My son’s move

[Amethyst]

My son and his wife are moving from Florida to PA at the end of this month. They have been living in a one bedroom apartment. Not a huge amount of stuff. The movers they hired told him yesterday that they will pick his stuff up on June 28 and they will arrive in PA anywhere between July 7 and July 22. That’s a huge window. So annoying. At first I told him to push back on that, but now I’m assuming this is normal and there isn’t much he can do about it. 
 

He is leaving a residency, and so are all his friends he made down there. So nobody to help him load a U-haul. His wife is tiny. She’s willing to do work but I can’t picture the two of them getting the Lazy Boy chair down the steps. They are getting rid of lots of stuff so they don’t have as much to move. No sofa or kitchen table or bed to move. But still. 
 

Anyone ever been in this kind of situation? Should he hire random guys to just help load a U-haul? Sounds shady. We were going tobpay for the moving company. He has to work right up until the day of the move, so we wanted to make things easier for them Now I’m not sure if this is complicating things. 

[HomeAgain]

We've done similar.  I think the moving company would be in their best interest, especially if they do their own packing of many of the smaller items.

Our moves have often included 1-3 months without our things (long distance moves) so we got very good at packing up the things we need immediately: bedding, towels, air mattress, cookware, small tv...and either thrifting or going to Ikea to supplement once we get into the new place.  It's why we had 4 of the Lack tables from Ikea once. 😆  They were about $8 when we bought them at each move, just for something to set plates and such on while we sat on the floor.  It's very nice to be able to get into a new place, too, and make any repairs/cleaning before the household goods show up, so I'm a fan of having a 2 week window between the movers.  No stress to back in the Uhaul or get it returned on time, especially if there are delays driving.

[Katy]

Try 2 Men & a Truck. My mom has hired them to move heavy/bulky stuff onto the moving truck she rented. DH has hired them just to move something heavy from the main floor to the basement, several times. Think treadmills and large safes. We’ve always liked them and have used them all over the country. 

Also, have them check Penske for a truck rental, not just UHAUL. Much more comfortable for a long drive. 

[Pawz4me]

Lots of people here seem to have good luck posting on the community FB page and finding a couple of older teens/young men who are willing to do that sort of work for a few hours. We've had quite a few Lazy Boy recliners. The backs of all of them have pulled off (pull straight up), which makes them fairly easy to move.

[Bambam]

Do they have moving places like 3 Men and a Truck? If so, I'd call them and ask if they could just load a UHaul for you? I might also call the local UHaul places and see if they have some contact info for folks who can help you load/unload.  He is going to need help unloading at the other end. 

 

[Faith-manor]

Dd and son in law found that hiring makers just to help them load the UHaul/Penske truck on one end, and then hiring again on the other for unloading was the most economical way to do it, and the fastest way to get their things to their final destination. The truck wasn't that bad to drive really. LOL, Dd did it because she also had her paramedic background and drove ambulance from time to time so she didn't think it was a big deal. This was the only way though that they found they could move without a 2-4 week delay in getting their stuff. This is how our nephew, a recent graduate of dental school, is currently moving. His dad though is coming to drive the truck. My bil has a LOT of large equipment and driving experience that nephew doesn't have. If the moving company did the whole thing, his 5 hour move would be a 14 day delay. They would load him in the semi first, then load another household or 2 moving to the same area or along the path, and then whomever got loaded on last, gets unloaded 1st.

[pinball]

1 hour ago, Amethyst said:

Should he hire random guys to just help load a U-haul? Sounds shady

I’m not sure what you mean by shady.

Do you mean that men who would accept this type of work are shady?

 

[Katy]

1 hour ago, pinball said:

I’m not sure what you mean by shady.

Do you mean that men who would accept this type of work are shady?

 

Hiring two random, uninsured people for day labor can invite both crime and lawsuits. If they’re working for a company and scam workers comp, their employer deals with them. If you hire them, depending on state law and whether you have personal liability insurance, you might be on the hook. 

[Jaybee]

Penske trucks are supposed to be a lot more reliable than U-Haul trucks. We used Penske for our last move. We had plenty of people on both ends to help with loading and unloading, but if we hadn't, I'd have definitely looked into 2 Men and a Truck. But if he sticks with the movers, they will take care of all that.

In agreement with @HomeAgain that some lag time is helpful in getting your bearings in the new place. If they are driving up separately from movers, they can pack urgent needs in the car with them--some dishes and utensils, cleaning equipment if they are moving that, etc.

Congratulations on finishing his residency! Great accomplishment. My dsil is finishing up his first year. It's quite the long haul, isn't it?

[pinball]

25 minutes ago, Katy said:

Hiring two random, uninsured people for day labor can invite both crime and lawsuits. If they’re working for a company and scam workers comp, their employer deals with them. If you hire them, depending on state law and whether you have personal liability insurance, you might be on the hook. 

This literally doesn’t answer the question I asked.

[QueenCat]

The time frame is normal for small loads. Several small loads are put on one truck. Once the truck is full, they start delivering.

