subject: The Divide-and-conquer Approach To Moving [print this page] A "divide and conquer" approach that splits your belongings between a rental moving truck and storage pods can dramatically simplify your next move. The concept is basic: everything you will need right away goes in a truck that will be unloaded immediately; everything you can do without for a while goes in a storage pod you can unload at your convenience.
The big hidden cost of a truck rental is the gas it takes to drive it, and the larger the truck is the worse its gas mileage is going to be. However, a truck has the advantage of allowing you to keep very valuable possessions in your own hands through the moving process, and all the items in the truck arrive at your new home when you do.
All your breakables should go in the truck. There's just a psychological advantage to keeping breakable items in your own hands, so all your delicate decorations, kitchen glassware, and so on should go in the rental truck. Everything else in your kitchen that you use on a regular basis should also go in the truck to ensure that it gets unloaded immediately upon arrival at the new house.
Furniture should ideally be split between the two moving methods, but it's a good idea to bring enough furniture with you in the rental truck to set up the key rooms in the new home. Beds should go in the rental truck, for example. Minimal furniture for the living and dining areas should go that way. And although you might not think of lamps as being items of immediate necessity, they are. Be sure to include enough of them to light up your new home.
Personal items go in the truck without a doubt. In addition to the obvious - jewelry and other valuables that you want to keep close - you should move all the clothes that you wear on a regular basis and any linens that you're going to need right away. Shoes can become misshapen if they stay packed for too long, so take your shoes in the truck as well.
Everything else goes in a storage pod, which is basically the back end of a truck that a pod company plops down in front of your house for you to fill. Once it's filled, they pick it up and move it to your new home. Then they leave it in front of that house, where it acts as a storage facility while you move your things into your house at your convenience. It has all the convenience of renting a storage unit, except that this storage unit is right outside, instead of all the way on the other side of town.
When dividing items between these two moving systems, gas mileage is important to keep in mind. Heavy items will cost you gas mileage in the truck, whereas they won't cost any extra to ship in a storage pod.
By using both a rental truck and storage pods to complete your move, you can maximize the advantages of both methods while minimizing the disadvantages.
