Who wouldn’t want to move to a new home for the lowest amount of money possible?
Everybody who’s facing a house move would, of course.
But while there are those people who only wish to do it but have no idea where to begin, you can actually make it happen.
How?
It’s simple – there are proven ways to reduce moving costs and expenses so that you don’t pay more than it’s absolutely necessary so once you learn what those cost-saving tricks are, you can and should use them throughout your relocation as well.
Find below the best ways to move cheaply across the country.
1. Organize your pre-move time
Interestingly, sometimes the cheapest moving ideas come as a result of the simplest of concepts.
For example, everyone is familiar with the well-known saying that time is money. And yet, you probably won’t feel the true impact of that notion until your pre-move time is squeezed into a limited time frame with a fast-approaching deadline and you’re given an overwhelming number of tasks to take care of before time runs out.
In fact, organizing properly the time you have until moving day is one of the best frugal moving tips to save money you can ever get for free. Save money by saving time – this is what the very beginning of your moving preparations boils down to, and your best tool to achieve the effective time management you seek is to create a Moving Timeline.
Simple yet powerful, a moving calendar in its essence is a specialized to-do list that lets you set up a smooth relocation timeline. And to make the most out of your pre-move time and thus expand your cheap moving options, make sure your moving checklist:
includes all important tasks you will have to complete before your move-out date ;
has all the above-mentioned tasks prioritized so that you finish the absolute essential jobs before completing the tasks with lower priority;
has moving jobs that have been customized to suit your wishes, preferences, and capabilities. Remember that each residential move is unique.
If time is money, then that means that each hour saved by your personalized, prioritized, and detailed moving checklist will keep more money in your own pocket, and thus make your move cheaper in general.
Your pre-move time will fly away pretty fast unless you learn how to manage every single minute of it.
Is, by any chance, the first essential task in your relocation calendar entitled Find cheap moving services?
It will come as no surprise if it is the very first job you need to take care of simply because one of the most effective and proven ways to move cheaply across the country is to hire a perfectly affordable moving company.
Pay attention to the following brief 3-step guide to finding cheap movers near you. By doing this, you will bring down considerably the final moving cost.
Step 1. Get moving estimates
The very first step is to use our Moving Cost Calculator to get free estimates from the best moving companies in your area.
Once you get in touch with reputable and affordable movers, ask the moving experts to visit your home for a visual inspection of the things you have for moving. That way, the pros will be able to prepare an accurate cost estimate that will reflect the final bill you will need to pay in the end.
During the in-home survey, ask the moving company representatives if there’s anything you can do to lower the price you get quoted.
Step 2. Compare the offers
The next step is to compare the received offers. Take a good hard look at the additional services and their respective charges so that you can choose the cheapest moving company that will satisfy your requirements and needs.
If a moving company has offered a price that’s way too low compared to the rest of the estimates, then beware that it may have been made by a rogue mover as a fraudulent tactical move to lure in unaware customers.
Learn how to protect yourself against moving fraud here.
Step 3. Check movers’ reputation
Reviews and testimonials by former clients will help you get a preliminary idea of the reliability and affordability of the movers you have shortlisted.
Take a look at genuine moving reviews and overall ratings of all pre-selected movers to make sure no unpleasant surprises sneak behind your back during the relocation. After all, you need a mover that’s affordable, reputable, and experienced at the same time.
After you take these 3 steps, you should be able to pick the best moving company for you. And when you do, be sure to book their services as early as possible for a potential discount on the moving price.
Under a specific set of circumstances, a Do-It-Yourself move can prove to be a cheaper way to move across the country than hiring professional movers.
A score of variables can help you determine which major type of relocation will yield more favorable results for you and ultimately answer the fundamental question, Is a self-move really worth it?
Insufficient experience could cause you to rent a moving truck of the wrong size, which in turn might end your quest to find a cheap moving solution.
The written estimates you have received from various reputable local or interstate movers will contain the estimated costs you’re expected to pay after the move is over.
However, the cost of a DIY move is generally much harder to calculate because there are obvious self-moving expenses, not-so-obvious self-moving costs, and even hidden expenses that can easily deceive you into thinking that it will be cheaper to move by yourself.
Create a moving budget to locate the major money pits of both options and choose the cheapest way to move house.
Time, distance, and experience will also affect the outcome of your move.
Time. The less time you have at your disposal, the harder the task of organizing a self-move will be. Opt to move by yourself only if you are not troubled by a fast-approaching moving date.
Distance. In general, self-moves prove to be justifiable whenever you’re moving just across town (in-town move) or locally within the state limits (local move). If you leave the boundaries of your own state, you will run the risk of incurring much higher expenses than you originally thought.
Experience. Insufficient moving experience, poor and unsafe packing skills (clever packing tips), improper property protection (avoid property damage), or possible personal injuries (stay injury-free) could cause your relocation expenses to skyrocket, turning your intentions of moving on the cheap into nothing more than an unfortunate case of building castles in the air
A couple of good candidates for the cheapest ways to move across the country are
make sure you book your move as early as possible, and
schedule your moving date for the most favorable time period.
Have you decided on a moving date yet?
When you reserve your house move ahead of time, you get more flexibility to actually select a date that will both be convenient for you and will enable you to lower the final price even more (see below for details). Some movers may be willing to offer you an additional discount for early booking.
