5 Ways to Save on Your Moving Costs
Categories: Resources & Tips Comments Off on 5 Ways to Save on Your Moving CostsAs you anxiously count down the days to your big move and prepare to pack up your belongings for the trip to your new home, it’s easy to get carried away and allow the expenses associated with moving to exceed the budget you originally set for the transition. Many new homeowners don’t realize just how expensive moving can be, and are disappointed when the total bill takes away from the money they’d rather spend on decorating their new places. Fortunately, if you follow these helpful tips, you can save hundreds of dollars on your moving costs.
1. Skip on buying boxes – A wide variety of retailers sell cardboard boxes for moving, including postal offices, shipping companies and storage facilities. However, these sellers often attach a hefty price tag to their wares, and when all is said and done you could end up spending upwards of a few hundred dollars on boxes alone. Instead, opt for for free solutions by visiting your local recycling plant or asking local liquor stores and restaurants if you can have their unneeded boxes. You should be able to obtain all of the boxes you need to pack your belongings without spending a dime.
2. Pass on the bubble wrap – It’s natural for you to worry about fragile items getting broken during the move, and you may be tempted to purchase bubble wrap to ensure all of your belongings arrive in one piece. However, there are far cheaper – as well as free – ways to cushion your glass items and electronics so they don’t sustain any damage during moving. For example, you can wrap them in newspaper, or you can double up and wrap them in clothing garments, such as tee shirts. This will save you space, as well as money.
3. Move on a weekday – Most people choose to move over a weekend because of the convenience it provides, but moving companies have capitalized on this and usually charge a higher rate Friday through Sunday than they do the other four days of the week. While you might need to take an extra day or two off work, you could save a considerable sum by scheduling your move on a weekday.
4. Downsize your stuff – The more you own, the more boxes you’ll need to buy, stuff you’ll have to wrap, trips you’ll have to make and the larger truck you’ll need to transport everything. Carefully go through everything you own in the weeks leading up to your move and purge everything you don’t really use or need. You could give items away to friends and family, host a garage sale to make some extra cash or donate your gently-used goods to a local charity or thrift store.
5. Rent a Pod – Pods are portable storage containers that many homeowners have discovered are excellent for making the moving process easier. Instead of renting a truck or hiring a moving company, you simply rent a storage pod, fill it with your boxes and then wait for the company you’re renting from to pick it up. They’ll then transport it to your new house, and everything will be waiting for you when you arrive and start to settle in.
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