Moving after retirement? Do it while your young enough (physically, conversation, dump)
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Being able to afford a moving company is also a bad argument. Most of the people I know who work on their own cars, including myself, can afford a mechanic. But we feel that it's kind of stupid to triple our costs if we are capable of doing it and there is nothing wrong with that at all.
All my friends are my age... I would never ask them to carry boxes, furniture, whatever, to a UHaul. I'll pack myself with friends help, if they can, but will hire movers.
I'm not a pack rat and clutter is not an option in our house, but, we have so many heavy big antiques. We couldn't move them if we wanted to. We will have to hire someone to help us move them out and put them back after the wood floors are stripped and refinished next summer. I dread that project. Moving? I'll write a check and save our backs.
I do not understand people who insist on moving themselves when they have the money to use a moving company or to use POD's and movers.
Part of it is the definition of "have the money." Many people technically have more than adequate money to move - but that is completely irrelevant. The issue is money for the entire duration of retirement to fund everything together with a 97% + chance of having their money outlive them.
If you're, say, 55 years old and retired, you might live another 40 years (or die tomorrow). Let's say you have a 5% chance of living to 95, and you want to have a 97% chance of not running out of money, well then moving yourself today might be the best choice.
Paying a mover, say $7,000 today means that the $7,000 is not invested for the next 40 years, and might mean the difference between paying for an extra 2 years of life in 2056 (40 years from now). That is one heck of an expensive move when you think about it that way.
I agree, my parents just moved in their 80's and insisted on doing much of the packing themselves to save money.
My mother incessantly tried to guilt me into heavy labor lol. I refused. Because, I know they can afford to pay a mover to pack it all up.
I paid when I moved; they can also pay or do it themselves.
I don't do stupid things. If they want to, that's up to them.
I stored extra boxes in my garage for a year knowing they would be moving and drove them to them a few at a time, but that is where I drew the line.
Some people are weird about spending money. Relative went three weeks without hot water until he wrangled a free water heater. But that included 6 trips to the distributor - 1.5 hour round trip. Usually went out to eat in the city during each trip. And then kid had to take off work to haul parent around.
Said relative will spend hours in the dollar store and doesn't see any harm in spending 500 dollars a dollar at a time, but in one big hunk - no way!!!
Way back in the 1980s, as a much younger new dad, I hired a couple guys with a moving van to help us move across town. They got almost everything with one load but there was a small amount left over. I said I'd be able to move what was left and was happy to save a few bucks by not having them do another trip. I moved the rest but injured my back and had to have back surgery after about six months of pain...but I saved a few bucks on the move.
Three years ago I moved 1,000 miles. I made a couple car-load trips and rented a small U-Haul trailer with just enough to set up a living space. I contracted with a moving company to move the rest...pared down drastically to about four rooms of furniture. It cost over $5,000 -- something like $1.00 per pound. I packed boxes and was ready when they arrived and the movers' crew loaded and unloaded and put the stuff where I wanted in the new house. I just had to unpack boxes. Now $5,000 is a lot of money but I don't have another back surgery on my calendar.
So yeah I still see your comments as unfair and overly harsh. The point of the thread was not to solicite sympathy, there was nothing in that opening post to indicated that. The OP was simply trying to help others by pointing out how much more difficult a task you have done many times in the past is made as you age. Instead of acknowledging the helpful suggestion you jumped on him and called him cheap.
DH and I are closing on our home on Long Island in two weeks and retiring to Florida. We have sold, thrown out or donated much of our "stuff". We took the Auto Train to Florida and brought our 2 cars down and flew home. We've rented a truck for our "stuff" and will be driving to Florida after our house closing.
We are moving into a condo that we bought 7 years ago. It is completely turnkey and needs nothing! In preparation for this move we've packed very minimal "stuff" in boxes that are not heavy. Just bringing clothes, china, silverware, etc. No furniture!
We're doing the move ourselves. So far so good! We can easily afford to hire someone with this move, but choose to do this ourselves. The money we save is for our first vacation in retirement! Now if we were moving an entire house of furniture, we would hire someone to do it.
We're not quite 60 yet. We wanted to downsize and move while we are young enough!
Mrs5150 has a grand piano. No way we can do it ourselves even with friends helping. Our last move was about the piano and a few other large items. The rest of our stuff was basically included at no additional charge. We moved 14 years ago into what was planned to be our retirement home. Our current location.
I've always packed and moved myself. Last time, I was 52. I was in fairly good shape then, plus, I hadn't accumulated much "stuff". Well, the exception being a grand piano I inherited from my dad, which I had professionally moved.
Now, I'm 62 and won't do the labor myself when I move next time. However, I'll probably sell (or donate) a lot, including the piano. Not sure about a few big items that I bought after moving here, since they are nice and still in-style, I think. Anyway, since I won't be moving a lot, I'm wondering whether it would be worthwhile to have the big stuff shipped or better to just get rid of it all.
Whether to move a grand piano depends on the piano. Some pianos are more moving than others.
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