untold damage
All I know is that I moved. I don’t know how much money I spent. I do know that I ate out all weekend. That’s what happens when your cooking supplies are wrapped in newspaper and taped inside cardboard boxes. Then there was the truck. The storage space. The mattress cover. Extra tape, glass table covers, a super duper lock for the storage space, and my favorite: a likely surcharge for not putting gas in the tank before I returned it… even though they won’t be able to tell because the gas gauge is broken. *Rolling eyes.* I don’t normally risk such fees, but I was running out of time to get the truck back, I had to drive it across town, and I couldn’t get gas because after failing the "what’s your zip code" test at the gas pump enough times, the.pump.shut.down. I just left the station without gas so that I could get the truck back on time (so I wouldn’t get charged another day for the truck). I figured a gas charge would be less than the charge for keeping the truck for an extra day. I haven’t even checked my balances to see how much I’ve spent. I don’t want to, ‘cause even if I CAN afford it, that doesn’t mean I WANT to. Maybe I’ll review my receipts, etc. later today. Not looking forward to it.
The good thing is, now I’ll be saving hundreds more dollars a month towards the down payment on the house because of this move. All told, yesterday’s expenses will reap a very nice profit in the long run.
Lessons learned (As many times as I’ve moved, I can’t believe I’m still learning how to do it):
- If you’re going to move on Sunday (the day everything closes earlier than the rest of the week) to take advantage of lower truck fees, make sure your crew can get the job done by the time you have to return any rental equipment.
- Also, try to get your truck rental from a place close to your destination, not your origin, so you don’t have to rush or drive a longer distance to take the truck back.
- Make sure your method of payment is set and ready to go on moving day - you don’t want to be like me, cursing at the gas pump because your credit card company is still processing your change of zip code, or some other glitch that may cause an impediment in paying for something.
- Have cash ready. Cash would have been a handy thing to have in my pocket at that moment. Had I not been so rushed, I could’ve gone to an ATM to get some cash, but in my mad dash to get the truck across town by 5:00, that didn’t occur to me and would have made me late returning the truck, anyway. Having cash ready would’ve been my best bet here.
- Getting the help of movers may be an unnecessary expense if you have friends and family, but it’s worth considering. I always feel so guilty after my friends and family help me move. At the end, they’re all tired and worn. And their whole day has been sapped by my move. Yes, I do return the favor when my friends move, and maybe they were happy to help me, but maybe it would’ve been nicer (and faster) to pay professionals. And maybe my futon frame wouldn’t be broken…
