Moving house can trigger many unwanted expenses. When moving on a budget, your main concern is to do everything in your power to lower the final bill. From choosing more flexible moving dates to getting ready to search for cheap moving services and opting for affordable winter moving rates, here is a useful list of smart tips and simple solutions to try.
Get Rid Of All The Junk
As a general rule of thumb, the heavier your cargo, the more it will cost you to move it across the city or state borders. To lower your moving estimate, take a thorough look at all your items around the house and gradually spread them into three piles:
- items you want to keep
- things you want to sell prior to the move
- stuff you want to donate to charity
Moving items you will not actually need at the new house is counter-intuitive, time- and energy-consuming, and expensive. Save money by going over all your clothes, kitchen appliances, electronics, and even heavy furniture items. Put special emphasis on bulky and heavy furniture pieces that are known to significantly increase the invoice because of their weight and peculiar packing and hauling requirements. More often than not, you will save money by selling, donating, or leaving old furniture and clothes behind and buying new ones upon your arrival at your new home.
The same goes with the stashes of food in your pantry and the freezer. If you’ve used a lot of coupons to stock up on dozens of cans, donate them to a local food bank or try to consume as many as possible prior to the move. The cost of having them hauled by expert movers will be much higher than the actual money you’ve paid to buy then. Your main focus should be on moving the least amount of food as you can to lower your bill.
Moving On A Budget: Pack The Smart Way
The packing stage of the move is another important step that could save you a lot of money. To cut your moving costs with clever packing, try to follow these next tips:
- Get an early start. Find reliable packing supplies and packing boxes that are either free or affordable early on in the moving process. The more relaxed and prepared you are during the move, the better you can avoid expensive last-minute purchases.
- Buy cheap packing supplies online. Go on Amazon and look for affordable packing supplies like tape guns, bags for your mattresses, packing paper, tape, or packing boxes. For boxes, you could also try Lowe’s and Home Depot. Keep in mind not all the boxes you will find here are specialized moving boxes. Most of them are simple boxes that can serve your packing needs. Just make sure you buy the right sizes.
- Use Craigslist, Letgo and other similar sites and search for people willing to donate their old moving boxes for free.
- You may also want to ask your mover if they are willing to let you use wardrobe boxes on the big day. These boxes are particularly pricey in department stores and some long distance moving companies may let you use them free of charge.
- Negotiate a deal. Paying for expert packing services usually means not having to worry about finding any cheap packing supplies on your own. However, you could try to negotiate a deal with the movers: see if they will let you use your own blankets and moving supplies while they only handle the physical packing at a fraction of the cost.
- Pack yourself. Needless to say, this will save you the biggest amount of money, especially if you plan on relocating your entire house and there are dozens of boxes to pack and load. Just keep in mind a professional mover has the skills, know-how, and advanced packing supplies that can ensure a zero-damage packing experience. If you are a novice when it comes to packing moving boxes, you might fail to use the right protection and break some of your items during the move.
Take Advantage Of Cheaper Mid-Week Moving Prices
If you are only free on the weekends and you plan on moving on a Saturday or Sunday, think again. Weekends are actually the busiest and worst times for moving. Similarly, the end of the month tends to get overly crowded. Most affordable movers will take advantage of these scenarios and over-charge during peak times. Move any time during the week, preferably on a Wednesday or a Thursday. Find out if the mover can provide you with any discounts if you choose a mid-week day they prefer.
Use Flexible Moving Dates
Local and long distance movers alike will normally charge larger service fees between the months of May all the way to August. If possible, opt for the rest of the year to relocate and keep your moving date as flexible and open to changes as possible. You never know when a slot might free up and you could come across a more affordable winter moving date when you least expect it.
Consider A Consolidated Move
Consolidated moves occur when a mover places the cargo that belongs to several customers on a single truck. This way, the travel expenses are shared and split with other customers whose items are going in the same direction. Consider this alternative as a way of saving on your upcoming move.
Finally, ask for packing help from friends and neighbors, compare cheap long distance moving quotes and ask for fixed rates for an even lower moving bill. Pick any of our top recommended movers to enjoy the most affordable, safe, and reliable services in the country.