Workers with Starving Artist Movers Doug Porter, left, and Lucas Dye carry a futon frame during a move for the Felling family May 8 from an apartment on Jana Drive.

Good friends are great for favors now and then — and it seems they are always called on for moving day.

It’s true that moving from one house or apartment to another nears the bottom of the list of enjoyable ways to spend a day, but with many apartment leases up July 1, many renters are looking for affordable ways to move their belongings.

Moving everything on your own is the least expensive method. However, the main obstacle is finding a truck large enough to fit your belongings. That’s when companies such as U-Haul, Penske and Budget are brought into the equation.

“People that don’t have access to the five friends and a pickup truck want to come and do it all in one trip,” says Sam Smith, general manager of U-Haul Company of Lawrence.

Rates vary depending on the company and demand for trucks in the area. While Penske’s rates vary throughout the year, U-Haul’s rates are pretty much set. A 10- and 14-foot U-Haul truck can be rented for as little as $19.95 per day plus mileage.

Brad and Shannon Wilson recently bought a house in Eudora and are the exception to this rule. Brad Wilson solicited the help of his family and friends for their recent move.

“I have friends that are healthy and young, and so I had a couple of guys help me move the big stuff. But there were a couple of days we borrowed my dad’s trailer and did it ourselves,” Wilson says.

There are plenty of moving companies that can move your belongings for you. First step: finding the right company.

Valerie Foos, co-owner of Starving Artist Movers in Lawrence, says it can be tough finding reliable movers.

“The main thing is we don’t hire people you wouldn’t want in your home,” Foos says.

The Felling family chose to hire Starving Artist for their latest move from a duplex to a house. Jonathan Felling says the decision didn’t take much thought.

“The older and weaker I get, the more junk I have to haul around,” Felling says. “This is the first time I have hired a mover and it seems like it will be a lot easier.”

If you want to take the affordable route, yet not take on any of the work load, you can call some local college students to help out.

Meet KU Student Movers. The name isn’t fancy, and neither is the method. When Daniel Doherty, a KU junior, started up the company this past fall, he was just looking for a little extra money.

“A bunch of my friends had been asking me to move them and thought that I have a trailer and truck that I have been moving them with. I decided to put an ad on Craigslist, and within the first two hours I had two jobs lined up,” Doherty says.

KU Student Movers, which charges $50 per hour with a two-hour minimum, consists of two KU students who use a pickup truck and trailer to move locally, including Topeka and the Kansas City metro area.

Doherty is surprised that his business has become so successful and believes his work is dependable.

“I think my entrepreneurship skills are expanding,” says Doherty, who is also working on a minor in business at KU. “I think we connect with the people because we are just students and we are just looking for some cash and we don’t work 9-5. I usually connect with my customers, and it’s just a better move.”