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Moving to a new home can be an exciting adventure, but it also can be a stressful experience when you don’t plan carefully for your move while trying to manage your finances. If you’re looking to move affordably, the Moving Help® Marketplace can assist you while you’re moving on a budget.
Our guide shares our 10 essential Dos and Don’ts when it comes to having an affordable move. It’s possible to have a smooth transition while sticking to your budget.
10 Dos for an Affordable Move
Affordability is typically a top priority for most people when it comes to moving. We’ve compiled a list of 10 Dos that’ll save you money and help you streamline the process. Follow these tips for a stress-free, cost-effective move.
1. Do Create a Checklist and Budget
The first thing you should do is to create a budget — a realistic one too. By creating a budget, you’ll be able to know how much money you can spend in each category for your move. By sticking to your moving budget, you’ll make sure to not overspend. Check out Moving Help’s “How to Move on a Budget” article for more guidance.
You also should create a checklist for your belongings. By keeping track of all your belongings, you can be sure to double check you have all your items after moving. Your items will stay organized with a little preparation ahead of time.
2. Do Declutter, Sell, Donate, or Trash Items
The best way to move is to have as few things as possible to move. Here are the following three ways to declutter your stuff:
- Sell
- Donate
- Trash
The less you own, the less you have to move. This also means there are fewer moving boxes and packing supplies you’ll have to buy. Any belongings you sell can be used toward your moving budget or a little spending money after your move.
3. Do Find Affordable/Free Moving Boxes
While it might seem easy to find free or cheap moving boxes — like from a grocery store or liquor store — it probably won’t end well. They’re not built for moving and can break easily.
U-Haul has moving boxes that aren’t expensive, and they were built for moving. Additionally, any boxes you don’t use can be returned with your receipt for a full refund. U-Haul also has a Take a Box, Leave a Box program at certain U-Haul locations. This means you can find sturdy, reliable, gently used U-Haul boxes for your move.
Moving on a budget? That’s OK. Check out Moving Help’s “Top 5 Must-Have U-Haul Moving Boxes on a Budget” article.
4. Do Ask Friends or Family for Help
If you’re looking to save money, you can ask friends or family for help. If you can’t pay or don’t want to pay moving labor for packing, your friends or family can help you. Just make sure you return the favor.
You can make sure you have all the packing supplies you need, create packing stations, and make sure everyone has a job and understands their role in the packing process.
You can receive some extra help without having to pay for packing services. Of course, packers and movers are experts in packing your items best.
5. Do Compare Moving Labor Prices
The Moving Help Marketplace is an online Marketplace that connects labor-only movers with customers. Moving Helpers set their own prices in their own area. You can search for labor-only movers for an affordable price without breaking your budget.
With more than 2.8 million reviews, you can find moving help that fits your needs without breaking your budget. This also will help you save time by not having to find affordable movers on your own.
6. Do Pack Moving Boxes Strategically
You don’t want to pack items randomly. You also don’t want to pack items from different rooms on purpose — unless it was last-minute. You can keep items organized by packing each room together.
7. Do Pack a First Day Box
You should pack a First Day Box. A First Day Box can be different from person to person. Typically, a first-day box includes the following items:
- Clothes
- Toiletries
- Chargers
- Bed sheets
Basically, anything you’ll use or need on the first day of your move should be easily accessible after moving into your new home.
8. Do Use Book Boxes or Suitcases for Books
Books are super heavy. We recommend using suitcases for your books. You also can use U-Haul book boxes to carefully pack them. U-Haul book boxes are designed to be small and not too heavy, so you don’t damage your books or injure yourself.
9. Do Use Clothes for Extra Cushion
Rather than using boxes or trash bags for your clothes, you can use your clothes for extra cushioning in your moving boxes. Your clothes can be used to wrap items such as silverware, toys, books, etc. You might be able to save on moving supplies while not wasting your clothes.
10. Do Overlap Places When Moving
Rather than moving into your new home on a Friday and having to be out of your old home on Saturday, you should give yourself more time.
We’d recommend overlapping your moving timelines anywhere from seven to 10 days.
If you need an extra day or two to unload into your new home, or you need an extra couple of days to clean your old home, you’ll have the time to get it done without rushing or feeling super stressed.
10 Don’ts for an Affordable Move
Now that we’ve gone through 10 things that can make your move easier, let’s go through some things that you should avoid during a move. The following 10 Don’ts will help keep your move more affordable when moving on a budget.
1. Don’t Overpack Boxes
You don’t want to overpack your moving boxes. If you overpack your boxes, they can rip and break — damaging your stuff and ripping your boxes. Even worse, you could injure your back while trying to lift and move a box.
2. Don’t Wait Until the Last Minute
Waiting until the last minute can make your move more expensive. You might end up trying to buy more things than you need. You also might not find the best prices for moving labor for packing or unpacking services, loading or unloading services, or other moving services.
