper, so your items will be cushioned.

8. Do not skimp on packing materials for fragile items. Pack them appropriately and in the proper boxes. If you are not confident that you can pack something breakable, leave those items for the household moving company team.

9. Clearly mark fragile items as such.

10. Read and follow the list your household moving company gave you of items that are not allowed. They have those rules to protect you, your belongings and their moving team.

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