METCALF MOVING BLOG

June 21, 2018

Top 4 Ways To Cut Your Moving Costs

Moving can be a stressful experience, partially because it’s such a financial concern. In fact, the average moving costs are $4,300 if you’re moving out of state or $2,300 if you’re staying in-state.

With such a high price tag, every mover wants to find ways to bring the cost down. Try these tips on for size.

Tips for Lowering Your Moving Costs

To make your move more affordable, try the tips below.

Trim the Fat

We all accumulate things we don’t need, especially if it’s been decades since your last move. Your moving costs are directly related to how much you need to move, so purging your home before you move can save you some money.

As a bonus, you can put more money into your pocket if you can sell some of your items at a garage sale or through online sites such as Poshmark or eBay.

Take a DIY Approach

If you’re able, do as much of the work as you can by yourself (or with help from family and friends).

As long as you’re not in a hurry, you can do this yourself. Just be sure to leave yourself plenty of time. In fact, you can start packing rarely-used items weeks in advance.

Another DIY option is to use a portable storage container for moving. The containers are delivered to your home where you can have days or longer to load them with your items. When everything is packed, we’ll pick them up and transport them to your new home where you can unpack them yourself.

Get Creative with Your Moving Materials

If you’re doing your own packing, moving materials aren’t included in your moving costs. Between boxes, plastic wrap, packing peanuts, moving papers, and other items, moving materials can run up quite a bill.

As soon as you know, you’ll have a move coming up, start looking for free or low-cost boxes. Ask your employer if you can take the boxes from deliveries that come in. Some local stores may give away or sell boxes for a minimal cost, so they don’t need to pay to recycle them.

Another clever moving hack is to save the plastic bags you get from the grocery store. They can be folded to take up minimal storage space, and when it’s time to move, the crumpled bags make great (and free) packing cushions.

Just make sure the used boxes are all good quality and haven’t gotten wet. Get boxes that are somewhat consistent in size and easy to stack.

Move During the Off-Season

In the US, most moves happen in the summer. If you move at another time of the year, you’ll have more flexibility to choose the dates and times you want, and you’ll have a better selection of available movers. Many moving companies charge less during the off-season as well.

Making Your Move Economical

Moving can be a way to save money or take advantage of a new career opportunity, but don’t let high moving costs take away that head start.

The tips above can help, but for more moving tips, check out our blog for movers.

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