Moving takes careful planning, organization and commitment. It also requires the acquisition of boxes, old newspapers, bubble wrap and packing tape.
Some people throw moving parties where they invite their friends to help with the task, and others rely on parents to get them packed and to the next place. Some hire moving companies to pack their belongings, transport them and unpack them at their destination, and others rent a truck and do it themselves.
“I have my own truck, and I’m a big guy, so people usually feel comfortable asking me to help them move,” freshman Joe Renfro said. “The only things I remember breaking or dropping are big items that three of us could not really lift. We also scratched a few walls in our time.”
Other problems with having friends stand in for professional movers are costs for things such as food, drink and gas.
“On occasion people offer to compensate me for my gas because my truck is a gas hog,” Renfro said.
For seniors Megan Tighe and Katie Knappenberger, moving is always a group effort.
“We usually commission friends or boyfriends to help us move,” Knappenberger said. “Our main motivation for moving helpers is beer.”
For Tighe and Knappenberger, moving is a problem that needs a creative solution.
“We rented a Ford Excursion one time and we were able to fit all our stuff in it,” Tighe said.
If money is no object, a moving service may be the easiest option. Many moving services offer to send out a representative who will catalogue belongings and the distance of the move.
“We can take everything from where it sits on a shelf, pack it, move it to your new location, unwrap it, and place it back on that shelf,” Eugene Moving & Storage employee Robert Hixson said.
Some of the advantages of a full-service mover are the insurance and the experience.
“If something is damaged, we fix it,” Bekins Northwest Moving & Storage employee Jim Oakes said.
Oakes said his employees have a minimum of three years of experience.
The cost of a full-service move depends on how much furniture and possessions need to be transported. Most moving companies recommend getting a moving consultation, which they generally offer for free. The consultation involves taking an inventory and fixing a price for the labor.
“The cost of transportation is regulated in Oregon,” Hixson said.
Because of this regulation, which means most moving companies have similar rates for ground transportation, a little research can determine whose prices are better.
Hixson calculated a hypothetical move from Eugene to Portland. Moving 1,200 pounds with some preliminary packing and transportation would cost about $500.
Oakes calculated a similar move with just loading and delivery at about $371.
“For full service with some packing, you might add $100 to $300 for labor,” Oakes said.
For many people, including students such as Tighe and Knappenberger, a full service move is not the best choice.
“I like to do my own packing — I use a ton of paper, and my stuff is usually pretty safe,” Knappenberger said. “I’ve used a few Daily Emeralds in my time.”
For Renfro, moving wouldn’t be the same without a few mishaps.
“We thought it would be fun to ride in the back of a U-Haul truck, but when the driver hit the gas at a stoplight, I went flying and landed on a box of china, or something breakable,” he said.
Renfro recommended renting a truck and moving with friends — or getting creative in unusual circumstances.
“The last time I moved somewhere was in 1996, during the big flood. We loaded up our boxes in a canoe and floated them to our truck,” Renfro said. “You know who your friends are by who helps you move.”