10 Oct Moving? Help from friends may not be the best option..
Moving is always laborious and difficult… Anyone could use a bit of help. And who better to enlist than friends or family, especially when trying to keep costs down?
However tempting that may be, please keep in mind that asking your friends for help with moving is a big deal. You are asking them to spend maybe an entire day or more lifting, carrying and laboring heavily for you, for free.
So before you ask your friend to help with moving, consider the consequences and implications carefully…
- Just like any good friend, they may feel bad to refuse you, even though they may really want to.
- At some point, you may have to reciprocate the favor. If it’s likely you won’t have the time, energy, or willingness, then it’s not fair to ask them for a favor now.
- When you ask people to carry heavy things from you, there’s a great chance of injuries, especially back injuries. You don’t want to be responsible for the pain and suffering and possibly medical cost of your friends.
- Moving day is unpredictable. You may think you need them for 2 hours, when in fact it’s going to take 6. They may have other plans for later in the day that they will have to miss to help you out.
- If they accidentally damage things, they are being put in a difficult position. They may feel they have to rectify the situation, even though they are there because you asked.
- If you have valuable furniture, artwork, electronics, if you or your friends damage them when carrying to the moving truck, there’s no way for you to recover the loss. However, if a professional mover does the packing and moving, they carry insurance that will cover any accidentally damaged items.
- Large and heavy items, like antique furniture, large cabinets, pianos or appliances are very difficult to carry and maneuver out the door. Even for professional movers, who’ve done it hundreds of times before, such items present a challenge. There’s a risk of injury to the person hauling it, the risk of damage to the interior of the home, and the risk of damaging the item itself. Damages from one dropped cabinet can easily run into the thousands. Are these risks really worth taking??
Hiring professional help for your packing and moving is always the best and easiest way to go.
Your move will go smoother and faster, and you won’t put yourself and your friends into harms way. However, if you can’t afford an all service mover, don’t go at it all alone.
There is plenty of help your friends can offer or you can solicit to make it easier on you throughout the move. Don’t feel bad to ask for any of these, after all that’s what friends and family are for:
- a couple of hours of help with light packing
- collecting boxes and packing materials
- babysitting help
- pet sitting
- even a casserole
In conclusion, your friends may be great, but they are still untrained movers.
When you ask them to help you move, you risk injury to them, to your property, and possibly your friendships. Better to think twice before you do… Asking your friends for help with moving may be penny wise but pound foolish. Hiring professional movers for the job, even when it stretches your budget, will keep you, your friends, your property and belongings safe from the perils of moving.