When moving to another home, there must be a good reason to choose to pack your things by yourself – that is, to complete the packing task without hiring professional packers.
You may wish to cut the moving cost by not paying for professional packing services, or you may simply hate the idea of strangers touching and handling your stuff. Or you can have another completely different motive for wanting to pack up your things on your own prior to the arrival of Moving day.
Sometimes packing by yourself can be an excellent idea that will save you hundreds of dollars. Other times, tackling the packing task on your own can prove to be a disastrous decision that brings nothing but problems and headaches during an already stressful move.
And you just have to know the difference between the two packing scenarios, so that you can pick the best option under the circumstances.
To help you decide, here are the top 5 reasons to pack by yourself when moving:
1. You can’t afford professional packing services
Without a doubt, the number one reason to pack on your own when moving is the simple fact that you just can’t afford to pay professional packers to do it for you.
Moving house is an expensive affair, so it’s only normal that you’ll be looking to cut moving costs any way you can. And what better way to save the money you’d have to pay to professionals than to pack up your things by yourself?
When moving out of a 1-bedroom apartment, the cost of packing should be around $300-$450 excluding the cost of packing materials (approx. $150-$250). For a 2-bedroom home, the packing price jumps up to $450-$600 for the packing service alone, while for a 3-bedroom home, you should expect to pay an average of $600-$750 without the cost of packing supplies.
The extra service of packing offered by the best full-service moving companies is not cheap but the good news is that you can get the best from both worlds: you can pack whatever you can by yourself and then hire professional packers and movers only for the items that require special packing care.
A word of caution: Professional packing services are not cheap… but finding your valuables ruined after the move can be much costlier.
See also: How much does it cost to hire packers?
2. You have enough time to tackle packing without help
One of the main reasons why you may choose to pack your things without hiring movers is the ample time you have until the day of the move. It’s true that you can never pack as quickly and efficiently as professional packers, but when Moving day is months away, you don’t really need to. Right?
Without a doubt, packing for a move is the most time-consuming task in anyone’s moving checklist – it starts with inventorying all your items and finding the needed packing supplies and ends when you seal up and label the last moving box. Roughly speaking, packing for a move can take anywhere from about 2 months to a few days depending on a number of factors, including the packing hours invested, the number of items to be packed, and the nature of those things.
If you yourself have at least one month at your disposal to sort your possessions, get hold of the packing materials, protect your belongings, and box them up for transport, then you should be able to complete the packing task on time. Not being pressed too much for time will help you think things through more thoroughly and make all the right decisions that will contribute to a smooth packing and moving experience.
A word of caution: Don’t fall into the I’ve got enough time trap – instead, start the packing job as early as you possibly can and pack every day, be it just a few boxes at a time.
Must-read: Packing timeline for packing
3. You’ve packed a house for a move before
Nothing beats experience, and that’s especially obvious during a house move.
If you happen to be moving out for the first time – for example, moving out of your parents’ house, then you won’t really know where to start packing, you won’t know what packing materials you’ll need to complete the task, and you won’t really have a clue how to protect your things for the haul, especially the ones that are fragile and breakable.
However, if you’ve moved house before, then you’ll have a pretty good idea of what you need to do to pack your things by yourself. You’ve been there and you’ve done that – now you only need sufficient time and you’ll be the house packing ace you know you are.
Packing without professional help does require experience, and here’s the best part of it all: you surely won’t make the same packing mistakes as the last time you moved. And that’s exactly why you’ll manage the packing job just fine – the packing experience you’ve gained from before will guide you throughout the entire process of protecting your valuables for the road.
A word of caution: Overconfidence when packing for a move can be your enemy. All extra-fragile items will still need to be wrapped up in packing paper first and then in bubble wrap to survive the move.
Read also: How to pack fragile items for moving
4. You have friends who won’t refuse to help you pack
Sometimes it can be rather tricky to decide whether to pack by yourself or to hire packers. You think you’ll be able to handle it without hiring professionals but you’re just not sure. And it’s that type of uncertainty that can cause you to delay your decision, thus making it even more complicated with each passing day.
One of the best reasons to pack by yourself is that you know that you can rely on your friends’ help should you need it. It’s a thought that gives you the peace of mind that you have a good backup plan if you happen to fall behind on your packing timeline. It’s a thought that gives you the confidence to pack on your own even when you’re not entirely sure you can manage it.
Asking your friends to help you pack is a big favor, so you need to be careful when and how you ask for it. As a rule of thumb, you should only bother your pals when you sense that you won’t be able to finish packing on time despite your best efforts. It’s never a good idea to do it only so that you can have a much easier time before you move out.
A word of caution: An unwritten rule states that you should reach out to your friends as early as possible to minimize the inevitable disruption to their own plans. Also, don’t forget to promise to return the favor when the time comes.
See also: How to throw a packing party when moving
5. You’re not moving any special items
Let’s face it: packing books, clothes, and shoes is not really a big deal – those items are not breakable and, apart from a few minor specifics, packing them is pretty straightforward.
Of course, packing breakable items such as kitchen plates, drinking glasses, electronic devices, artwork, and other highly fragile items is more difficult but as long as you use plenty of padding materials such as soft wrapping paper and bubble wrap, you should be just fine.
Therefore, another reason why you may pack by yourself is the fact that you don’t own any specialty items that require professional packing skills to survive the trip between the two homes. Typical examples of specialty items that are very hard to pack without professional assistance include but are not limited to:
- pianos,
- pool tables,
- grandfather clocks,
- big metal safes,
- hot tubs,
- antique furniture, and so on.
Not having any special items to move is a clear sign that you should try to pack your home without movers and packers. After all, why should you pay for a moving service when you can do it all by yourself? Use the opportune fact that you don’t own any special household items to save good money by completing the packing task without professional assistance.
A word of caution: Hire professional movers when you do have specialized items to pack and move, or when you get stuck packing things that you thought you’d be able to protect on your own. Risking damage to any of your valuable items is never worth it.
Good to know: Should you hire professional packers?
Bonus: You hate it when other people touch your stuff
Another reason to pack by yourself and not hire professional packers (even though you may be able to afford the service) is that you don’t really like it when other people touch your stuff. That’s perfectly understandable – you don’t let some of your friends get near your belongings, let alone complete strangers.
Generally speaking, being overprotective of your things is not a bad thing. However, you may not have a choice but to hire professional packers due to
- insufficient time to pack on your own (emergency moving),
- inability to rely on your friends’ packing assistance (friends in need are friends indeed, right?),
- lack of previous move-related experience (you have no idea what to do);
- presence of specialty items that require special packing skills (you want nothing bad to happen to your grandfather clock).
Get a free quote to learn how much top-rated full-service movers will charge you for the extra service of packing.
