Moving Advice & Tips

Bicycles are often beloved, expensive, oddly shaped, and covered in delicate parts that bend or scratch the moment a box shifts in the truck. The safest way to protect it is to spend a little time removing the... Read More

A moving quote may be unusually low because it’s genuinely competitive, but it can also mean the mover missed part of your inventory, left out fees, used a flexible estimate, or quoted through a broker that won’t... Read More

A bill of lading is the contract between you and the carrier transporting your belongings when you move. It lays out the services you booked, how your charges will be calculated, your pickup and delivery details,... Read More

For a 1,500 square-foot home, PODS moving costs average about $582 for a local move, $2,722 for a long-distance move of roughly 1,200 miles, and $4,856 for a 2,500-mile cross-country move. Your actual price can... Read More

Changing your address means tracking down dozens of places that have it on file, from your bank and insurance company to the DMV and your children’s school. It’s easy to worry that one missed update could send an... Read More

How much notice you have to give a landlord varies between lease types and states, but 30 days is a common notice period.

Before assuming you only need to give a month’s notice, though, thoroughly read your lease... Read More

Hiring movers to pack and move a typical two-bedroom home starts at around $2,700. If you only need professional packing, that starts at $650, but can rise to a thousand dollars or more depending on the size of... Read More

Yes, you can use movers with your own truck. In this setup, you’re hiring labor-only movers to load and unload, while you provide and drive the rental truck or moving container. That’s different from full-service... Read More

Boxes are one of those moving expenses that don’t seem like much until you realize just how many you need. Walmart generally has the lowest prices for basic moving boxes, but the best place to shop depends on... Read More

A studio apartment costs about $1,000 to move locally with full-service movers, or about $4,700 for a typical 1,400-mile move. You can spend much less by renting a truck or pairing your own transportation with... Read More

Moving a 4-bedroom house is a big job, and the price can change by thousands of dollars depending on the services you choose and how much stuff you have. For a typical 2,650-square-foot home, a local move can cost... Read More

Hiring a mover means trusting other people with nearly everything you own, but the words “licensed and insured” don’t tell you much on their own. Before you book, figure out whether the company is transporting your... Read More

Choosing moving boxes can get confusing, because you can't just throw everything into two dozen of the biggest boxes you can find. You need a good mix, which means small boxes for heavy items like books and dishes,... Read More

A moving container is a portable storage unit that a company delivers to your home. You load it with your belongings, then the company picks it up and transports it to your new home or stores it at one of its... Read More

Office chairs are more awkward to move than they look. Casters can make the chair roll unexpectedly, the seat can swivel while you’re carrying it, and protruding arms can catch on doorways or other furniture. The... Read More

If you're moving to Illinois from another state, you'll need to know the laws and regulations about what can cross the border so you aren't bringing along something you shouldn't be. Marijuana cannot cross state... Read More

You can plan your moving day down to every last detail, but the weather, including rain, is a little out of your control. Thankfully, there are ways to prepare, and the safest way to move in rain is to shorten... Read More

The best way to pack for a move is to start early, work room by room, and save the things you use every day for last. Packing can take longer than almost anything else on your moving list, especially once you get... Read More

An icy driveway can turn moving day into a real problem, especially if you have a truck, delivery driver, or helpers carrying heavy furniture across it. The main goal in icy weather is to get traction fast by... Read More

Plastic wrap (AKA shrink wrap) can be helpful during a move, but it’s easy to overuse it or use it on the wrong things. For most DIY moves, it’s worth having around for three main jobs: holding furniture pads in... Read More