Moving, especially when it’s across the country can become quite stressful and expensive. Thankfully, with careful planning, you can save money on your moving expenses and make the process easier for you and your family.
Deciding Whether to Hire Movers or Rent a Truck
After you select the date of your move, you need to decide whether you want to hire professional movers like Allied Moving Company or rent a truck and drive it on your own. While you may think that hiring movers is too expensive, you need to take into consideration everything involved if you do the move yourself. For one, you will need to pack up your things and then load the truck yourself. If you have family and friends who are willing to help, this part will not be that difficult. However, when you reach your destination you are on your own. This means that you will need to unload all the boxes, as well as the heavy furniture alone. In addition, you will have several stops for gas and tolls, which can add up to a lot of money quickly. Plus, if you should get into an accident you may damage items without any insurance to replace them. Take all of these things into consideration before making your decision.
Decluttering
Once you make a choice on whether to hire movers or rent a truck, the next step is to reduce your inventory. If you’ve lived in your home for many years, you more than likely have many items that you no longer need or want. Take this opportunity to declutter your home. Remember, if you are hiring movers, every box and piece of furniture will take up additional room on the truck. The more space you use, the higher the cost. As an added bonus, purge the items that you decide to leave behind. Have a garage sale or list them in the local paper or online marketplace. This helps to recover some of the money for the move.
Saving Money on Packing Supplies
Before you begin the packing process, you will need to have boxes, packing tape and bubble wrap to protect fragile items. These supplies can add up to hundreds of dollars and more, depending on the size of your cargo. The good news is that you can get creative and resourceful and save hundreds in the process. First, you can acquire boxes from local retailers in your neighborhood. Because you have a set date and planned the move early, you have time to gather boxes ahead of time. Most companies simply toss the boxes away. Contact area stores to find out when they receive their shipments and ask for free boxes. In addition, you can use newspaper, towels, and sheets to protect breakables. If you are using movers, packing up the boxes on your own will help to reduce the cost. Just make sure to read your contract carefully and follow the restrictions on the numbers of boxes allotted and the sizes allowed. If you don’t and you go over the limit, you’ll end up paying more.
Host a Cleaning Party
Once you have your items packed up and are waiting for either the arrival of the movers or your rental truck, it’s time to thoroughly clean your home before departing. A wonderful way to say goodbye to family and friends is to host a cleaning party. You can have people bring their cleaning supplies and you provide the food. With everyone pitching in, the entire home will get sparkling clean in less time. When you complete the cleaning, reward them for their kind efforts with food and drinks. It gives you a chance to spend your last day in the company of people you love.
Whether you are moving to the next town or across the country, moving is expensive and at times stressful. Luckily, if you map out a plan and work towards a goal, you’ll eliminate most of the stress and save money too.
