# Cheap way to move **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [February 17, 2005, 12:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cheap-way-to-move/290454 "2005-02-17T00:51:33Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Folly](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/folly/32/3219_2.png) [@Folly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Folly)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2005, 12:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cheap-way-to-move/290454/1 "2005-02-17T00:51:33Z")
I need a way to move a large room full of stuff, but I hate driving UHaul trucks. What’s the best way to do this? You can rent Cargo Vans, but everyone seems to charge for mileage. It would probably be a couple of van trips. 45 miles round trip each time. ---
**Author:** ![gotpasswords](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/c57346/32.png) [@gotpasswords](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gotpasswords)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2005, 2:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cheap-way-to-move/290454/2 "2005-02-17T02:47:27Z")
Been there, done that. The U-haul will be the fastest and possibly the cheapest way to go. If you can use your own (or a friend’s) vehicle and do it in two or three trips, you may as well go that way. Otherwise, add up the total number of trips x 45 miles divided by mpg and also factor in your time. Just for comparison, my last move came out to be cheaper to have the pros do it once I looked at how many trips I’d need and how many flights of stairs, etc and it made more sense to spend the $500. ---
**Author:** ![Bill\_H](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/a5b964/32.png) [@Bill\_H](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bill_H)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2005, 2:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cheap-way-to-move/290454/3 "2005-02-17T02:47:44Z")
Um, enslave a couple of your neighbors? ---
**Author:** ![klintypooh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/3da27b/32.png) [@klintypooh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/klintypooh)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2005, 2:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cheap-way-to-move/290454/4 "2005-02-17T02:59:03Z")
Can you train monkeys? ---
**Author:** ![Folly](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/folly/32/3219_2.png) [@Folly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Folly)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2005, 4:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cheap-way-to-move/290454/5 "2005-02-17T04:10:55Z")
My zombie creating and monkey training skills are poor at best. I can enlist the aid of friends but they drive dinky cars like me. Are there any rental places that don’t charge for mileage? ---
**Author:** ![Black\_Train\_Song](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/4da419/32.png) [@Black\_Train\_Song](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Black_Train_Song)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2005, 4:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cheap-way-to-move/290454/6 "2005-02-17T04:18:56Z")
If you have a home depot or Lowes in the area AND you plan on moving close by, they rent trucks for 20 bucks. You don’t have to put gas in it or record the milage, you just have to do it quick. (I just wouldn’t bring up the fact that you’re not using it to bring merchandise home) Of course some dude with a bunch of lumber will be sitting at lowes waiting for you to get back. ---
**Author:** ![picunurse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/7bcc69/32.png) [@picunurse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/picunurse)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2005, 9:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cheap-way-to-move/290454/7 "2005-02-17T09:18:23Z")
Pods. They bring a BIG box to your front yard. You fill it up, they take it away. You go to your new house … there it is! I don’t know anything else. I’m going to do some research on it since we will be moving soon. Here’s the [web site](http://www.citytocity.com/?utm_id=1) ---
**Author:** ![Metacom](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ecae2f/32.png) [@Metacom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Metacom)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2005, 11:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cheap-way-to-move/290454/8 "2005-02-17T11:52:41Z")
You might be surprised at how cheap professionals can be. I just moved about 33 miles (one-way), and I payed $70 an hour for two guys, an appliance dolly, and a truck towing a large enclosed trailer (that coulda held my apartment several times over). Call around, because costs vary WIDELY. I got a list of prospective companies by looking up movers in the local Better Business Bureau directory, and the estimates ranged from $1700 (from a big van line) to around $70 an hour for two men (there were a few places in that price range). If you have everything boxed and ready for them to pick up, it really doesn’t take that long–about 2.5 hours in my case, although I took quite a few boxes when I made a few trips in my wagon. In retrospect, it wouldn’t have added much time for them to do it. ---
**Author:** ![Folly](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/folly/32/3219_2.png) [@Folly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Folly)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2005, 10:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cheap-way-to-move/290454/9 "2005-02-17T22:46:42Z")
> [@picunurse](#): > > Pods. They bring a BIG box to your front yard. You fill it up, they take it away. You go to your new house … there it is! > I don’t know anything else. I’m going to do some research on it since we will be moving soon. > Here’s the [web site](http://www.citytocity.com/?utm_id=1) Pods won’t work for me. The new zip code is ‘currently not serviced’. Understandable. I’m only right outside of _Chicago_. ---
**Author:** ![Ignatz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/3be4f8/32.png) [@Ignatz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ignatz)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2005, 1:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cheap-way-to-move/290454/10 "2005-02-18T01:40:02Z")
> [@Folly](#): > > I need a way to move a large room full of stuff, but I hate driving UHaul trucks. What’s the best way to do this? > You can rent Cargo Vans, but everyone seems to charge for mileage. > It would probably be a couple of van trips. 45 miles round trip each time. Last time I moved (120 miles one way) I had a friend help and rented a U-haul truck for the big stuff but when I only had a 10x20 foot storage unit contents left, I rented a cargo van from Enterprise on a plan that charged mileage only for more than 100 miles over 2 or maybe 3 days. Took 3 trips on weekends and I paid mileage for about half of the mileage, but if that plan is available to you, that might work out, depending on the per rental period charge. ---
**Author:** ![spingears](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ebca7d/32.png) [@spingears](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/spingears)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2005, 3:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cheap-way-to-move/290454/11 "2005-02-18T03:17:33Z")
“Two Men and a Truck” —OR— Buy a case of coke or ? Lots of pretzels, peanuts, individual cakes, etc. Get a crew of college kids to do the work with the promise of a party when the move is completed. Then Rejoice!