Commonly Forgotten Self-Moving Costs

To avoid financial surprises with your self-move, ensure you don’t overlook any potential costs.

Here is a list of commonly forgotten self-moving costs to help ensure you don’t miss anything important when budgeting for your forthcoming relocation.

Packing Expenses

The cost of doing your own packing soon adds up, usually because people wildly underestimate the amount of packing materials they will use and because you are unlikely to pack as efficiently as professional packers would.

You can reduce your packing expenses by using alternative packing materials and old moving boxes you can get for free, but you will still need to buy some quality packing supplies (packing peanuts, bubble wrap, specialized boxes, etc.) for your more delicate and more valuable items.

If you’re moving some specialty items that have special packing requirements (antiques, musical instruments, artwork, etc.), it is highly recommended that you hire professional packing services.

You may also like to read: How Much Do Packers Cost? In this guide, we break down the average cost of hiring professional packers for your move.

Moving Equipment Costs

When moving house, you cannot do without some moving equipment – even if you have a lot of people to help you.

Using the proper moving equipment reduces the risk of property damage and personal injuries.

The recommended moving equipment is a furniture dolly, lifting straps (to avoid getting hurt when lifting and carrying heavy items – and to avoid dropping heavy objects and damaging them (and damaging floors and stairs in the process too)) and furniture sliders(to slide your large furniture and bulky appliances around without scratching the floors).

Having the right equipment for the job will make your move much easier and much safer, but the specialized moving equipment won’t come for free.

You can usually rent the necessary equipment from your truck rental company (or from any local moving company), but you still need to budget for the associated costs.

You may also like to read: Essential moving tools and equipment you must have for a DIY move. In this guide, we explain the various tools available to help make your move easier and safer.

Medical bills

The worst thing that could happen during a move – and definitely not only in terms of unforeseen expenses – is a personal injury.

If you get hurt during the moving process, not only will you have to pay the likely expensive medical bills, but you will also need to deal with the consequences of the injury, such as time off work.

Therefore, to prevent accidents and injuries during your move, provide appropriate moving equipment, ensure a safe route to the moving truck, use safe lifting and carrying techniques, etc.

You may even want to consider hiring moving labor if you have too many large and heavy items to relocate.

It’s always better to spend the money on precautions than on medical bills.

You may also like to read: All You Need to Know About Labor Only Services. Hiring labor for your move allows you to stay in control of the move while having all the hard work done for you. Find out more in this invaluable guide.

Property Damage Prevention Costs – or Repair Costs

An often overlooked but common expense is when damage is caused to the old or new home when moving your boxes and furniture.

To protect your home, though, you will need appropriate protective materials, which don’t come cheap.

You will need some professional protective materials (floor runners, carpet protectors, corner guards, etc.), and you will have to pay for them.

You may also like to read: How to prevent property damage when moving. In this guide, we share the best ways to prevent any damage to your home when moving.

Cost of Cleaning Supplies or Cleaning Services

You will need to clean your old property before leaving it for good, and you will certainly want to clean your new home before moving in.

You will probably have all the necessary cleaning equipment for the job (make sure you don’t pack it before you finish the task – and be sure to unpack it first upon arrival at your new home), but you may need to buy some extra cleaning products.

And if you don’t have the time or the energy to deal with cleaning, you may even decide to hire professional cleaning services to do the job for you – it will cost you extra, of course, but it will save you a lot of time and effort.

You may also like to read: Moving house cleaning checklist. In this guide, we have created a home cleaning checklist to ensure that nothing is missed from your cleaning schedule.

Thanking your friends for helping you move

You cannot really perform a house move entirely on your own – if you have decided not to hire movers, then you will need reliable friends to help. You may also need someone to take care of your young children and/or pets on moving day, so you can focus on your moving tasks.

While you won’t need to pay your friends and relatives for helping you out, you will still have some extra expenses:

• Food & beverages – Buying food and beverages for your moving helpers may not be a substantial expense, but you should not forget to put aside some cash for these essentials.
• Gifts – You’re not obliged to give gifts to the people who help you move, but a gesture of gratitude is not only proof of your good manners but also a sign of your appreciation.

You may also like to read: How to ask friends to help you move. Asking friends to help you move home is not always easy, so in this guide, we share ways to make everyone comfortable with the request for moving day help.

Moving Truck Expenses

When hiring a rental truck, it is easy to overlook expenses such as parking fees and road tolls – not a great financial burden, but it’s the little things that add up quickly to the final cost.

