How to Save Money on Moving

My husband and I have been preparing to move. We still need approval via a cooperative board but nonetheless even if we do not receive it, we will be moving anyway since a friend of his is taking over our apartment. Instead of making this a rushed process, we decided to just put together boxes over the next month. I get overwhelmed by this and my husband has a lot of “stuff” so it takes me a long time to pack things away. Not only that, but for insurance purposes and for my own knowledge, I have been listing every single thing as I pack it away. It seems like the optimal time to do it!

But moving can be expensive. When my husband and I first moved in together, we didn’t have any stuff, so it was pretty easy. Now that we have items like an entertainment center and couch, moving seems like it could be a lot of work — even though we live in a small, one-bedroom apartment! As the resident cheapskate, I have come up with these ways to help save a ton of money on our move.

1. Boxes, Boxes and More Boxes. Many people struggle with this one and I admit, I am lucky in this regard. The place I work receives boxes on nearly a daily basis and little by little, I take them home. If you know you are going to be moving, start taking boxes from your workplace way before you begin your move. We live in a tiny one bedroom apartment so having boxes sitting around is not the most glamorous thing but I know it’s for a short while so I suck it up and just ignore the boxes. Boxes are everywhere and all you need to do is ask around. Ask your boss or the person receiving shipments if you can take the empty boxes home from work. If you don’t really receive shipments, ask around – ask your friends, ask your family and even ask local businesses. When I needed some extra boxes one time, I simply walked across the street to a store I frequented and they let me have whatever they had on hand.

2. The Packing Up & Moving Out Part. Packing up your things can take a lot of time which is why we’re starting to early. I recently realized that my brain is converting itself into a minimalist type of person so seeing how many things my husband has already stresses me out! If you start a month or two ahead of time, you can easily pack things up slowly without anybody helping you. Now that you’ve been working on that you need to get your actual move sorted out. This is usually the expensive part but keep in mind the following ways to save money:

• Renting Your Own Truck. Renting your own moving truck and/or van may save you a lot of money in the long-run. If you don’t have a ton of stuff or have more than one person helping you, this may be a viable option.
• Using Your Friends’ Abilities. Your friends are an awesome resource. Barter with them and butter them up! Offer to help them with projects in the future or buy them a pizza.
• But…If you do end up needing to hire movers for whatever reason, shop around first. Call various companies and check their credentials. Do they have insurance in case they break something? Do they have good reviews? Don’t sign-up with the first company you see.

Moving can be an expensive process. I am definitely not looking forward to the move but I am looking forward to starting new and organizing our “stuff” in a new way. I will be implementing a lot of these little tips once the move gets underway!

Have you have an expensive move? What have you done to save some money?