It’s the last Friday of September–the eve of moving day. And you haven’t done anything to prepare.
You can feel the acids start to explode in your stomach. But if you’re like most last-minute movers, say area moving specialists, you won’t get stressed, you’ll get angry.
“It will get crazy just like it always does,” says Jerry Findley, a customer service representative at Evanston U-Haul on Dempster Street, referring to the buildup to one of Chicago’s traditional moving days for renters. “We have had customers threaten to shoot us, literally, because we don’t have a truck for them. They shouldn’t take it so personally.”
So chill, all you procrastinating relocators. If you’ve done little–OK, nothing–to get ready for the Oct. 1 apartment shuffle, the following information and strategies may help relieve some of your self-induced stress.
Plan
Start out by taking a few minutes to assess what you’ll need. The possessions of a typical one- to two-bedroom apartment (up to 1,200 square feet) will usually require 35 boxes, 2 rolls of tape, 1 coil of rope and a mattress bag, recommends U-Haul, adding that all this stuff will fit in a 14-foot truck, but more on that topic later.
Box it
You can buy boxes at the local moving truck rental outlet (cost, about $1.75 to $5, depending on size). U-Haul, which carries about 15 different sized boxes, charges $3 for a 4.5-cubic-foot box, which is useful for packing lampshades, clothes, books or other items.
If you’re inclined to try the local grocery store, be considerate of their needs and delivery schedules. “The public can get boxes from our store after 5 p.m. on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, or after 6 on Thursday and Friday,” says an employee of the Jewel at Broadway and Addison Street in Chicago. Another thought: Lots of shipments come in late in the week as stores prepare for weekend shoppers.
Bag it
Whiles boxes are essential for moving breakables and books, don’t overlook the utility of the moving person’s next-best friend: the plastic trash bag.
“Hefty Bags are really the catch-all for moving stuff,” says Felicia Collins, a Lakeview resident. Collins, who has moved four times in four years, recommends double-strength bags (cost, about $6 for 36) for packing couch cushions, clothes and anything else that needs to be shoved in at the last minute.
Other trash-bag fanatics use the heavy-duty bags (they won’t rip easily) for packing blankets, pillows, stuffed animals and anything else that can be squooshed. Once they’re filled, wedge the bags in between breakables to secure and insulate them.
Trash it
Those trash bags could also be used for their rightful purpose. Rather than just toss things indiscriminately in boxes and move them from point to point, take a few minutes extra to weed out unnecessary items–and throw them away.
When she moves, Ukrainian Village renter Colleen Smith will have one less box of stuff, having recently rid herself of a box of old love letters that she’s moved with her three times. “I don’t know why I kept moving them,” she says. “I hadn’t done anything with them since I first received them. I just read them all one last time and threw them out.”
Just rent it?
So you think you’re going to rent a moving truck. Think again. Area truck rental agents can predict what will happen over the next week.
“We’ll get bombarded with calls from people who want to get a truck, and most of our trucks are booked,” says Louise Gray of the Budget truck rental location in Lincolnwood. “About all you can tell them is, `Sorry.’ October 1st is one of the busiest days of the year, and everyone wants to move on the Saturday before or after. We’ve had people calling and reserving trucks for the past two, three, four weeks.”
Gray does offer advice for wrangling up a rental truck at the last minute: “Put off moving until another day if you can, possibly during the middle of the week. Otherwise, you’re going to have to ask your friends and neighbors” for help.
In addition to advice, Gray also makes one request for callers: Be nice. “The ones that call at the last minute are always the ones that get mad and hang up on you,” she says.
Time for a mini-van
In the likely scenario that a rental truck falls through, begging married friends with children for their mini-van may be an option. Offer to trade off babysitting, if you must.
If the thought of an evening with rugrats scares you, check into renting a van or mini-van from car rental companies, either via phone or, perhaps, the Internet. One of the great things about the Internet is 24-hour-a-day, ready access, which makes it a great thing for procrastinators (who often like to wile away time doing things that are indirectly productive).