Good to remember: If you’ll be towing your car behind the moving truck, you will need to rent the necessary towing equipment and buy auto tow protection. Bear in mind that the truck will get worse gas mileage when towing a vehicle, which is another cost to factor in.

Insurance Costs

Driving a moving truck can be challenging, so it’s a good idea to have proper insurance.  

You can buy different kinds of additional insurance coverage from your truck rental company – damage waivers, supplemental liability insurance, cargo protection, etc.

Having appropriate coverage will ensure your peace of mind and will protect you from liability and financial loss in the event of an accident during your self-move.

You can choose not to spend extra money on additional insurance, of course, but remember that auto insurance usually doesn’t cover rental moving trucks, and homeowner’s insurance may not cover damage that occurs to your items while they’re in transit.

You may also like to read: Do you need rental truck insurance? In this guide, we explain the various types of truck insurance and look at whether they are worth the extra cost.

Meals and Lodgings on the Way

You won’t need to worry about meals and lodgings when moving locally, but when moving long distance, you may need to spend a few nights in hotels, and you will definitely need meals on the way.

Forwarding Mail

You need to change your address with the USPS when moving and while you can do that for free (or for a very small fee), it will be a good idea to leave some money to your previous landlord or to the new owners of your old property and to ask them to forward any mail mistakenly sent to your old address.

You may also like to read: How to change your address when moving. In this guide, we explain how to change your address and whom you will likely need to notify.

Transferring Utilities

Service connection fees and deposits are among the most frequently forgotten costs when moving.

Contact your service providers and inform them about the forthcoming move well ahead of time. Pay ALL your utility bills up to the present moment and request to get your deposit back (if applicable).

Be sure to schedule the utilities in your old home to be disconnected on the day after move-out day so you don’t end up paying for services you’re no longer using – and arrange the utilities in your new home to be running on move-in day, so you have water, electricity, and gas when you arrive at your new place.

You may also like to read: How to transfer utilities when moving. In this guide, we explain the process of changing your utilities when relocating.

Costs of Getting Your New Home Ready to Live In

Once you’ve bought your new property (or paid the security deposit and the first month’s rent), it’s easy to forget that you will have a lot more expenses until your new place becomes ready to live in.

Renovation and Furnishing Costs

Even if you’re not planning any major upgrades or your new home doesn’t need any extensive repairs, you will still have a lot of costs when moving into a new place:

1) Security – To feel safe in your new home, you will need to change the locks and invest in burglar alarms, security cameras, smoke detectors, etc. Don’t forget about homeowner’s or renter’s insurance either.

2) Furnishings – If you’re moving into a furnished rental or if you’ve taken most of your old furniture and appliances with you, you may not need to spend a lot of money on new household items, at least in the beginning. Yet, you may still want to get new curtains, fancy lighting, or some other things that will help turn your new place into your dream home.

If, on the other hand, you don’t have any furniture or appliances (or have decided not to relocate your old items), or your old furniture doesn’t fit through the door or doesn’t fit the layout of your new home, you will need to purchase new furnishings, which is likely to be very expensive.

Living Expenses

Your new home will need stocking up with groceries, toiletries, medical supplies, cleaning supplies, etc. There will be a lot of things you will need to buy, and you will have daily expenses to provide for too (food, transportation, healthcare, clothing, bills, etc.).

Good to know: You may need to pay some small fees for updating different documents after the move (driver’s license, car registration, insurance policies, etc.), as well.

So, when considering your moving-related costs, you must not forget to figure in your urgent post-relocation costs and your living expenses for a couple of months after the move, too.

You may also like to read: Top money-saving tips after moving to a new city. In this guide, we share our top ways to save money after moving home.

Emergency Costs

Last but not least, it’s crucial to have an emergency fund when moving to a new place – you never know what might happen, so you need to be prepared.

From replacing broken items and paying for storage you didn’t think you would need to hiring professionals to remove the raccoon family from your attic or a fallen tree from the back yard, there may be a lot of unexpected expenses you may need to cover immediately after the move.

Having a contingency fund will put your mind at ease and will allow you to feel financially comfortable with your move.

You may also like to read: How much money to save for moving. In this guide, we suggest how much, on average, you should have saved up when looking to move home.

The forgotten costs of moving can be a shock if you’re unprepared. Make sure you’re aware of all potential relocation-related costs when planning your moving budget, and be careful not to overlook anything.

Your financial prudence will pay off in a smooth and stress-free relocation experience.