moving boxes.

February 25, 2014

binit blue bins Blame it on Yankee thrift, but despite the fact that we’ve moved house together four times, before this move James and I had never hired movers. We’ve coerced unsuspecting friends and family into helping us haul vintage furniture and heavy kitchen boxes up multiple flights of stairs, paying them only in cold beers and cold pizza.

But there’s something about nearing 30 and bumbling around with an ever-expanding belly that made this move different.

We hired movers* to transport the bulk of our loot and in the most genius move of all, instead of endeavoring to beg boxes off the local package store or scooping them up from dubious recycling piles on the side of the street, we ordered reusable bins from the local company, Bin It. Some of you might have spotted the bright blue wonders over on Instagram.
binit blue bins When I contacted Bin It about our move, they generously offered us the opportunity to try their studio package free of charge. 20 boxes, a dolly, zip ties, labels, drop-off, pick-up, and a two-week rental period normally runs customers $99. Believe me when I say that it would have been $99 very well spent.

The boxes were delivered to our old address and they arrived cleaned and sanitized from the last move. There was no taping, no break-down, no worrying about bed bugs, and no discovering that the box I packed my underwear into left them smelling of a mix between freezer burn and aged rum.

If I could do it over, I’d up the order to 30 bins: turns out even studios of self-proclaimed minimalists can fit an awful lot of stuff into a tiny space.
binit This morning I can happily report that these boxes are unpacked, stacked, and awaiting their retrieval. The unpacking really is the best part.

Bin It has kindly offered Reading My Tea Leaves readers a special discount. If you’re planning a move in the New York City area, use the code TINYAPT to receive a 10% discount off your order.


Now, instead of running around the neighborhood in the wee hours of the morning hunting for raggedy cardboard, you can sit in your skivvies in front of the computer and order yourself a set. The website is super easy to use with an FAQ that covers just about everything you’d need to know.

*We found Suburban Solutions to be the most cost-effective moving option in our area, not to mention the fact that the guys who moved us were speedy, efficient, and cheerful in spite of a 5th floor walk-up.

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16 Comments

  • Reply Danielle Alexander February 25, 2014 at 2:47 pm

    Congratulations on your move! I wish Bin It was in my area! πŸ™

  • Reply Danielle Alexander February 25, 2014 at 2:47 pm

    Congratulations on your move! I wish Bin It was in my area! πŸ™

  • Reply Pat February 25, 2014 at 2:50 pm

    Good for you!! The last time I conned friends into helping me move I decided never again. If I can't afford to pay a mover, I can't afford to move. πŸ˜€
    I spent a lot of time with the produce manager at my local grocer last summer scrounging apple boxes for my sister's move to Florida. The only thing I found like Bin It was in California. Since we were in Maryland that didn't work out too well but I think it is a terrific idea and one whose time has come.

  • Reply catherine sprunt February 25, 2014 at 3:54 pm

    That's an amazing offer! I'm so impressed! I'll look them up in the UK next time I'm moving!

  • Reply Mae Chevrette February 25, 2014 at 5:06 pm

    Oh my gosh, I was SO excited to read this until I saw they were only in New York. We are moving from our Boston 1BR into an artist work/live loft in two weeks and I'm cringing at the thought of buying plastic bins or packing a billion small cardboard boxes (likely liquor store boxes with eau de aged rum scent…). Hopefully they'll expand to more cities soon!

  • Reply Alisa February 25, 2014 at 5:07 pm

    What a great idea! I kept all the boxes from my last move in the basement of my apartment in anticipation of my next move (they were really nice boxes). However, they are now probably full of spider families and mildew…sigh.

  • Reply Joan February 25, 2014 at 5:32 pm

    Very handy!
    I loved your "first morning in new apartment" pic on instagram.

  • Reply Lisa Gordon February 25, 2014 at 8:21 pm

    The equivalent in LA is http://www.rentagreenbox.com and we used them for our move. The best. Ever. My only suggestion is to use gardening gloves to move the boxes because once they are full, the plastic can be harsh on the palms. It was the least stressful a move could possibly be.

  • Reply Neurotic Workaholic February 26, 2014 at 2:22 am

    That's a good idea, especially because cardboard boxes can be very expensive. I've hired movers before; I don't know where they find the strength to move people's furniture every day. I always gave them bottled water or Cokes, in addition to a tip.

  • Reply Anonymous February 26, 2014 at 5:07 am

    We have a company that rents these boxes in Palm Beach County Florida called Elf Boxes, the website is http://www.elfboxes.com . Companies like this exist in pretty much every major city in the US and Canada. Just do a search for "plastic moving boxes" and the name of your city and you should be able to find one, although most, like Bin It are local companies and don't do interstate moves.

  • Reply Ann Shirley February 27, 2014 at 7:28 pm

    Good luck on your move! My husband and I recently moved to Colorado. We've moved together several times in the past as well but this was our first time hiring one of the Colorado moving companies for help. What a difference it made! Makes things so much easier doesn't it? I don't know why we never hired movers before lol.

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