If you have recently signed a lease on a new rental unit, you have probably already spent a lot of money. Between first and last month’s rent payments, security deposits, and even association fees and parking fees, you may feel that you do not have much money left for the actual move. Moving requires a lot of supplies, like boxes, bubble wrap, tape, and markers.
It also requires either hiring movers and a moving truck or you covering the transportation costs and finding friends or family to help. While purchasing supplies might not sound expensive, if you are packing up your entire home and moving it to another place, you could be looking at spending a lot of money.
If you do not plan wisely, you can find yourself in financial turmoil. However, if you take the time to incorporate a few money-saving tips into your upcoming move, you can make a move to your new rental unit affordable.
Do Your Research
Finding a qualified and affordable moving company is always a challenge, which is why it is common for people to ask their friends and families for recommendations.
When you ask around, try and get two to three recommendations and contact each moving company directly. You should also read customer reviews on websites like Yelp and Google. You should not only compare prices, but also ask specific questions, like how many people are a part of the moving team, if they pay by the hour, and if they offer any specials.
If the company is used to packing and moving larger size homes or apartments, they should suggest that a representative come to your home for a quick survey. They will walk through your house and look at everything that you need to pack. Afterward, they will provide you with a written and precise moving estimate.
Downsize Before you Move
The more stuff that you have, the more time and money it will take to move it to your new apartment. While a specific furnishing might look good in your old place, it could look too big or too small in the new space, which will make it easier for you to give it away beforehand.
To determine what items to bring to your new apartment and what to throw away or donate, study both floor plans. If there are fewer closets and storage spaces in your new rental unit, you should start downsizing there. If you clean out your closets before you move, you are reducing the number of stuff the movers will have to haul.
After you have gone through everything you own, do not throw away what you do not want. Try selling what you can and donating the rest. Doing so can earn you extra cash, or a tax deduction, and will cut back on the number of boxes that you will need to lug to your new apartment.
Pack as Much as you Can Yourself
If you hire movers, you may be tempted to have them pack up everything in your home. But movers charge by the hour. So, while they should handle fragile household items like glassware, artwork, and electrics, you should pack the durable goods to save a great deal of time.
Things like books, clothes, and DVD’s are easy to pack. Therefore, you will get the most out of your money if you pack as much as you can ahead of time and doing so may help you find items that you no longer need or want.
Try Not to Purchase Packing Materials
Moving companies know that people need tons of cardboard boxes when moving. That is why they can sell them to customers for a lot of money. If you know where to look, you do not need to buy boxes. Ideally, you can start collecting packing material as soon as you find out that you are going to move. You can ask friends and neighbors for any boxes they may have, as well as your job. Sturdy and large boxes include milk crates, old printer-paper boxes, and boxes that hold glass bottles that you can find at liquor stores. If you start looking early, you can gather enough boxes and crates to fill your home for your big move.
Wrap Up What You Can with Linens That You Have
Newspapers are commonly used when packing up fragile household items like plates and glassware because newspapers are still easily attainable. Why not be even more practical and wrap your fragile items in things that you can find in your bedroom? You can wrap delicate items in clothes like jackets and sweaters, bed linens like sheets and pillowcases, and bath linens like towels. If you are a coffee drinker, try packing delicate items in coffee filters. Even if you do not drink coffee, purchasing coffee filters is still cheaper than buying packing materials.
Plan on Moving During the SummerMost rental leases expire at the end of the month, resulting in a demand and spike in price for movers. But by the second week of the month, the rates even out. If you can at all control when you move, try to do so when the rates are typically lowest, which is between September and May. Generally, moving companies see spikes in customers during the summer months, since families often take advantage of children being out of school to schedule moves. In addition, movers usually charge more on the weekend than weekdays, since movers are less in demand. However, you will need to ask the moving company that you hire if they offer discounts depending on the day of the week.
Purchase Insurance
Hiring movers are expensive, and you might not think that purchasing insurance is necessary. But if you do not buy insurance and the movers break your new flat screen TV or your large wall mirror, they will not be responsible for paying for it. You will. If you purchase basic insurance, they would only replace a small portion of the actual cost of the TV. So, instead, pay extra for “full replacement value coverage.” While it costs more money to purchase this insurance policy, the moving company will pay for the actual cash value of any item that they damage during the move.
By Admin –
