How to Financially Plan for Your Move

Moving is a full-time job. No matter how organized you think you are, there’s always more to do and something else to spend money on. While moving is expensive — there’s no way around that — it’s definitely possible to cut down on spending here and there. Ease your stress and the strain on your budget with these tips:

Discard Unwanted Items

If you want to keep costs down, moving is the perfect time to purge items that are broken, old, or simply unwanted. Here are a few things you can kiss goodbye:

• Antiquated electronics, like CD players or gadgets you have duplicates of. Why keep three blow dryers when only one works well?
• Clothing that’s outdated, worn out, or doesn’t fit well.
• Inexpensive household items you’ve had for years and that are probably riddled with germs, like garbage cans, plasticware and coffeemakers.
• Linens that have seen better days or that you can’t get to look clean, no matter how much you bleach them.
• Dishware with chips or that you’ve never liked (and therefore never used).

Whether you throw out, donate, or give away these items, getting rid of them prior to your move means you won’t have to pay to pack or transport them. You’ll be surprised how much you say “no” to once you start assessing your belongings.

Use Old Packing Materials

Bubble wrap and boxes aren’t usually ruined after one use, so if you know anyone who has saved their packing materials, ask if you can buy them for less than what you’d spend to get those materials brand new (or they might just give them to you for free). You may even be able to return a lot of the boxes after the move if they haven’t been too damaged. Furthermore, stores that get regular shipments, like grocery stores, are often willing to give you their packing materials at no cost.

Pick the Right Day and Time to Move

If you’re hiring movers or renting a truck, find out how much you’ll be charged. Some moving companies or truck rental companies charge hourly rates. If you schedule your move for rush hour, you’ll end up paying just to sit in traffic. Instead, try to move early in the morning on a weekday, if possible. Also, you may want to move during the off-season — spring is a popular time of year to move, so rates will be higher than during the winter.

Save When Shopping for Furniture

If you have to outfit your new home with new furniture, try to buy as much as you can from one store — modern supermarkets have enormous selections, so you can find practically everything you need. Open a credit card to get the first purchase discount; you could end up saving hundreds of dollars. If you’re not able to pay that store credit card off during the introductory period, you can always do a balance transfer to save on interest.

Moving will likely be even more expensive than you expect, so you should have a savings account on the side that you don’t touch unless you absolutely need it. You can even collect interest as your money sits there. You can then dip into the account when an unexpected expense pops up — and, in all likelihood, it will.