Pros & Cons of Asking Friends to Help You Move

Moving can be a lot of work, especially when it involves packing up your entire home full of furniture and household items. In most cases, you have way too much stuff to move all by yourself. But professional moving companies can be expensive, especially during peak moving season or long-distance moves. 

Instead of trying to do it all yourself, you might be tempted to turn to friends, family members, and other acquaintances for help instead. It’s natural to welcome all the help you can get with such a huge task. And what better help is there than asking your good friends to come over and lend a hand packing your items and loading boxes and furniture onto the moving vehicle?

It can be a great way to save on moving costs, but there are some pros and cons to consider when asking others to help you move. 

One of the most significant advantages of asking for help is that it can save you a lot of money, especially if you have many heavy items that would typically cost a lot to transport. A big drawback of asking friends to help you move is that it will likely take longer than a professional moving company, and there is greater risk of damage to your belongings.

To help you make the best decision so that you won’t have regrets later, here are some pros and cons of asking your friends to help you move.

Advantages

Cost Savings

The most obvious benefit of asking friends to give you a hand on moving day is that you’ll save on moving costs.

The average cost of hiring professional movers ranges from $800 to $2,500 for a local move of less than 100 miles and $2,200 to $5,700 for a long-distance move. These costs are just for the move and do not include extra fees such as packing. 

On the other hand, you will still want to buy some food and refreshing drinks to treat your helpers during and after the move. And you may also be inclined to send each helper a modest thank-you gift to show how much their valuable help meant to you. But even these gestures are likely to cost significantly less than a professional move.

You Can Set Your Own Schedules

When your friends come over to help you move, you’re free to arrange the schedule as a group. You won’t have to rearrange your schedule to work around when a moving company is available – on the contrary, you can move when you and your friends are free. They may be able to come on the weekend or during the week. They could come after work and stay as long as it takes. Unlike a professional moving team, your friends don’t have a set schedule, and they don’t charge by the hour.

You Will Enjoy Pleasant Company

Moving is very stressful as it is. Having strangers come to your home and handle your valuable possessions can stress you even more. You have to watch them and make sure they manage the move like professionals. Since they don’t know you, they don’t know your situation and preferences, so you have to give them specific direction at each step.

However, with your friends helping, the entire atmosphere will be completely different. It’ll be very informal, and even the stress of moving can largely evaporate in friendly chatter and occasional jokes. You like spending time with your friends, after all. So even a move should be a more pleasant experience when you’re with them.

More Flexibility

When you’re having your friends help you move, it’s possible to ask for their help after working hours. Of course, you must respect their time, but if they’re willing, that’s a big plus. Forget to move something? Need something done last-minute? Unlike a moving company, you can ask friends to help you out.  

Of course, you might get after-hours support from professional movers, but you’ll have to pay a premium. And some companies don’t work on weekends at all.

Your friends are people you’ve known and trusted for years, so you can easily rely on them during the stress and chaos of a move. They’ll help you move, but they can also pitch in with other things, provided you ask them nicely.

Need someone to take care of your young children or pets, so that you can focus on last-minute packing of your fragile glass decorations? Professional movers won’t do that.

Disadvantages

There are some drawbacks to asking your friends to help you move. You should keep these in mind when deciding whether to call upon your friendly moving team. 

Here are major disadvantages of asking your friends to give you a hand with relocation:

The Move Will Take Longer

When you hire professional movers, they will be used to working efficiently and getting the job done quickly. Because of their extensive experience and rigorous training, they’ll load and unload everything smoothly and skillfully.

When your friends come over to give you a hand, they may do their best to help you out. But they aren’t professional movers, so every task will take longer to complete, and they may require longer and more frequent breaks.

Some of your pals may arrive late, and others may have to leave early, so you’ll have to arrange tasks around your friends’ availability.

You Might Feel Uncomfortable 

Asking friends for a considerable favor like helping you move is never easy, and it might make you uncomfortable.

Regardless of how close you and your friends are, each has their own lives, their own families, and their own problems. Helping you requires them to change their plans, which makes it even more difficult for you to ask them for a favor.

More Risk of Damage

Your friends likely don’t have much moving experience. So, mistakes can happen that could result in severe property damage. Your precious artwork or furniture might get broken, or there may be scratches and dents on the walls or the floors. In contrast, with reputable movers you know your household goods are in professional hands and backed by the moving company’s liability policy.

Your Friends May Be Risking Their Health

Possibly the most significant downside of asking friends to help you is the possibility of personal injuries. Anything could happen during a move, and injuries do happen. A slight oversight or misjudgment could quickly lead to a disaster. Even if one of your friends strains their back or hurts their knee while helping you move, you’ll feel bad.

If you need to move multiple furniture items or your move includes flights of stairs, then do everyone a favor and call a professional moving company.

You Will Be Indebted To Your Friends

Another drawback of asking your friends to help you move out is that since they will be doing you a favor, you will be obliged to help them in the future.

In other words, asking your pals to give you a hand may not cost you much in terms of dollars, but it comes with a different price tag.

If owing your friends a favor is not very appealing to you, consider hiring professional movers who will finish the job much faster and more safely.

Moving is usually difficult and expensive, and you’ll be tempted to call on your pals for a hand. But consider both the pros and the cons before you schedule that moving party.

We hope you found this blog post on Pros and Cons of Asking Your Friends to Help You Move useful. Be sure to check out our post on Moving Packing Tips for more great information!

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