A helpful rant about moving apartments in Boston
Out of one apartment August 31. Not into the next one until September 1. What do I do with all my stuff?
COMMENTARY
This was going to be the year I hired movers.
It will be my third move in three years, all to apartments within half of a mile of each other in Allston, and I am sick of it. Movers it is!
That was the plan anyway, until I realized that, like many Boston renters, I have to be out of my current apartment by midnight on August 31 and can’t move into my new apartment until September 1.
This new development made the already difficult process of finding movers impossible. How can movers move my junk on the 31st if they have nowhere to put it?
My first thought was that I would just put all of my stuff out on the sidewalk and sleep out there — a full Boston moving day experience!
After realizing my furniture would probably be taken under the misconception that I was donating to the Allston Christmas cause, I decided I needed to follow a different course.
My second thought was that I would rent a truck, put all my stuff in it on the 31st, go park it somewhere overnight, and get it again when I could move in on the 1st. It sounded like a solid plan at first, until I thought about how hard it is to find parking for my VW Jetta on the streets of Boston on a regular day, let alone finding a spot for a giant truck on the city’s most stressful few days.
Also, at this point, it’s not exactly easy to find a rental truck available in Boston on August 31.
Story continues after gallery
Scenes from Allston move-in day 2014:
The solution
While on the U-Haul website, I discovered they have a program called “U-Box,’’ which delivers a big storage pod to your apartment. Once it’s full, movers will come back to pick it up, keep it for however long you need, and then deliver it to your new place when you want it.
There are also other “pod’’ rental options, such as Door-to-Door Storage and PODS Boston.
Sounds too good to be true, right? Well, there are plenty of costs.
At U-Haul, even if you want the box for only a night, you still have to pay for a month’s rent, which is 144.95 for one box.
I decided I needed two pods since I have a couch, bed, dresser, table, etc., but U-Haul will give you an estimate about how many you might need.
You also then have to decide if you want the box delivered or if you want to go pick it up yourself with a trailer hitch (which costs $14.95 per day to rent). I am having it delivered because my little car cannot handle carrying two U-Boxes. Delivery will cost me another $199. That comes to about $500 overall, which is less than ideal, but the options are limited.
I have no idea exactly how this is going to work (or if it is going to work), but it will all be a learning experience for when I move again…. Next September 1.
Have another solution for the August 31 to September 1 gap? Leave it in the comments.
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