Saving Money on Your Move

June 10th, 2009 by Matt DiChiara| Posted in Apartment Guide, Moving | 2 Comments »

Editor’s Note: This is a guest post from Relocation.com

Hey, moving is costly and the costs come at you fast and furious.

So prepare: Have an idea of the costs you’ll face.

Plan: Have a way to pay for the expenses that doesn’t have you bouncing checks.

And try to find ways to save. Here are a few ideas:

Do your own packing. This is obviously cheaper than having the moving company do it. And save money on packing material. Bargain with your moving company to throw in some free boxes (might work better in the slow seasons); buy your moving boxes in bundles (many online sites offer deals); and use common households like towels and linens as packing material.

However, one thing to be aware: most insurance won’t cover you for items you pack yourself that get damaged (unless there’s obvious damage to the box that indicates the moving company was at fault).

Get rid of stuff. It’s simple: Move less, pay less. So consider a garage sale, put stuff on Craigslist or eBay, give it to charity or just toss it in the trash. Many people will often pay more to move stuff than it would cost to buy the item at their new place. Make sure you don’t make that same mistake.

Moving companies usually don’t want to assemble or disassemble items like home gyms, play sets, trampolines, and other items, so you usually have to pay someone to do this. If you can do it yourself, you’ll save money. The same with hooking up and unhooking kitchen appliances.

Move during the slow season. Summer is moving companies’ busy time, so if you can move then, do so. And avoid the ends of the money for your move; movers are busier then, so will be less likely to give you a break on price for your moving costs.

Before you starting packing up, make sure you are covered for moving day; get a free moving quote now.