[PeppermintPattie]

I have helped my mom move quite a few times, and we've had very good experiences hiring people from the UHaul website. They don't work for UHaul, but they are insured, and you can read their reviews. I would highly recommend this! It costs about $50/hour per person working, if I remember correctly.

[prairiewindmomma]

We've been in this situation, a few times. Let him sort it out.  He's married, almost 30, and smart enough to be finishing up a residency. He'll figure it out. Or his wife will. It sounds like he's done a lot of downsizing.  As parents, we always want to smooth the way for our kids, but let him adult and do adulty things.

As to the rest:

1. yes, it's normal to have a couple of weeks delay in getting stuff delivered, especially if stuff is bundled with other groups of stuff and the movers are doing other pickups along the way

2. I have moved a lazy boy recliner by myself. The top pulls off, and the base is easy to grip. The total weight of it assembled is around 75 lbs, the base is about 50. He'll be fine. 

3. It's not uncommon for a new neighbor or someone to see a guy struggling with a couch and offer to help.  We've been both the helpers and the help-ee. But really, even my 100 lb 11 year old is strong enough to carry boxes and move most lighter furniture. I think the wife can assist with the recliner base if he needs help navigating through a doorway or onto a moving truck.

4. They ideally are traveling with the basics to get by if they aren't traveling with the truck. We have a move-in day starter kit with a shower curtain and toilet paper and paper towels and silverware, blowup mattresses and sheets, towels and washcloths and basic toiletries.  For a while, we had a mini fridge we put in the back of the minivan as our fridge would come with our belongings.  All of the things I list can also be picked up from StuffMart wherever they land if they arrive and realize they have nothing.  This is all part of the learning curve of moving, and they will figure it out.

 

[City Mouse]

Unless they have valuable furniture pieces, it may be cheaper and easier to sell all the big stuff and buy new things when they get where they are going. Then they can rent a truck for the boxes and smaller stuff. 

[livetoread]

Task Rabbit is another place to get people to help you load and unload. He might want to stick an airpod in with his stuff if he goes with the movers. My sister did a corporate move and they not only had a big time frame for delivery, they ended up losing her stuff and it took an additional two weeks for the company to figure out which truck it was on and get it back to her. Amazing in this day and age.

[prairiewindmomma]

We had stuff stolen in our last corporate move...had to file a claim and everything.  A 4 pack of AirTags is $80....we plan on tagging some of our most valuable boxes in our next move.

[Amethyst]

5 hours ago, City Mouse said:

Unless they have valuable furniture pieces, it may be cheaper and easier to sell all the big stuff and buy new things when they get where they are going. Then they can rent a truck for the boxes and smaller stuff. 

Yes, we have told them this and fortunately are getting rid of a lot of things. The most valuable piece of furniture is probably the curve-front desk that my husband made for him. So, they don’t have a ton of stuff. So maybe a Penske or UHaul is the way to go. 

[KungFuPanda]

At that age, with a one bedroom, we’d just move ourselves in a U-Haul and sell or donate what isn’t worth moving.  I was tiny as a newlywed and we were fine. His brother helped us once when we moved with a baby and preschooler. DH’s mom watched the kids. 
 

They can hire day laborers to help load and unload the truck at either end if they want. 

[KungFuPanda]

“Should he hire random guys to just help load a U-haul? Sounds shady”

This is likely what the moving company will do. He might as well pocket the price difference and tip them better. 

[DawnM]

The NextDoor app/group often has postings for help with moving/packing.

Also, the lazy boy backs probably come off, so it will be easier to maneuver, which will be helpful.  Most of their furniture is made so that the backs come off.  

We packed and moved ourselves from CA to NC and we had a house to move.   

Get a good dolly to wheel things.

[katilac]

15 hours ago, KungFuPanda said:

“Should he hire random guys to just help load a U-haul? Sounds shady”

This is likely what the moving company will do. He might as well pocket the price difference and tip them better. 

Having the moving company in between offers a lot of protection, though. 

[J-rap]

Do you think when the movers say they will "pick up his stuff" they actually mean carrying and loading all the boxes and furniture?  Or does Haul have that as an add-on service?  Our ds and his wife moved recently and the moving company did everything: the loading and the driving.  It's handy to hire just one company to do all of it, otherwise you're having to coordinate two different companies (the drivers and the loaders/unloaders).  That gets even trickier when you don't know their arrival date.  (The two-week window isn't unusual, by the way.)

We've had good luck finding moving companies online, researching reviews, etc.   For more local moves we try and stick with local companies.  We've also found "random guys" on Task Rabbit for small, local moves, but they have a good review system.

[Amethyst]

Thanks for your thoughts. They have been helpful.
 

Son booked a local company that coordinates movers. Two guys will be showing up to load the U-Haul that son has reserved. Son will drive the truck. They will have all their stuff with them when they arrive. Dh, other son, dil, my two daughters, myself will all be nearby to help with unloading. Seems better than waiting for it for 3 weeks while he starts his fellowship.