When you have to move, you have to make numerous decisions in a short period. It is very easy to get confused, especially when you are faced with a variety of options that seem equally pleasing and convenient. If you are someone who doesn’t want to drive trucks but also wants to move at an affordable price, you may be cut out for a moving container move.
Let us tell you ‘how moving containers can save you money and stress’.
How Moving Containers Help Save Your Money
1. Cheaper Long-Distance Moves
If you are booking a long-distance move, you will most definitely get a cheaper per room and per-mile rate. Long-distance moves are more affordable than local moves. A local move can very well cost you about $16.50 per mile. On the other hand, the average cost of moving containers for a move of a distance of 1,750 miles is $1.60 per mile.
Similarly, moving a five bedroom house is very cheap and more affordable than moving a studio apartment. The average cost of moving a studio apartment comes up to $2,000. Meanwhile, the industry average cost of moving a five bedroom house is around $900 per room. Hence, moving containers offer you affordable rates, especially if you are moving big houses and opting for a long-distance move.
2. Cheaper than a Full-Service Move
Moving is really expensive and that’s why it makes sense if you try to cut costs in some way or the other. A lot of times, people hire movers who aren’t reliable just because they offer their services at a much lesser cost. These movers can be irresponsible and end up damaging your items because of which you might face a bigger monetary lossWe are sure that you handle your possessions with utmost care. The possibility of stuff getting damaged is lesser when you pack and load your own stuff as opposed to a mover doing it for you. Hiring moving container companies is thus a cost-effective way of moving as you don’t have to shell out money for a full-service move (which is often very expensive). To add to that, your stuff is in safe hands as you are the one who is handling it.
3. Price Matching
There are numerous moving container companies in the market today which compete with each other for customers. This gives you an edge over the company you plan to hire. You can always ask your company to match the lower estimates given by their competitors. This will make sure that you save around hundreds of dollars on your move.
4. Different Container Types
The moving containers used by different companies are made up of different materials. Some companies might use wooden containers, while some other companies use containers made from either part metal or metals. It is easy to assume that wooden containers are less durable and less weather-resistant as compared to metal containers. For a local move, hiring a company that uses metal containers might be more expensive for you as compared to hiring companies that use wooden containers.
Let us look at the pricing offered by three companies which are industry leaders and use containers made from different materials.
| Company | PODS | 1-800-PACK-RAT | U-Haul |
| Logo |  |  |  |
| Local Move | $1,980 | $1,990 | $1,110 |
| Long-Distance Move | $3,730 | $4,090 | $4,260 |
| Container Material | Steel Frame with Aluminium Skin | Steel Frames, Walls and Doors | Treated Plywood |
| Weight Limit | 4,200 lbs. | 6,000 lbs. | 2,000 lbs. |
| Get a Quote | Get a Quote | Get a Quote |
See also: Cheapest Moving Container Companies in the US
If you own stuff that is sturdy and not very expensive, you can opt to go for a wooden container move offered by reputable companies like U-Haul. However, it is better to remember that wooden container moves are cheaper only for local moves. If you are booking a long-distance move and you own valuable items that might be fragile, it is better to choose companies that use part metal or metal containers.
5. Different Sizes of Containers
Moving containers come in various sizes. You can use them if you are moving to a studio apartment as well as a house with 4+ bedrooms. Each company offers you a variety of container sizes and you can choose the size you want according to how big your house is and the amount of stuff you own. Moreover, some companies don’t charge you for the space that is not used by you. This is true especially for moving trailers. In this way, you ensure that you get containers in which you can fit all your stuff and you pay only for the space you use.
Also Read: What Size Moving Container Do You Need?
6. Pay-Per-Use Policy
Sometimes, it is difficult for you to estimate the number of containers you will need for your move. For instance, you might think that you need three containers for your move but you later realize that your work will get done with two. Most of the moving container companies (for instance, U-Haul and Smartbox) let their customers reserve as many containers as they want and also let them return the unused containers. Customers are not asked to pay a single penny for the unused container. You can then try to save your money by maximizing the space you use when packing a container.
7. No Hidden Costs
When a moving container company gives you a quote, that quote is generally inclusive of all the fees. If there are additional costs, you can ask about them before hiring the company and you will mostly get satisfactory answers. There will be no major additional fees charged to your move unless you make some major changes in your reservations like changing delivery dates or ordering extra containers.
8. Staggering Delivery Option
Some companies like Zippy Shell allow you to save your money by staggering the delivery of your containers. What this means is that you can split the delivery of your containers. If you are reserving two containers, you can ask them to drop off one container on one day and the seconds one on the next day. If your job gets done in one container, you can immediately cancel the delivery of the next one. In this way, you end up saving hundreds of dollars on unused storage space by canceling the delivery of unwanted containers.
How Moving Containers Save you from Stress
1. No Driving Hassle
Driving doesn’t agree with everyone. You may be someone who has to drive to work daily. But that doesn’t mean that you like driving. If you are someone like that, you can rest assured that you will most definitely hate driving a rental truck to your new house. There is also a possibility that you may have to drive the truck to and fro a few times in order to get all your stuff to the new place.
