When's the best time of year to avoid moving and why?

The best time to move depends on your circumstances. However, there are still times of the year when you should avoid moving altogether. When are they and why?

Moving is already difficult enough. That's why choosing the time of year when you plan to move will definitely reduce your stress.

Weekday vs. weekend
Which need is more pressing: the availability of friends to help, or a reasonably priced moving company?

• You’ll benefit from much better rates during the week if you go with a moving company.
• A weekend move usually means you’ll have to rent a truck—and that’s only if you have family or friends to lend a helping hand.

Long weekends
Usually a good idea to avoid, if possible.

• Friends may not be available to help, and once again, rates will be higher. Not to mention that traffic could be a problem.

During or after the school year
If disrupting your child’s routine is an issue, postpone the move until the school year has ended.

• If this is the case, it would be wisest to wait until July or August.

Busy periods at work
Avoid the added worry of planning a move while wrapping up the fiscal quarter or preparing for a trade show.

• Some companies offer a paid day off during the week for moving. Ask if yours does.

The start and end of the month
There’s a strong tendency to book moving dates for the first or last day of the month.

• This actually is a good opportunity to take advantage of slow periods during mid-month.

For an easier move, you’d benefit from doing it sometime in the spring or autumn for a few reasons.

From May 15 to August 15
This is, across the board, the busiest time to move. Costs are at their highest, even for renting a truck.

Generally, all companies are at their busiest.

• Service connections (telephone, internet, electricity) will be solidly booked and you may have to wait longer to make an appointment. Imagine a week without Internet!

Winter
A picture is worth a thousand words: imagine snow-lined streets, slush puddles, black ice and traffic. While rates may be cheaper, the aggravation will offset the savings.

• Friends may have a good excuse not to be there to help, but if they do show up, they are also more likely to get injured.
• In the winter, professional movers will have more difficulty managing traffic, accessing the building, and loading and unloading. Plus, your floors will be filthy afterwards.
• Some furniture, like antiques, wooden items and other materials, cannot tolerate the process of freezing and thawing. Furniture may crack, especially if it has to spend a night in an unheated moving truck.