Should You Ask Your Friends To Help You Move?

It’s one of the great debates of humankind: when you’re planning to move, should you rely on your friends to get you where you’re going, or do you need to call in professional movers?

The question isn’t an easy one. Many reasons for a move can influence your decision, such as career opportunities, educational purposes, or the need for a change in environment, each playing a crucial role in the choice between DIY moving or hiring professionals.

Some of the factors that come into play are your budget for a move, the distance of your move, how much you have to move, and how reliable your friends are. The value of your possessions and your own willingness to DIY something that can quickly become complicated and stressful will also be considered.

When moving without movers, it’s crucial to meticulously plan the logistics of transporting your belongings, considering factors like vehicle size and packing strategies. So here is our pro and con list of asking your friends to help you move.

Single Vs Family

Whether you approach friends for assistance when moving can vary depending on some variables, including whether you’re moving alone or with a family. If you’re moving alone, you might not have access to the same tools or levels of support as those who are moving with a partner or family. In this situation, enlisting the help of friends can be a practical answer because it can lower the cost of hiring movers and offer much-needed emotional support throughout the move.

However, it might be more difficult to depend solely on friends for assistance if you are moving with a family. To ensure the safety and well-being of the entire family when moving with children, for instance, it may be necessary to hire professional movers. Additionally, moving with someone else or a spouse can be a beneficial source of emotional support throughout the relocation process, reducing the need for help from friends.

Pro: Cost

Your friends are probably cheap. In many cases, pizza or a case of beer will secure their willingness to move heavy boxes and furniture for a day or two. If they really need cash, you can offer them a few dollars, but you’ll still spend a lot less than you would if you hired a professional moving company – or even a few college students looking for some day work.

Con: Insurance

One of the reasons that your friends are cheaper than the professionals is that they don’t carry any kind of insurance. If your friend screws up and drops the box that contains Grandma’s priceless china, there’s nothing you can do about it other than guilt them for the rest of their lives. Professional movers, however, will generally carry insurance that can help reimburse you for the cost of lost or damaged items.

Pro: Easy to Schedule

If your move happens at the last minute, hiring a professional moving company is likely to be expensive. Especially at busy times of the year, like school start and end dates or the times of the year when seniors tend to head north for summer and south for winter, moving crews and helpers can be incredibly busy. Even if they can fit you into their schedule, you will likely be paying a premium for the opportunity.

Meanwhile, your friends are usually much more amenable to “Can you help me move this weekend?” Even if they have plans, they can often come over for at least a few hours to chip in. Factoring in the best time to move can also significantly impact your budget; moving during the off-peak season can save you money and offer more availability when it comes to professional movers.

Con: Inexperience

While professional movers do this every day, your friends probably help with a dozen moves throughout their lives. They don’t know the best ways to move heavy furniture, use dollies, or bubble wrap and blanket items to protect them from damage. They don’t know the best ways to arrange things in trucks, or how to secure items to avoid shifting and damage in transit.

Pro: After-Hours Help

Your loved ones are more likely to assist you with packing or moving your possessions after work hours than professional movers are. Even though you should always respect others’ time, you can ask for assistance after business hours without having to pay more for late-night moving services.

Con: No Start or Finish Time

When hiring professionals, both parties determine the start time and the overall amount of hours to be spent on the project. It’s far more challenging to impose a strict schedule when your moving team consists of friends and family, especially because they are helping you out.

You should anticipate your move to take much longer than it would if you hired experts after you take into account late arrivals, protracted breaks, and abrupt departures from your informal moving team.

No Pressure

It is a large favor to ask a friend to carry heavy furniture and moving boxes for you, and while they might want to, there are a number of reasons why they might say no. If someone declines your request, express your gratitude while continuing with the rest of your movement strategy. Avoid taking it personally and refrain from attempting to influence their decision.

Consider Hiring Movers for Delicate and Bulky Pieces

Your friends’ health or safety shouldn’t move a big bookcase or a heavy safe unless they have professional moving skills. When considering the logistics of your move, remember that safety should be at the top of your list, especially when handling heavy furniture or navigating stairs. Plan to hire a local mover to help your team with more difficult moving activities since some moving tasks are best left to the professionals. Ask your pals to help you with low-stress jobs instead, like packing the moving truck or lugging lightboxes.

Conclusion

Whether you ask your friends for help with your move often depends on how much you’re moving and how far. If you’re crossing town with a truck full of boxes and just a couple of pieces of furniture, your friends are almost certainly the more economical choice for your moving assistance.

But if you’re moving from state to state, or even a few cities away, it’s not likely your friends will be willing to make that drive to help you unload at the far end. Even if your friends can help you load up your truck or van before you leave, unpacking at your destination can be more work than you anticipated.

One reason that people want to have friends help with a bigger move is to get to spend some time with people they care about before they end up a good distance away. One way to get that social contact without worrying about the actual transportation of your belongings is to ask for help packing the house up.

Many movers charge more if they need to pack up the entire house; you can often save some money on your move by packing up what you can before the movers arrive. Clothing, books, DVDs, and basic dishware are easy opportunities to get things cleaned up and packed – and also to go through items and discard or donate things that are unwanted.

When you’re making a long move, or moving an established household, hiring professional movers is often the right call. They know how to protect your furniture, pack a truck properly, and get everything done efficiently. They carry insurance that will protect you from damages caused by the movers.

When you have a low budget for a move, remember to put a dollar value on your own time and frustration. Hiring a moving company can make the entire move easier on you, reducing your stress and letting you focus on other aspects of the move. Many times, those other aspects are much more important than figuring out how to wrap your kitchen table properly. Let movers take care of the parts they’re good at, so you can worry about all the other details.