Over the weekend, I had to move 4 miles across Chicago. I didn’t have a lot of money for this adventure, and grew concerned when I started looking up fees for renting vehicles to move my stuff. I had big enough furniuture that the smallest U-Haul van wasn’t an option; but, on the other hand, I didn’t need a heavy duty truck. I also am not too comfortable driving in the city and definitely not to comfortable driving something as large as a U-Haul truck (alone, anyway). I made a few calls to some moving companies, and they wanted anywhere from $300-400 to move the amount of furniture that fills a Boystown studio apartment. WHAT!

So, I went on Craigslist and started making a few calls. Eventually I came across the post “2 college guys and a truck” and although that sounded weird, I thought it promising for my wallet. I gave them a ring and they wanted $250 for the move; I said no, I’ll do $150. He then started to back out a little and then I reminded him I don’t have that much stuff because I’m in a studio apartment. I also agreed to help them move my small stuff. So, we reached an agreement of $150.

They came on time, and because it was raining, shrink wrapped all my possessions. They also provided their own pick-up truck and offered to give me a ride to my new home in Humboldt park. Although it was a little awkward sitting crammed in the cab with these two guys, we made conversation and they told me about their worst moving experiences. When we got to my new house, they brought everything up 3 flights of stairs quickly. I paid them the $150 and gave them a $15 dollar tip each. So in all, I paid $180 to have two guys move my stuff for me. So, if you want to get something done cheaply, go on Craigslist, make a phonecall, and take them down on the price. Craigslist is ultimately a digital bazaar: all prices are subject to change.

—Elliott Beazley, Web Designer