April 2019
14 Money-Saving Moving Tips
Most of us are looking for ways to cut back on expenses. If you are planning a move, the costs can really add up. Here are 14 tips to cut costs where you can when it comes to your move.
- Pack in boxes that you can get for free from grocery or warehouse stores. Let your grocer know ahead of time that you will be needing boxes and he or she can save them for you. Another free source... use boxes left over from a friend’s move.
- Compare and get quotes from different moving companies and truck rentals.
- Consider using a moving company that delivers the truck to your door, you load it, and a professional driver drives it to your new home. You unload the truck and the driver returns to pick up the truck. You only pay for the space that your belongings take up.
- If you have the flexibility, avoid the months of June and July for your move. These are the most popular months for a move and you’ll have less bargaining power at this time.
- Similarly, if you can move during the week, instead of on the weekend, the cost of renting a truck or hiring a moving company should be lower. Better yet, be flexible on your moving date and a moving company may quote a lower price for a date that is more convenient for them.
- Consider renting a truck, packing, and driving it yourself. Be sure to consider your confidence behind the wheel, road and weather conditions, your strength and stamina, and whether you’ll have help. Also take into account any loss of income from taking time off to pack, load, drive, and unload.
- Use your own blankets for padding instead of renting padded blankets from the truck rental company.
- Borrow a tape dispenser instead of buying one.
- Read the fine print in a professional mover’s contract. For example, there could be additional charges for moving heavy objects, disassembling pianos or pool tables, or requiring the movers to walk more than 75 feet or use stairs or an elevator.
- Purge your belongings as much as possible. Sell items at a garage sale or donate items to a charity. The money you make at the garage sale is money in your pocket and the heavier and bigger your load, the more you will pay to have it moved.
- Paper is heavy and there is no need to move junk mail or old documents. Recycle junk mail and shred paper with personal information. Consumer Reports provides helpful advice when you need to know how long to keep important papers.
- For a small move, trucking company, ABF, offers a service called “Terminal to Terminal”. You deliver your belongings to the nearest ABF service center, load them into an ABF moving trailer or moving container and unload them at the service center nearest your destination. Needless to say, this requires that you have a way to haul your things to and from each service center. A variation of “Terminal to Terminal” is “Door to Terminal” or “Terminal to Door”. This is a money-saving option if one end of your move is escalating your overall costs. For instance, if you currently live in a rural area far away from the nearest service center and are moving to a larger city, the cost for delivery at your origin location may be more expensive. By loading your items at the nearest service center you can cut costs.
- If you qualify, some moving expenses are deductible so keep records and receipts of all of your moving expenses. Go to Who Can Deduct Moving Expenses for a user-friendly guide.
- When you’re on the road pack plenty of food to satisfy your hunger without having to buy every meal and snack from a restaurant or fast food joint. Breakfast is an easy meal to handle in the car when you can enjoy muffins, bagels, yogurt, fruit, and juice boxes. Lunch is often a less expensive meal at a restaurant and it can be a welcome break to have a sit-down meal during a long drive. Consider take-out for dinner and bring it back to your hotel room.
Send me your tips! Email Ann Kelley at akelley@JustMoved.org
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