Moving house usually means a ton of expenses. If you’ve been reading our blog so far, you’re familiar with making a budget for the relocation. However, even after a lot of careful planning, the costs are still fairly high. So, we decided to try and put together a post which will tell you how to save some money, even when relocating. Without further ado, welcome to the ultimate cost cutting guide for moving!

If you want to save some money when relocating, begin with the planning stage

As you’ve begun your moving process by planning, it’s time to make a decision. Will you be making this move DIY or by using professional movers? So, as you’re seeking an answer to this question, let us give you some insight. Here’s the first piece of our cost cutting guide for moving:

• If you are relocating DIY, be sure to:
  • Avoid the rush hour in for cost cutting some gas money
  • Check out at least three rental truck companies and their prices (though, we would suggest looking at 5 in order to save more money!)
  • Bribe your friends with some beer and pizza when following the cost cutting guide for moving – they are cheaper and more fun than professionals!
  • Consider looking at portable storage units – according to this ultimate cost cutting guide for relocating, they can be cheaper than rental trucks!
• And if you are using professional movers, we still have some cost cutting tips:
  • Be sure to get at least three quotes from different movers (five would be the best, again)
  • To find reliable ones, be sure to surf through their Yelp reviews
  • If you want to save some money, negotiate with the movers – especially if you’re moving in the off-season! (some movers will offer up to 30% off a move in fall or winter)
  • According to our ultimate cost cutting guide for moving, you should also dismantle your furniture alone, if you plan to. This will save you a bunch of money.

Now, let’s talk about the ultimate cost cutting guide through packing

Packing is always a terrifying thing. It doesn’t really matter if you are leaving for college or simply taking a short vacation. When moving, the stress simply goes through the roof. So, in order to help you with this problem, we’ve come up with some tips in our ultimate cost cutting guide for moving. So, first of all:

• Sort your items into three piles: Necessary, Maybe, Not needed
• Then, go through the Maybe pile once more and sort it into the first and the third – be decisive! Weight is money during a relocation.
• Now, for cost cutting, it’s time to purge the third pile:
  • See if your friends want some of the items in good condition (especially if they helped you with packing)
  • Donate – and be sure to claim the tax deduction for cost cutting
  • Sell online (E-bay is a Godsend)
  • Host a garage sale or see if someone in your neighborhood would do that and give you a percentage (local teens will be more than happy to do this for some pocket money)
• Time to get some packing supplies – don’t buy them in order to cut the cost!
  • Bring empty boxes from your workplace
  • Ask the local liquor store to give you some – if they can hold bottles of booze, they should be sturdy enough, right?
  • Check if any of your neighbors/friends have moved recently and don’t need their old boxes
  • See if Freecycle or Craigslist (Free section) have any boxes
  • Finally, according to our ultimate cost cutting guide for moving, see if some local stores have disposed of boxes in the back or are willing to give some to you
• But, you don’t need boxes for everything – get creative with packing for some cost cutting during a move
  • Instead of putting all of your clothes into boxes, leave them in the drawers of the dresser and secure it so that it won’t open during the move
  • For wrapping, don’t be afraid to use your old sheets, clothes or even newspapers for cost cutting during the relocation
  • Also, socks and clothes will make great padding where necessary – and they won’t cost you a cent
  • Play some Tetris – put your smaller items into bigger ones in order to save money. But, be sure to keep it light enough for carrying
  • With books, don’t take them with you, but ship them with USPS – trust us, it will be cheaper
  • Before packing your furniture, measure twice to check if it will fit your new home. If not, sell it or donate according to the former steps of the ultimate cost cutting guide for moving

    

The final chapter of the ultimate cost cutting guide for moving is here

Hopefully, you will find all of the above helpful when moving. However, if there are more ways to save money, you should know them. So, let us give you some more tips which could cut the cost when relocating:

• Review utility bills – see when you need to cancel the contract, so that you aren’t paying for an extra month
• Get creative with cooking – be sure to use up your perishables for cost cutting during a move
• Feed your movers economically – the hungry movers will love an offer of pizza or Mac n’ Cheese and it won’t but a dent in your budget
• Book your movers as early as possible – they will give you a better quote!
• Use a checklist – that way you will stay on track and avoid extra expenses
• Be sure to check if you qualify for tax deduction when cost cutting during a move
• If you need storage as well, see if you movers have a combo deal for cost cutting
• If you have children or pets, arrange with a neighbor or friend to take care of them instead of hiring a sitter

  

So, we wish you a happy move, hopefully, with some cost cutting from our ultimate guide included!