Dumpster vs. hauler

Hello--As we move toward our closing (next week--eeeek!), I'm trying to make a decision on whether to hire a dumpster or a hauler. My first problem is that Spouse is being very reluctant about this. He *claims* he'll "throw out all his stuff" but he has yet to call anyone about a dumpster. He does have experience in this area, having worked construction for many years. Second problem is, we don't really have room for a dumpster, even a small one. We may be able to negotiate with a kind neighbor and put it in her yard.

So this morning I called a hauler upon the recommendation of a friend (see the Daily Peeve thread). The guy I talked to spent about five minutes telling me: 1) dumpsters are a ripoff b/c they will charge you for "fuel"; 2) They will charge you if your load is overweight; and 3) they will add in all sorts of hidden costs. Then he told me to call his daughter (it's a family business) and talk to her about it. Apparently they want to come into the house and pick the stuff up themselves, rather than us leaving it at the curb/in the yard. Spouse doesn't want people in the house--speaking of ripoffs, he claims he knows of several instances where people's stuff "disappeared" (stuff they didn't want to get rid of, that is), and that "hiring a hauler is the biggest ripoff of all." Here's another problem. You literally cannot walk in our basement. We're talkin' Hoarders here.

I'm partly hysterically venting here, because the heat is on to get handrails installed in the new place, homeowners' ins. in place etc. I told Spouse I want to be in the new house by Dec. 31. He said wistfully, "I wish there was some sort of 'middle ground type place' where we could put stuff in the meantime."

How about NO? Poop or get off the pot, I say. He's known about moving for months now. He did this last time we moved--left everything until the 11th hour.

P.S. We also have a car that I strongly suspect belongs in a junkyard, but he insists he's got to see if he can get it started with a new battery so he can DRIVE it to the junkyard and get more money for it. I feel like telling him, "I want my name off the title and it's your responsibility from now on."

I'm mad as a hornet at the moment...Can ya tell? ;)

We have rented a dumpster when we were remodeling. Very easy to arrange and was much cheaper. I would call the junkyard and have the car towed away. He will get over it. If I am remembering correctly your husband doesn’t work so should be able to clean out the house in a month. If you let him take the junk with him it will never go.

When you hire a dumpster, don’t you also have to hire and manage the laborors to fill it up?

I am not saying that is a bad thing. We just last week had this discussion with our neighbor who seems paralyzed by the job in front of her to clean out her 3000 square-foot house. It isn’t that big of a deal, you hire a dumpster, you get day laborers to empty out your house, you call the dumpster company to come and get it.


Probably the dumpster company has recommendations for labor crews.

It IS a problem if you don’t have a clear place to set the dumpster. Cant you place it in the street? We can do that here, but need a permit from the city to do so.

We just recently had an incident at one of my properties where pir next-door neighbor hired a dumpster. The dumpster company broke our brick wall when they put it in place. While that was not at all a good thing, my neighbor worked with the dumpster company to hire brick layers to fix it, and all went well.

We're capable of tossing things in the dumpster ourselves. We'd be getting the smallest type and I don't think it would be too hard to fill it up on our own. Nothing super-heavy would be going in it.

As far as having the car towed, I don't think I can do that because his name's on the title too. I'd have to get him to sign off on it. I could basically tell him that that's what I want to do, and I don't see where he has much of a choice. The car's had issues for over two years, and he's put off finding out whether it's worth putting any money into it. Last spring we had an accident with it and barely got it fixed after that. He really has a helluva time getting rid of cars. We had an old Ford sitting in back of our house for 10 years. Till they towed it away, he kept insisting it was "worth something." I said, "If it was worth so much, why did you leave it back there to rot for 10 years?"

Yes we filled it up ourselves as we ripped things out of the house. We gave away the things people wanted like toilets and vanities. I would just put my foot down about the car and dumpster and the time he is allowed to fill it up. If he works at it 8 hours/day it goes fast.

Would donating the car to charity (tax write off for you) be acceptable to your husband?
After my father died, my brother donated his car to www.Kars4Kids. Reportedly a quick smooth transaction, in spite of the fact that dad had shredded the pink slip; they took care of it all.

Also, you might want to think about some "runners" for filling the dumpster. It takes a lot of time, running out there and back, you will be way more efficient with help, so you - both- can concentrate on the decisions.

Option three would be some company like pods. A friend moved all their stuff into them, when their house sold while they were building. They had the opportunity to live in someone elses house (just utilities), while they were away on duty. Their house was finished about the time their friend came back and the pod company delivered to the new house.
Junk car, call the city on yourself. It will make it a legal matter (do or be fined).

I am not a fan of haulers who aren't the type that come by the curb for scrap metal and such. It is too easy to have stuff walk off.

Put the dumpster in the driveway, a goodwill vehicle on the street, and the stuff you want to move goes into the moving vehicle at the end of the block. It makes you think.

Yeah, I think I'm gonna have to put my foot down at some point. I am always uncomfortable asserting myself, in any situation.

We do have a car-donation thing with our local PBS station. I have mentioned this in the past but he doesn't seem to want to do it. It made me very mad when I said, "What do you care how much money we get for junking it?" He replied, "What kind of a question is that?" What I meant was: I bought the car, I've paid for all the repairs and insurance, and YOU'RE concerned about how much money we get for it now? He has this way of thinking that by "saving money" (by smart shopping etc) he's contributing money to the household.

Sorry I am on such a rant today. This whole house thing? I wish it weren't happening. I had NO idea it was going to be this stressful--and I'm not even talking about the junk aspect. The whole thing is probably the second worst amount of stress I've been under in my life (first was when my father was dying).

