Are you moving on a tight budget and don't have friends who can help you? There are multiple expenses to consider when moving to a new house, and it can be difficult to understand what to include in your moving budget when you’re trying to calculate the approximate cost. But the positive side of having a budget is that you will get several opportunities to save money while moving to your destination.
If your priority is to find the most cost-effective way to move, we have a few tips that can help you out. If you can invest your time, commitment, and effort, you can easily reduce hundreds or even thousands of dollars from your total moving expenses.
Tips to make a move on a tight budget
Moving across town or to a new city doesn’t have to be costly if you follow the right steps to relocate to your new home:
- Opt for hiring laborers, instead of hiring professional movers which can increase your moving costs.
- Consider renting a truck or a small moving van for a few hours to move your heavy furniture or appliances easily to your new location. If you don’t have friends who can help you, you can hire moving laborers just to load your belongings into the moving truck and then unload them.
- Another good idea is to make multiple trips in your car to move all your small belongings safely. This way, you will have the option to empty the moving boxes after each trip and reuse them to transport more items on your next trips. This will help you reduce your expenses when it comes to buying packing supplies for your move.
- There is a risk that you may lose or damage your precious belongings if you travel for days or even weeks while moving. In this case, you may need to hire professional movers if you want your items to reach your new home safely.
We will identify a few tips here that will help you reduce your moving costs, even under these conditions, while you make a long-distance move:
Set up your moving date carefully
Randomly deciding on a moving date isn’t a good idea since there are several things you must consider while scheduling.
Flexibility is essential if you are to organize a reasonable long-distance move. This will help you save money, even while you are making a long-distance move with professional movers.
Avoid moving during peak times
Before you fix a moving date, we suggest you check the temperature outside as this will increase the price charged by moving companies.
- If you plan to move during the peak moving season, which is when most people move, you may have to pay a price that is 25% higher than what you would pay if you were moving during the off-season. Scheduling a date in winter is a good option if you want to save money because during the mid-summer season, the demand for professional movers is extremely high and that makes them more expensive.
- If you choose to move in between May and September, although you can't save money, you will have a wider choice when it comes to the availability of quality movers. You’ll also have the option to choose from multiple suitable dates.
- Don’t plan your move on a national holiday or on the last weekend of the month since moving companies will typically be very busy around that time which will to higher prices.
Choose a reasonable moving company
While a DIY move is the least expensive option, it isn’t always possible to pack and move by yourself. This is true if you need to make a long-distance move, at which point you have no option but to hire professional movers.
But don’t hire the first moving company you come across. Here we have a list of a few crucial factors that you should consider for choosing a cheap but reliable moving company:
- First, you should request moving quotes from multiple moving companies and learn about the standard price for making a long-distance move.
- Second, you should request a packing estimate from three to four feasible movers for packing your entire household.
- Third, you need to compare the various offers you receive and shortlist the best ones for your long-distance move. Choosing the wrong offer will either make you a victim of a moving fraud via choosing an incompetent moving company or make you pay an extremely high price for your move.
- Fourth, we suggest you do proper research to find a moving company that would successfully meet your requirements as per your established budget. Don’t forget to check their insurance and licensing details and their history of complaints from previous customers. Moreover, you should analyze the paperwork of the company to make sure they’re legitimate.
- Fifth, you should always look for discounts like coupons, exclusive deals, and promotional offers.
Hire your movers in advance
Avoid waiting until the last moment to book a moving company since this can be a costly mistake. You can enjoy great deals if you book the movers far in advance, and this will reduce both your stress as well as expenses.
Share your rental truck
Are you ready to stay away from your possessions for some time? It doesn’t sound like a great idea, but if you share your rental truck’s space with other customers, you will save a great deal of money. Here’s what you need to know about consolidating your shipment:
- The rental truck will stop at multiple places to pick up and drop off other customers' shipments. With this option, you will need to wait for at least a week to get your possessions delivered to your new house.
- Take all the necessary items with you, so that there is no need to worry about a delay.
Declutter your house
It would be a bad idea to pack and move items that you don’t use or are broken or damaged. It will waste your time, energy, and money; here’s what you can do to clean your house before packing for moving:
- Check all the drawers, closets, and cabinets in your house and identify items that you are using and/or hold a prominent place in your life.
- Set aside items you don’t use anymore. You can drop them off for donation at places like Goodwill, the Salvation Army, or whatever donation center is nearby. Alternatively, you can deposit the items at a resale shop, host a garage sale, or sell them off through Nextdoor or Facebook. Also, there might be a few items that you will need to throw away completely.
In short, if you want to save money, we suggest you only ship items that need to come with you 100%.
Save on packing supplies
Purchasing new moving boxes and other packing materials directly isn’t the best idea since it will increase your moving costs. Here’s what you can do to save up on packing supplies:
- Visit a local grocery or liquor store and ask them on which days they receive their deliveries. Make sure you visit the store on that day and collect the leftover boxes before they are sent for recycling.
- You can request free moving boxes from your neighbors through Nextdoor, Craigslist, or Freecycle. Usually, you will find the moving boxes in good condition until they have been stored for a long time.
- We suggest you visit the local dollar stores to buy other packing supplies like bubble wraps, packing papers, and packing tapes. Many stores will have a separate gift-wrapping section that will be ideal for negotiating and buying more supplies.
Rent a storage pod
If you book a storage container, the company will drop the container at your location and give you time to fill it up as you slowly declutter your house. After you are done filling up the container, professionals from the company will pick it up from your yard or driveway and deliver it to your new location.
Disconnect non-essential house services
You can’t turn off utility services like water and electricity until the moving day. However, cable, doorbell, and security system connections can be turned off a week or two in advance. This can reduce your expenses and allow you to invest the same money in purchasing modern furniture or décor for your new house.
Avoid ordering food from restaurants or cafes
Undoubtedly, preparing for a move will be stressful and oftentimes you’ll feel like you don’t have the energy for any additional chores. Even so, we suggest you prepare meals at home instead of ordering food every time: at least until the moving day. We don’t expect you to cook lavish meals, but even an inexpensive and easy meal will help you save a major portion of your money.
There’s nothing to get panicked about if your friends or family aren't available to help you prepare for the move. Of course, hiring a professional mover will be expensive, but you can reduce the moving costs considerably if you follow the tips we have discussed throughout this guide.