In any case, knowing the date of your move way in advance will always be a win-win situation for you – you will know exactly how much time you have to get ready for the big day and, at the same time, you will minimize the chance of having your move-out date rejected by your chosen moving company due to an overbooked schedule
Of course, scheduling your moving date the right way will give you a much better opportunity to perform a cheaper move across the country. In short, you should be aware of these essential pointers when deciding on a moving date so that you can fully explore your chances of moving during the cheapest moving days:
If possible, choose your date during the off-peak moving season (September-May) when most moving companies lower their standard rates by up to 30%, or even more. For example, moving in the winter can be an excellent opportunity to have a perfectly affordable house move. The bad news is that adverse climatic conditions could put a spoke in your moving wheel at the same time.
If possible, select a date during the second half of a month – preferably during the period between the 15th day and the 25th day. The beginnings and ends of months tend to be very busy for obvious reasons.
If possible, opt for a Tuesday, a Wednesday, or a Thursday. Avoid weekends and national holidays when most people are out of work.
If you’re planning on taking with you absolutely all of the items currently found in your home, then you’re surely killing your chances of finding an inexpensive way to move long distance or even locally.
The reason for that is that the overall weight of your shipment is one of the main factors that determines the relocation price. And because the other major factor that affects the final moving bill remains constant (the distance to your destination), you are given a great opportunity to lower the costs and get a cheaper move to your new home by minimizing the number of items you’re about to move.
Follow these proven decluttering principles to purge your home of anything that is no longer useful, necessary, or wanted.
Create a home inventory checklist by going through each room and documenting everything you own in your home. The house inventory list can also serve as a packing list which will save you loads of time later on. However, be sure to provide enough time for completing this important task because the inventory process takes time.
Your detailed home inventory will enable you to see the larger picture by highlighting all your earthly possessions that have been duplicated, rendered worthless, or devaluated by time. Keep in mind that the failure to get rid of this extra burden will only limit severely your cheap cross-country moving options.
As it turns out, you have a few good options here – sell, give away, give to charity, or recycle – to leave the extra weight behind and relocate only with the stuff you do need and intend to use in the future.
Why don’t you make your relocation even more affordable by actually earning some dollars in the process? Learn how to organize a profitable moving sale to cover some of the inevitable relocation costs.
Your resolve to save as much money as possible during your move can lead you along a rather bumpy road. Turn packing chaos into smooth sailing by consulting our revolutionary 60-step DIY packing guide
Our tips for moving on the cheap continue with exploring your money-saving options during the most time-consuming and maybe even the most boring job during a residential move – packing.
Now that you have optimized the number of your belongings and have been left with nothing but essentials, it’s time to see how you can save your hard-earned money when packing for a move.
Instead of hiring professional packers to protect your stuff for safe shipping, do consider packing up your house on your own. This feat is perfectly feasible if 1) you have ample time before your moving date to initiate the packing process, and 2) you have enough helpers – family members and good friends – to speed things up.
However, you may still need cheap moving labor to pack and handle all your fragile, heavy, or special household items.
Also, you can move cheaply if you don’t purchase all of your packing supplies brand new.
For example, you can easily find FREE MOVING BOXES who have moved house recently or from local retail businesses which are required to recycle any excess cardboard boxes anyway. Oftentimes, such used moving containers can be yours for the asking. Still, you need to make sure those boxes are in good condition – clean and sturdy.
Needless to say, the cheapest moving supplies are the ones you already have in your house. To really save on your move, substitute furniture blankets, bubble wrap, and packing paper for whatever’s available in your home:
use old but clean blankets as additional protective elements while packing delicate items,
utilize bed sheets as space fillers and immobilizers inside the already-packed moving boxes,
wrap easily breakable glassware with thick socks, and
make use of super cheap newsprint while being careful not to leave ink stains on your prized possessions.
An interesting cheap moving idea which you probably haven’t thought of yet is the possibility to move to a cheaper city.
But while the prospect of relocating to and living in a more affordable place sounds appealing and makes a lot of financial sense, there’s a good chance that you’ve already chosen your destination, or it has been chosen for you.
Therefore, although moving to a cheaper town or city remains a great option for a future move, your sole attention should now be turned to executing a successful move and still spending as little money as humanly possible both before and after the move.
Take the money-saving tips you’ve learned so far, plant them while organizing your move, and later reap the rewards of having kept more money in your savings account.
A recent move to a new city can easily tempt you to go over your allocated budget for a number of reasons, the main one being that the unknown environment could affect your set spending habits.
Consult our guide on how to save money after moving to a new city in order to learn how to survive the first several post-relocation months without breaking the bank.
Briefly, here are the top 3 money-saving tips to complete the cycle of your cheap move across the country.
After moving to a new city, resist the urge to buy a product or purchase a service unless you are 100% sure you need it. Become the smart shopper you’ve always wanted to be!
Keep your eyes and ears open because invaluable information on how to save money will be all around you. Find well-intentioned informants among your new colleagues, neighbors, and acquaintances.
Save a fortune by not eating out at overpriced restaurants /home cooking is the best!/ and lower your transportation costs by exploring all of your commuting options.
Moving is something that is often very stressful and apart from the stress we have to deal with the enormous costs involved in the process. Thanks for sharing these wonderful tips that will make moving not only cheaper, but hassle free as well.
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These are really Fantastic tips go get your moving costs down . Following these tips can make moving your things really convenient.Nice Read !
Moving is something that is often very stressful and apart from the stress we have to deal with the enormous costs involved in the process. Thanks for sharing these wonderful tips that will make moving not only cheaper, but hassle free as well.