Isn’t moving from one home to another the worst experience ever?  As a recent mover, I can tell you I would rather spend the day with a roomful of crying babies than pack up my stuff.  Most of us are truly amazed at the amount of stuff we accumulate in a short time.  I know, I have moved 3 times in 5 years.  Each time I tell myself I’m starting fresh and to keep my belongings simple.  Nope.  I think the Christmas decorations multiply when they get together.  And throw anything away?  Not on your life.  I have clothes in my closet that date back 30 years and range through 4 different sizes.  You never know when you might lose weight and fit them again, right?  And the family heirlooms like grandma’s collection of doilies or salt shakers.  You would never leave them behind.  And your collection of antique spittoons? They must come with you too.  It wouldn’t feel like home without them.

So when moving is in your future, you probably do what many people do, look for friends who have pickup trucks and a strong back.  Sometimes they might be the same person, sometimes not.  There is a saying that you find out who your friends are when you are down and out.  I think a more honest saying is that you find out who your friends are when they are asked to move you.  It’s amazing how everyone you know instantly has the busiest social life in the world.  So there you are, with a couple of people that were too slow to think of an appropriate excuse or they actually like you.  And you are faced with the prospect of moving the entire contents of your household.  It seems too monumental a task.  It’s highly likely that you will be considering renting a moving truck and doing it yourself or footing a huge bill to have someone else do it for you.  And what if you are moving somewhere that isn’t ready yet or smaller than you lived in before.  You will be looking at getting a storage unit to put things in for a while.  There’s another expense.

Here is a different idea.  Have you heard of Pods?  Pods are an ingenious idea to help your move easier.  No longer do you need to hunt for friends with pickup trucks.  You won’t have to rent a moving truck where you’re forced into a time frame to get everything moved and unloaded.  A Pod is a portable storage unit that is dropped off where you need it.  You can pack your belongings in leisure and load them in your Pod, also at your leisure.  This is helpful when that strong friend says, “I’m sorry.  I’m busy tomorrow.  It’s too bad you didn’t need me the following day, I’m free then”.  Surprise!  You can need them the following day.  It’s loaded at your pace. They will need to come up with a better excuse next time.

Let’s go over what you can get from those wonderful Pods people.  Of course, you’ll get the Pod.  And most of us need boxes. It used to be you could get them from the rear of any retail store.  You could just drive up and it was a cornucopia of cardboard.  Not anymore.  Most businesses now flatten the boxes and put them in a locked dumpster.  So, the Pods people offer boxes, too.  In all sizes.  Sizes to fit your dishes.  Sizes to pack pictures in.  And yes, sizes for your grandma’s doilies.  To protect the more fragile items, you will most likely want bubble wrap or packing paper to protect them.  Again, years ago we went from friend to friend begging for them to save old newspapers for this.  Nowadays, who reads an actual paper?  We are getting our information on-line.  So the Pods people have those protective materials as well, and tape to secure the boxes.  It’s like a one stop shop.

Now your Pod is packed and ready to go.  The Pods people will come back and pick it up.  If your new place is ready, the Pod will be brought to that location.  At that time you can unload it at your leisure.  Again calling upon that strong friend or two.  Hopefully, they haven’t thought of that better excuse.  But let’s say you are moving to a new location or those friends truly aren’t available.  The Pods website has recommendations for local movers that will load or unload for you.  If you really aren’t motivated, these movers will pack you stuff, too.

What if you place is not ready?  Maybe you’re building a new home and are staying temporarily at your in-laws for a few months.  Stop screaming for a moment.  While you might not be comfortable in your temporary digs, your belongings will still be comfortably and safely packed in their Pod.  The Pod will be stored until you are ready to eagerly leave the in-laws and move in to your new home.  And rest assured, with the insurance offered by the Pods people, your things will be safe. The insurance covers everything imaginable.  It covers the usual things like: fire, theft, floods, accidents, vandalism, and negligence on their part. What I found amazing is that the Pods people thought of a host of other disasters that, hopefully, your belongings won’t be involved in.  Some of this list is: explosions, collapse of the building the Pod is stored in, or a certified terrorist attack.  But again, if someone really wants to explode your Pod, you’re insured!

Pods codes have made the moving process so much more convenient. Whether I am moving across town, across the state or across the country, they are there to help with my move.  As a matter of fact, in addition to making a list of strong people to help load stuff the only other thing on my list for moving is Pods.  Your moving list should include them as well. They do it all.