You might not be good at driving even if you like doing it. You have to remember that operating a rental truck is more difficult than driving a simple car. Maneuvering a truck can become more problematic when you take into account the bad weather like heavy rains, icy roads, and strong winds.
Moving containers are the perfect solution for those who want to eliminate all the stress associated with driving a truck. By hiring moving container companies, you can avoid getting into some irritating or exasperating situations that include
- Waiting in lines for hours to rent or return your trucks.
- Intrusive thoughts regarding what happens if you damage the truck.
- Struggling to understand the insurance policies.
- Navigating a massive vehicle through traffic.
- Coughing up extra money for fuel (Most moving trucks get a bad gas mileage).
2. Storage and Deliveries
There is a possibility that you need to get out of your current house immediately, but your new house isn’t ready. Moving container companies give you the option to store your stuff till the time they can be shipped to the new location. You generally worry about where you can put your stuff till the shipping day, but renting moving containers will eliminate all the anxiety regarding storage.
3. Portable Storage at your doorstep
Imagine this scenario: your house needs to be remodeled or renovated, so naturally, you need to take out all your stuff from your house. You obviously don’t want your belongings to get damaged or spoilt in the process. Where do you plan on putting them?
A moving container company will make your life easy by bringing the containers to your doorstep, and then you can store all your stuff in one place. You can opt to keep the container in your driveway or in the company warehouse as well. Either way, you always have easy access to your belongings. You don’t have to get into the hassle of searching for a storage unit and paying extra money to deliver all your stuff to the storage unit.
4. Compartmentalizing your Move
A moving container move lets you take charge of your own move. With rental trucks or full-service moves, there may be times when you can’t remember what item has been packed where. In the case of rental trucks, you might have to make several trips to the new house as you might not be able to carry all your belongings in one go.
Renting a moving container will ensure that you store all your stuff in one place and it can be sent to your new house in one go. To add to that, if you are using smaller containers, you can always segregate, compartmentalize and store your belongings according to which room they belong to. This systematic way of storing stuff will help you remember which belonging is packed in which container. Then eventually, that’s what will reduce chaos and confusion.
5. You are your Own Boss
The beauty of renting a moving container is you can work at your own pace. You get to decide when the container will be dropped off at your place. There is a possibility that you work somewhere and taking a couple of days off from work seems impossible. Most of the companies include 30 days of free storage in the price of the container.
This means that there is no pressure, you do not have to rush through things. You can allot a certain amount of time every day to loading and pack at your own speed. Moreover, you don’t need to worry about paying extra money for keeping the container with you. 30 days are more than enough to pack up your entire house. Oh there’s more – you get to decide when the container has to be shipped and on what day it arrives at your new house. Again, you get to do the unloading at your own leisure. Once you are done unloading, you inform the company and ask them to pick up the containers.
This type of flexibility is what makes moving containers a great option for your move. It takes out the burdens that come with a DIY move in which you have to quickly load the rented trucks. Plus it allows someone to help you ship your things at affordable costs.
6. Security is Higher than Traditional Moving
The one thing that worries you to death during a move is whether your items are safe inside a moving container. Let us tell you this, your items are the safest inside a moving container than in moving trucks. This is especially true if you are planning to use containers for long-term storage. Moving containers are generally locked from outside and you are the only person who has the key to the container. Some containers are also equipped with security cameras. No one can touch your stuff when it’s inside the container.
The storage centers of most of the moving companies are under surveillance 24/7 and have sprinklers installed to safeguard your containers from burglars. Additionally, you pack your own stuff. A moving company generally sends its employees to your house to pack your stuff when you choose a full-service move. The thought of having strangers inside your house can most probably stress you out. If you rent a moving container, you can put your worries to rest and carry out the move in a seamless way.
7. Lower Risk of Damages
The last thing that you want during a move is your items to get damaged. Some of them tend to be very valuable and some might be very dear to you, they might hold a sentimental value for you. A lot of companies put belongings of multiple clients in one truck. There is a possibility that your items may move and break when someone else’s items are being unloaded.
Since a portable container is relatively smaller, you tightly pack your items in a clogged fashion to make sure that they do not bounce around and break during the move. This gives the moving container moves an edge over the traditional way of moving. Your items are the safest when they are packed together inside a moving container that you hired.
Another benefit of renting moving containers is that most of the containers are placed at the ground level. This means that you can simply move your things in and load it with ease. You generally have to use ramps while loading moving trucks where the risk of your boxes falling and your stuff breaking is higher. So that’s why you can save your belongings from breakages by avoiding the usage of ramps altogether.
8. Moving during COVID-19
Lastly, we can’t ignore the circumstances that we are currently living in. Most of the companies offer various kinds of discounts. Most of them have now sought to make your move during COVID-19 easier on your pockets by offering you additional COVID-19 related discounts that will make your moves affordable.
Also Read: Moving Container Deals and Discounts
Conclusion
You always feel anxious when you have to go out and deal with people during the ongoing pandemic. A moving container move suits this situation perfectly. You do not have to physically interact with anyone. Once you load up your container, your belongings also don’t come into contact with anyone. A full-service move and rental truck both require interacting with various people at different points in time. So clearly, a moving container move is comparatively a safer option for you.
