Ways to Save on Moving Costs. Complete Guide
Get free used moving boxes - save on moving boxes and protect the environment.
Moving is expensive and most people usually do not understand and accept that. It involves man and machine power, hard labor, travel and packing materials as well as more elements that make the relocation happen. There are ways to cut moving costs and lower your moving expenses. In this how to save on moving services guide we will elaborate on a few proven ways that will help you save on moving services.
Save on Moving Expenses by Moving Yourself
The cheapest, but usually not the fastest way is to move yourself. This would mean renting a truck, making the inventory, doing the packing and wrapping, disassembling and reassembling of furniture, loading and unloading just to name a few of the tasks. If you are going to do it anyway, instead of hiring professional moving company, it is good to plan your time and money. Also, if you have decided to move to a smaller home, that would also save you some dollars.
Work out a moving budget – Before you start doing anything, you have to determine the cost of your move and allocate money. This is the first and most important step. You should research how much approximately you need to spend and how much you can actually afford to spend for the relocation. In our adventure we will explore all the different ways how to cut moving costs as much as possible.
Get rid of the excess – We all have junk collected over the year and now is the time to rid ourselves of it. Now, keeping in mind your budget, consider all the things you do not use and will most likely never do. Thus, throw them away or donate. Many nonprofit organizations accept donations and you can deduct that from your taxes. You can also organize a garage sale to earn money from what you no longer need.
Save on moving truck rental – Call all the major truck rental companies (Budget, Penske, Uhaul) and all the local companies you know. To save on moving truck rental even more, search online for coupons and discounts. Most of the major companies provide one way rentals if you are moving from state to state.
How to save on moving supplies
Here are some proven to work tips on how to save on moving supplies and particularly, how to save on moving boxes.
Find free moving boxes online - Yes, you can find free moving boxes for your move. Just search online. Search in your local Craigslist posts or local classifieds websites under free stuff section. People give away used moving boxes all the time. That way you will save a lot of money and help protect the environment by reusing the boxes instead of buying new ones. Also, go on Twitter and the other social networks and search for #movers, #moving, #relocation and similar content to connect with people who have recently moved and may want to get rid of the used boxes.
Save on movers by moving by yourself. Click this photo for the complete self moving guide.
Post online that you are moving and let your friends know what you need and tell them to share your needs to their fiends. To save on moving expenses even more, ask for boxes in your local grocery or liquor stores.
Rent boxes – Renting your moving boxes is another great option. Search online for place where you can rent moving boxes. You can find some very cheap options. Renting environmentally friendly or green boxes is even better. Rent them to make your move easier and cheaper. Many green companies recycle garbage and convert it in reusable and rentable green boxes and packing supplies. By using these green moving boxes you can cut your cost by 50 percent and help save the environment.
Pack yourself in advance – once you have found your free boxes or rented them, you should start packing. Pack yourself and in advance. Packing and wrapping should begin at least a few days in advance, thus at the day of moving you can worry about disassembling and loading. Here are some packing tips to help you in your endeavor.
Call friends and family for help – if you have a big house call family and friends to help with the packing. If it is not that big you can call them for the moving day only to help with loading. Just keep in mind that you will need more than two hands and if your house is big, you will need serious man power. Therefore, contact your close people as soon as you know you’re moving.
Organize a moving sale – leave behind the things you don’t need by selling them – this will not only give you some incomes but also will decrease the size of your move and therefore its price.
How to save on moving expenses with a moving company
If you don’t want to move by yourself you can still save on moving services with a professional moving company. Here is how:
Get binding estimates – Getting an estimate does not guarantee that the final bill will match the quoted price. You can get multiple moving estimates from here – just fill the free moving quote form on top of the page. Get a few moving estimates, but always ask for a binding estimate. In most cases, you can get such only when the moving company comes to do an in-house estimate. Only when a moving estimator sees all inventory intended for moving, they can give you a binding estimate. A binding estimate will help you stick to your budget.
Survey your home and make a detailed inventory – If you can’t get an in-house estimate, you better make a detailed inventory of your household. In order for the final moving cost to be as quoted in the beginning you have to do that.
Sell or donate heavy and bulky items you don’t utilize – All of us have many of these old, huge and heavy furniture that we don’t even like. Get rid of these by donating or selling them. Have a garage sale or visit local nonprofit that accept such donations.
Get your boxes and packing materials – One of the most expensive aspects in a moving is the packing and wrapping materials. By buying or renting your own moving supplies (or getting them for free as we discussed), you can reduce your moving cost greatly.
Pack yourself, leave only the big furniture for the movers – Since you want to cut your moving cost to the minimum, pack as much as you can yourself. By doing so you will greatly reduce the cost for packing supplies and movers labor and time that otherwise you would pay.
Check about long carry fees – Measure the distance between your home and the street and ask the moving company about their long carry fee. They should explain beyond what distance is considered long carry and from what floor they count it as such.
Do you need extra insurance? – Haul items that are more valuable with you instead of paying for additional moving insurance because the basic liability usually never covers the actual value of the goods. Also, if you have bigger items you can’t take with you, ask your homeowners insurance if it covers the moving and transportation of your goods.
Look for additional moving coupons and discounts – when hiring a moving company always ask for coupons and special discounts. Most moving companies will work with you when you tell them you are on a budget. They want your business and will offer various moving discounts based on moving dates and season.
Wait to share truck with another customer – Often when you are moving long distance you may be offered a cheaper moving cost if you wait for the delivery. Waiting a little longer to share a truck with another customer will save you money.
Involve your family and kids into the moving process. They can help a lot with the packing. It can be fun too.
Move in off peak season – Another great way to save on moving services is to choose to move in off peak season. This often means moving in the winter as most moving companies lower their rates as much as 30 percent. Moving in the winter is one of the best ways to cut the moving cost if you want to hire a moving company. Lear more about moving in off peak season.
Ask your employer for help – If your relocation is work related you should definitely ask your employer for taking care of part of the moving cost. Most companies offer moving allowances or complete moving cost coverage to employees relocating by company request. There are many professional moving companies that specialize in employee relocation.
Find out about deductible moving expenses – After doing everything you could to save on moving services, find out what moving expenses you can deduct from your taxes at the end of the year. Keep all your receipts and the bill of lading. When the move is over and you may have forgotten about it, do not forget to add the moving cost to your tax deductions. Ask your accountant or tax specialist about details on tax deductible moving expenses.
There are many ways to cut moving costs on save on moving expenses and we tried to cover most of them. Have we missed something? Do you know another way to save on moving services? Let us know in the comments below.