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Originally Posted by ToomuchStuff

Option three would be some company like pods. A friend moved all their stuff into them, when their house sold while they were building. They had the opportunity to live in someone elses house (just utilities), while they were away on duty. Their house was finished about the time their friend came back and the pod company delivered to the new house.
Junk car, call the city on yourself. It will make it a legal matter (do or be fined).

I am not a fan of haulers who aren't the type that come by the curb for scrap metal and such. It is too easy to have stuff walk off.

Put the dumpster in the driveway, a goodwill vehicle on the street, and the stuff you want to move goes into the moving vehicle at the end of the block. It makes you think.

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There is absolutely nowhere to put the dumpster or a Pod. We cannot access our parking space b/c of the lunatic who lives in back of us. His last maneuver was to hit my husband with a bat (and I don't mean the Halloween kind). The driveway is shared, so we can't put anything in it at all. There's no room in front of the house for either. If we do get a dumpster, we'll have to beg our neighbor Susan to put it in her yard temporarily.

I had great luck using various hauling firms for cleaning out both of my in-laws' homes. Having "Two Men And A Truck" show up and do a professional reliable job was life-saving. I also used another local hauling service to good effect.

Seriously, hire it out.

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Originally Posted by bae

I had great luck using various hauling firms for cleaning out both of my in-laws' homes. Having "Two Men And A Truck" show up and do a professional reliable job was life-saving. I also used another local hauling service to good effect.

Seriously, hire it out.

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My sister hired "Two Men" when she lived in Fla. Unfortunately, they don't serve our area. I'll have to keep looking.

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Originally Posted by mschrisgo2

Would donating the car to charity (tax write off for you) be acceptable to your husband?
After my father died, my brother donated his car to www.Kars4Kids. Reportedly a quick smooth transaction, in spite of the fact that dad had shredded the pink slip; they took care of it all.

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Kars4Kids has been accused of misleading donors; if that bothers you there are several other organizations (PBS, etc.) which will take vehicles. Not sure if they need to be running, however. That might be a good compromise. IIRC nowadays you put the value on the car that you claim for the IRS.

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Originally Posted by mschrisgo2

Also, you might want to think about some "runners" for filling the dumpster. It takes a lot of time, running out there and back, you will be way more efficient with help, so you - both- can concentrate on the decisions.

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Originally Posted by bae

Seriously, hire it out.

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Agreed. Two Men and a Truck or 1-800-GOT-JUNK, etc., show up with the truck and the designated number of strapping young men (never seen a woman on the crews) and they move items. They fill the truck (or trucks) and leave. No begging neighbors to let you kill their grass with a dumpster or a POD. You just sit in the basement directing which items go out the door. Worth the $$ IMHO in your particular instance. My experience is that offering ice water on a hot day or snacks helps get past the inevitable surprises (what they "can't" take, items which are not quite ready to move, etc.)

I hope I'm not doxxing anyone, but many years ago my first wife and I helped others move a couple in our church group. Despite having weeks to prepare for the move, when we all got there the day they were supposed to leave we found in the back of the rented truck a collection of car parts (nothing rare) that He had always planned to work on some day :~) and, in the basement, several four-drawer file cabinets filled mostly with outdated documents which didn't need to be kept for legal reasons, etc. but which hadn't been winnowed through, and a big chest freezer that was filled with food and but not unplugged, in the hopes that the food would keep all the way out to Frozen Nose, Montana (or wherever they moved). :0! She also had not packed away (before we arrived) the -- umm -- "toys" they had in their bedroom; one of the well-meaning helpers found those unintentionally. Interesting move...

Steve, I recently read that if you donate a vehicle the IRS only lets you deduct whatever it sells for at auction.

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Originally Posted by Teacher Terry

Steve, I recently read that if you donate a vehicle the IRS only lets you deduct whatever it sells for at auction.

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Ahh! We donated a vehicle several years ago to a local vo-tech school; I know the rules have changed since then but haven't had occasion to look back at the rules. Thanks!

Do you have 1-800-JUNK? I'm with Steve--we're used it twice and it is worth the money for sure.

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Originally Posted by Teacher Terry

Steve, I recently read that if you donate a vehicle the IRS only lets you deduct whatever it sells for at auction.

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Since the tax laws have changed, be aware that if your total deductions don't exceed the big automatic deduction we're getting now, you're better off taking the big deduction, and forgetting the smaller ones. We used to give our old cars to PBS.

We do have 1-800-JUNK. I think ages ago I started a thread about them and a coupon I had. When I called the company, it was rather expensive. (but probably no more than a dumpster). Spouse says "that firm is the biggest ripoff of all." :rolls eyes:

Re: tax laws. We don't do deductions because, as CathyA pointed out, the deduction for a married couple filing jointly is larger now. I was a little disappointed because I didn't realize that you couldn't do both, and I'd been hearing all my life about what a great tax deal it was when you buy a house.

Yeah, I was at first disappointed too, because our Home Equity loan interest isn't deductible anymore. But really, it wouldn't have come anywhere near the new deduction for married couples filing jointly.
I'm sort of relieved, because now I don't have to take pictures and make lists of all the stuff I give to Goodwill, etc.

A little off-topic........maybe you should be glad you don't have room for a dumpster. You wouldn't believe how many strangers dump stuff in other people's dumpsters!

I would check the dumpster price versus the other company. Here it’s much cheaper to rent the dumpster.

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Originally Posted by CathyA

A little off-topic........maybe you should be glad you don't have room for a dumpster. You wouldn't believe how many strangers dump stuff in other people's dumpsters!

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Funny you should say that. A friend warned me about that--to expect people sneaking by in the dead of night and tossing crap into our dumpster.

I just remembered that we didn’t use a dumpster because we didn’t have enough stuff to fill it. We used their big dumpster bags which they delivered and picked up. We needed 2 and it was cheaper.