Are you wondering How to Save Money on Moving Expenses? Moving expenses can quickly and easily get out of hand if you don’t stay on top of them. Amazingly, much of the extra money is caused by us. We get excited, confused and stressed when it is time to move and we don’t think about what we are doing. That leaves us spending more and the paid movers smiling big. Here are several tips to help you keep your sanity and save some cash when you get ready to move.
How to Save Money on Moving Expenses
Purge Before You Move
The first thing you want to consider when you get ready to move are those things you can get rid of. Are you moving to an apartment yet have a riding lawn mower? Do you have a pool table that will not fit into any room of your home? These are things you can and should purge or get rid of. Sell them off and you will save even more money on your move. This attitude needs to stretch not only to the big items but to the unnecessary items too. Go through your stuff and downsize. You will feel great and the less you have to move the less it costs!
Ask Around For Good Moving Crews And Get Estimates
Don’t go out and just hire the first moving company you come in contact with. Ask around for a good bargain and make sure you double check your facts. Needless to say the decision to hire movers is a big one. Take your time and find the best possible option for your money.
Also, don’t forget to ask about damage policies and what happens if something is damaged in the move, asking this up front will help you compare companies and help you avoid some headaches on the back end if something gets messed up during the move.
Gather Your Own Moving Crew
Why not do the deed yourself? Gather friends from church, work and virtually any place that is willing to give a hand. Friends are usually quick to help out and they will usually work for pizza and drinks. Just understand that you often get what you pay for when you try to do it without the professionals.
You can also split this one 50/50 and ask friends to help you pack and hire a crew do do the heavy lifting and moving of larger pieces.
Never Buy Boxes
One of the worst expenses to ever pay for is boxes yet people do it all the time. Yes, you can save some time and energy by purchasing your boxes. You won’t, however, save any money. It is a wise move to get boxes from the grocery store, ABC store and anywhere else that they are willing to give them out. Another good place to look for free boxes is the fast food restaurants. They have thick boxes that the frozen french fries come in or check your local Clothing stores, they often have nice clean boxes the clothes are shipped in and they typically don’t mind sharing.
Craigslist is another place to find boxes. Set up an alert for your area, a lot of people will post an entire lot of boxes after they are moved to get rid of their boxes, if you find the right set of boxes you can often get a really great steal even if you do pay a few dollars for them. The trick here is to be fast, I’ve noticed these sets of moving boxes go really fast in our area so make sure you’re checking several times a day when you start thinking you might need boxes or be moving soon.
Coordinate Your Move To Maximize Funds
Get yourself organized the moment you realize that you are going to be moving. Coordinating your move is the best way to save money and you can do it from your dining room table. Map out a strategy for packing, moving and unpacking. Map a route for the trucks to get to and from your moving destinations. All of these things cost money and you will quickly find that being organized will save you cash.
Saving money on moving expenses is really just about paying close attention. If you are on top of things, you will see the expenses coming and how to avoid them. Take the extra steps to save cash and value your time and energy wisely. You will feel great about your move if you can pull it off without overspending, so the time is well invested.