Besides the emotional transition, moving requires a significant financial expenditure. You’re going to have to allot budget for packing materials and boxes, a moving company, and many other potential charges that often aren’t considered – for example, daycare for your children on moving day. Rest easy, however, because there’s a bunch of fantastic ways to save cash when planning your move.
If you don’t have to move on a concrete date, check out which days and times of the year will be the cheapest for you. Usually, summer is a very popular time for moving, and might be somewhat more costly than a winter move – and weekends are typically more busy than the middle of the week, when it’s somewhat cheaper to move. As a general rule, the very beginning and end of the month is more expensive than the middle two weeks of the month – with the 1st and final days being the most expensive by far.
It’s common for movers to give you a rough quote estimate of the cost of moving in advance, and then inflate the price on moving day. Make sure that your moving company provides a flat price rather than simply an estimate.
Many utility companies don’t prorate their bills ahead of your departure date, so if your billing doesn’t align with the day you’re moving, try to cut off your service early so they don’t make you pay for another month of service that you don’t need.
Lessen costs of packing by using common materials like old newspapers or magazines to wrap up delicate objects – instead of buying packing foam, bubble wrap, or peanuts. Another possibility is saving on part of the moving charge by packing your belongings by yourself – make sure to do this in advance, before the movers get there though, to have much less of a time related charge.
While packing, start clearing your house of unwanted junk – instead of packing it and bringing it to your new location, only to sort it out and throw it away once you get there. It will greatly reduce your shipping costs – besides, it’s possible to sell unwanted objects in a garage or tag sale in order to give yourself some more money for your budget.