Plus, you’ll be all stressed out doing everything at the last minute — and who wants that? Not us.
3. Don’t Write Basic Labels
Do not write basic labels such as “kitchen” or “living room” exclusively. While it’s good to know where each box belongs in your new home, you need to know what’s inside the contents of each box. Write what’s inside of the box on the outside in addition to which room the box should go to in your new home.
4. Don’t Move Super Heavy Items Yourself
If you own super heavy items, don’t move them yourself. It’s a bad idea. You’ll most likely injure yourself, or you might damage your current home or your new home. That can be an expensive cost that could’ve been avoided with labor-only movers.
5. Don’t Keep Appliances
You need a real, good reason to keep your appliances to move them locally or long-distance-wise. Unless they’re brand new or you love them, it’s probably best to leave them behind. You can purchase new appliances at your new home.
6. Don’t Keep Replaceable Furniture
Do you still have that Ikea couch from college 10 years ago? Rather than moving a cheap or bulky piece of furniture, you can sell or donate it. You can then buy nicer and better furniture at your new place when you’re ready for that next purchase.
7. Don’t Choose Too Small of a Truck Rental
If you’re trying to decide between two sizes of a truck rental, always choose the larger size. It’s best to err on the side of caution. If you don’t have enough room for your things, you’ll have bigger problems. It’s better to have a little too much room vs. not enough room.
You can find the perfect U-Haul truck rental size with U-Haul. U-Haul also offers other services, such as trailers, storage units, and U-Box® storage containers, which might best suit your needs for your move.
8. Don’t Skip a Walkthrough With Your Landlord
If you have a security deposit for your place, you’re entitled to try to get everything back from it. One way to ensure this is to complete a walkthrough with your landlord. You two can discuss whether any damages occurred, whether you can fix those damages, and how much money your landlord might keep repairing those damages.
Make sure you get everything in writing no matter what.
By not skipping a walkthrough, it won’t be a surprise for you when they do or don’t take any money out of your security deposit.
9. Don’t Try to Help Your Movers Move Your Things
Your affordable movers are your experts. The affordable movers know best how to pack, load, unload, and unpack your belongings. You shouldn’t try to help them move anything.
What is important is to give them instructions. For example, if there are certain items you do or don’t want to be packed, if something needs extra padding, or boxes you don’t want to be packed into the U-Haul truck rental, you should let them know.
Most importantly, your No. 1 job will be to make sure you give directions on where boxes go in your new home when your labor-only movers ask you where certain boxes go. Other than that, you’ll probably just need to sit back and relax.
10. Don’t Be Cheap With Everything
Cheap isn’t always the best. Sometimes you get what you pay for when it comes to being super cheap for a move. Just keep in mind, more expensive doesn’t mean super high quality either.
It can be OK to reuse gently used moving boxes but also pay more for the labor-only movers you want for your move.
Moving on a Budget Bonus Tip: Packing Tape
Surprise! We have one more bonus tip for you. It’s the U-Haul paper packing tape. It sticks on great to the moving boxes, and it doesn’t come off easily. While it takes more time, it’s always best to tape the bottom and top of your boxes.
Additionally, the paper packing tape is easy to rip off without using scissors and you never lose your place of the tape unlike with clear tape.
Moving on a Budget Is Possible
Moving on a budget is possible. You just need to decide what you can afford in your moving budget and what you’re willing to spend your money on for your move. When you hire labor-only movers, you get to choose what labor-only moving services you need.
Our 10 Dos and Don’ts will help keep you organized without breaking your budget, so you can have an affordable move. Hire labor-only movers from the Moving Help Marketplace today to assist you with your move.
Frequently Asked Questions About Moving on a Budget
Moving on a budget can bring up several questions. Here are some of the more common questions we’ve heard that we’d like to address when it comes to moving affordably.
Q: How long before a move should you start packing?
A: It’s recommended to start packing at least six to eight weeks before your move. This allows you to pack gradually and avoid last-minute rush and stress. The exact timing may vary, however, depending on the size of your home and the number of belongings you own.
Q: What is the most cost-effective way to move?
A: The most cost-effective way to move is to complete a DIY move. With that said, the next most cost-effective option can be completing some of the move on your own while also receiving assistance from labor-only movers for the other parts of your move.
Q: What is the hardest room to pack when moving?
A: This question will depend on each individual person. However, the kitchen is often the hardest room to pack because of the number of fragile items to pack along with people using the kitchen until days before your moving date.
Q: What is a reasonable moving budget?
A: Again, a reasonable moving budget will depend on each person and how much work you personally want to complete during your move. Additionally, the size of your home, how many belongings you own, and the distance between your old home and your new home will factor into your total moving budget costs.
The post Moving on a Budget: 10 Dos and Don’ts appeared first on Zoocasa Blog.