Last week we visited the web-site of Avis, the rental car company (http://www.avis.com), and inquired about rates and availability via e-mail. After sharing our name, age (you must be 25 to rent a car or mini-van) and some other pertinent details, we inquired if we could receive the van with the seats taken out.
A mere 58 minutes later, we received a reply. The day rate for a mini-van would be $80.74 (plus tax) with 100 free miles (24 cents for each extra mile). The rate was based on pickup and dropoff at O’Hare International Airport. Avis didn’t, however, respond to our question about getting the van with no backseats. Minor detail.
Got no computer? There’s nothing wrong with picking up the phone and dialing. All the major rental firms have 800 numbers for reservations.
Store it
Here’s an all-too-familiar scenario for many renters: Your soon-to-be former landlord has no problems with your moving out over the weekend (it gives him time to prep the place for the next tenant), but you can’tget into your new place until Oct. 1, Tuesday. While you can probably crash on a friend’s couch, what to do with your stuff?
Ask the new landlord if there is storage space available where you can stash your belongings for a few days. If the landlord is of the “mom and pop” variety, they just might grant you a corner of the basement or some other out-of-the way spot.
Public storage is another option. We checked the web-site for Public Storage Co. (http://www.caprica.com/pubstor) and found a search feature by state. Clicking on Illinois, we found a listing of 60-some Public Storage facilities in Chicago metro area, including street address, town and phone number. You can also request information on rental rates, space availability and storage locations via e-mail as well as by phone.
Give me a break
Expect little mercy from the boys in blue. The one thing a frazzled mover cannot expect this weekend (or next week, for that matter) is any special consideration from the police when it comes to parking your overloaded vehicle where you shouldn’t.
“As far as we’re concerned, it’s just another day in the city,” says Officer Pat Camden of the Chicago Police Department. “Common sense has to prevail. If you’re blocking one lane . . . and people can get by, that’s one thing. But if you park a truck in the middle of a one-lane street, then you’re going to have a problem. You’re not only breaking the law, you’re inconveniencing others.”
Camden adds, however, that parking enforcement officers are usually not totally unsympathetic: “If you have to park your truck in front of a hydrant for just a few minutes to get it loaded or unloaded, that shouldn’t be a big deal. We’ll try to help people out. Common sense is the key.”
HOW TO EASE YOUR RELOCATION
Here are some helpful hints, courtesy of U-Haul, for packing it up and moving it out come relocation day.
– Move on a weekday if you can, when banks, utilities and government offices are open.
– Order pre-printed address labels with your new address as soon as you know it. It makes the change-of-address process much easier.
– Never make a move without wardrobe boxes. Not only can you move clothes directly from the closet, but there’s room on the bottom of the box for shoes, throw pillows and linens.
– Keep a utility log to check service-transfer dates. If you’re moving locally, leave the power and water on at your old address a few extra days so you can go back and clean up after your move.
– Pack items you know you’ll need (sheets, towels, toiletries, tissues and a change of clothes) in your clothes hamper on moving day and you’ll know just where to find them at your new place.
– Choose a “packing room” ahead of time and box up a few things each day.
– Wrap lamp shades separately with clean, non-printed packing paper. Put two or three in a large box.
– To save time, rent a carpet shampooer at the same time you rent your truck.
– Mark each box with its contents and destination room. That way, you and your helpers will know where each box belongs at your new home.
– If moving locally, you may want your pets to spend moving day with a friend. Animals can become confused and frightened during a move.
– Load houseplants last and unload them first.
You can access U-Haul on the Internet at http://www.uhaul.com.
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Don Hunt and Brian Edwards also write The High-Tech Home column in Your Place. They can be reached via e-mail at hitekhome@aol.com, or hitekhome@iserv.net, or you can write to them: The High-Tech Home, Chicago Tribune, Your Place section, 435 N. Michigan Ave. 4th Floor, Chicago, Ill, 60611.
