“Whoever packs the kitchen, unpacks the kitchen,” says Josephs, who coordinated her family’s relocation last November. There’s no easy way to pack up a home your family has occupied for 14 years. Still, Josephs is a keen advocate of bringing as much order as you can to a task that’s all about upheaval!

That’s sage advice. But Sue Barazzutti had smaller things on her mind as she packed up her family of four to move just one week before Christmas. When Barazzutti, her husband Michael and their first-born child arrived in Calgary in May of 2004, his company paid for move, packing included. This time around, the Barazzutti’s paid for the move – and with two toddlers underfoot, the decision to pack themselves demanded attention to detail.

Her cardinal rule: Every box had to be sealed before she left a room. “I found that really difficult. I couldn’t start a box and get back to it later. It just wasn’t safe.”

If all this talk about moving makes your palms sweaty and your heart beat a little faster, you’re not alone. According to a report released last year by Royal LePage Relocation Services, moving is one of the top three “most stressful events in an average person’s life.” That’s right. When it comes to life’s major stressors, residential relocation is right behind the death of a loved one and divorce.
 
That report says more than one of every two Canadians experienced some stress relocating to a new home. About 46 per cent of women respondents noted increased anxiety, sleeping problems or tension headaches, with 32.7 per cent of the male respondents reporting similar distress.

TAKING CONTROL
Angst aside, moving is a reality of life in Calgary, where the nation’s hottest economy spurs an equally-hot residential real estate market. But where does one begin to put a low-stress relocation plan into action?

Realistically, it probably begins with an assessment of how much you can afford to spend. But be forewarned. Calgary’s Yellow Pages lists 31 pages of movers. A quick review shows it’s still possible to get movers for $50
an hour, whereas companies like Two Amigos offer a different level of service and charge $109, says Rick Briggs, who owns that Calgary franchise.

You can also save money by picking up boxes from area stores, but that’s easier said than done. Josephs got hers from a pharmacy who employs her marketing firm. With so many companies crushing cardboard boxes as soon as they’re emptied, she suggests people make specific arrangements if they want to acquire boxes from stores.

People can buy boxes, too. A spokeswoman for Two Small Men with Big Hearts in Calgary says they sell new and used packing boxes, as well as special boxes for china, mirrors and wardrobes. All of their 2x2 cube boxes are used and sell for $2.45 each. That drops to $2.25 apiece if you buy more than 15 and to $1.95 each if you buy more than 25. Their 4x4 cube boxes are all new and retail for $4.85 each.

Barazzutti and Josephs saved hours of charges by packing themselves, but hired movers for the heavy lifting. Barazzutti’s contract included most of the boxes, plus all the furniture. The Josephs moved most of the boxes themselves, but hired movers for the furniture. They used their own covered utility trailer to move most of their boxes. They also transported several containers via personal vehicle every time they visited their new home during the renovation.

With children ages 14, 12 and 11, the Josephs saved more money by getting the kids to help pack, move and unpack boxes, an option that wasn’t available to Barazzutti.

GET THE FACTS
Estimating errors are the main reason moves cost more than customers expect, notes Briggs of Two Amigos. Since a moving company’s time charges are heavily dependent on the details of a specific move, he recommends customers find ways to save money by saving time.

His suggestions:
DIY. Every box you pack, washer and dryer you unhook and headboard you remove will save time charges. Your mover may well agree to reassemble your home gym or computer desk. But if that task took you four hours to complete the first time you put it together, be prepared to pay the movers for a similar length of time!

Count trips. A lot of people dismiss smaller items as unimportant, which can lead to a costly estimate errors. For the most accurate estimate possible, remember that every item requiring “a trip to the truck” is an item the mover needs to know about, says Briggs.

Logistics matter. Your apartment may be on the ground floor. But if movers have to carry items down a long hallway and across a lawn to a parking lot around the corner, be prepared to pay more than the estimate if those details weren’t part of the equation. The same goes for negotiating complicated stairwells or long sidewalks. (Movers book their jobs back-to-back, so time delays cost them money and goodwill.)

Be safe, not sorry. Tell movers about all high-value items (and consider moving things like jewellery yourself). Never “sneak” flammable goods or food containers with liquid contents onto a truck and always use boxes instead of dresser drawers. (The dresser will be tipped at least once during a move.)

Briggs encourages consumers to base their final decision about who to hire on solid research. People should get estimates, talk to others who’ve recently moved and call the Better Business Bureau.

A good moving plan should also include a call to your insurance agent. A lot of homeowner policies cover the goods in transport, but you want to make sure that’s the case. If you have to depend solely on the moving company’s policy, expect a big disappointment if something goes wrong.

Serial Moving Made Easy

It’s not for the faint-of-heart, but New Home Living found a Calgarian who admits to moving at least 10 times.

She admits some discomfort talking about a lifestyle choice she likens to a personal hobby.

But with so much experience to share, we got her to zero-in on her top tips to avoid the moving-day blues.

1. Purge. And be ruthless. She tosses or finds new homes for everything from clothes to twisted hangers and kitchen gadgets. She’s sometimes made two movtes in less than year. Oh well. She purged both times.

2. Pack yourself. It makes purging easier. You don’t want to open a box and see that Christmas ornament you’ve been meaning to fix since it broke in 2000!

3. Follow a plan. She begins cleaning a month in advance and packs cupboard-by-cupboard and room-by-room. Once a closet or cupboard is cleaned out, it’s closed.

4. Use clean paper only. Movers sell packing paper. Some newspapers give it away free. This veteran mover never rewashes a dish. She’s also become a big fan of all the new storage containers on the market. Plastic buckets for everything from wrapping paper to kids’ toys and winter gear make moving a breeze. (Don’t take the toy if it’s missing pieces. Ditto for puzzles or games!)

5. Hire movers. Keep friends and families for fun versus function. “If someone gets hurt, how do you make up for that? And if your furniture gets damaged, what do you do about that?”

6. Cook ahead. She always welcomes her family to their new home with a hot meal. Think: stew, casserole or crockpot fare. Of course, the old standby of pizza and pop will often still do the trick.