budget moving

10 Ways to Save on a Long-Distance Move

Carrie Kirby — Fri, 06 Jul 2012 10:36:09 +0000

Our family launched this summer by packing up our three kids and two cats and relocating from Chicago to the San Francisco Bay Area. Every step of the way, we strove to guard our limited financial and temporal resources without overtaxing our stamina. We saved money on our move, but we could have saved more. Here are the lessons we learned. (See also: 9 Ways to Save on a Move)

1. Consider Hiring a Driver Directly

Did you know that moving companies typically subcontract long-distance jobs to drivers, who in turn hire their own moving crew? You can save a chunk of the usual moving cost if you can directly hire a driver who has his (or her) own truck. You won't have the customer service agent from the moving company office, and your driver may not offer to insure your belongings like the moving company would, but you should save money.

How to find a qualified driver? Check Yelp and Craigslist, and ask around. We hired our driver through a big company, but now that we have his contact information and since we liked working with him, if we or friends ever have to make a long-distance move again, we could just call him directly.

2. Drive Yourself

With three kids and two cats to transport — plus all their stuff — we couldn't pull off driving a huge moving truck across the country. But lots of people do it. Choose a company that rents trucks for one-way trips, such as Penske, and make sure you take into consideration the time lost from your regular job while working as a temporary truck driver. If you have to use four vacation days, how much are those worth to you? Or if you are moving to take a new job and self-moving delays your start date, take that into account too.

If you go this route, check out Meg's post, What to Know When Renting a Moving Truck.

3. Get Free Moving Boxes

People always say you should collect cardboard boxes from stores, but personally I prefer to use boxes designed for moving. And they can usually be acquired for free. We got our boxes at no extra charge by stopping by the office of the moving company we were using — new boxes cost money, but used boxes were free to customers. You can also pick up free moving boxes from people who have just moved. Just post on your local Freecycle group or Craigslist.

4. Get Rid of Stuff

Between our movers' first estimate and our final weigh-in, we cut a whopping $1,000 off the price of our move. How did we do this? By driving six carloads of stuff to the thrift store and Freecycling and selling a bunch of other items.

We could have saved time and even more money if we had arranged for the thrift store to pick our things up from our house. Our biggest blunder in this area was our couch. Because it was a decent couch and I held out hope of selling it at the last minute on Craigslist, I failed to arrange a thrift store pickup. We ended up putting the couch in the alley, and then scrap metal collectors tore it apart and our town's large-object pickup trash service failed to pick it up, so we ended up having to pay a junk collector to haul it away. Sad. But we still came out ahead in the end.

Also see my post on getting rid of junk frugally.

5. But Don't Get Rid of Too Much Stuff

You really need to know how much, per pound, your movers are charging you. A good mover can help you estimate how much any given item would cost to move. For instance, we thought of getting rid of our chest freezer because of its size, but the mover helped us figure out that it would cost more to buy a new one than it would to move it.

I probably made the right decision by abandoning bottles of laundry detergent and window cleaner back in Illinois, but now that I am in California and haven't found any good deals to stock up on that stuff, I kind of wonder if I shouldn't have brought my stash.

6. If You Need Help Packing, Hire Amateurs

We were lucky enough to get help packing from friends and relatives. But in retrospect, I would have hired more help because by moving day we were not finished. Things were chaotic, and because I was still packing instead of supervising the move, lots of stuff got put on the truck that was supposed to be left behind. (Like my bag of clothes to wear on the road trip and a kid's bike I had already sold on Craigslist. Oops! I had to email the buyer with a quick apology.)

I should have tapped local teenagers or our babysitter, all of whom charge more modest hourly rates than professional movers. It doesn't take a pro to box non-breakable things, like clothing.

7. Don't Make It More Work Than It Has to Be

Time = money, especially if you have to hire help. Ask your movers if you can move dressers with the clothes in them. Pack the clothes from your closet still on the hangers. You'll thank yourself when you reach your destination and can quickly rehang all those clothes in your new closet. Label your moving boxes on the side. When the movers stack them up in your new house, you won't know what the heck is in them if you label the tops only.

For more tips on planning the packing, see Pack Up Your House: Tips for Saving Money (and Sanity) on a Move.

8. Ask: Is It Really Worth It to Move Your Car?

If you are not driving yourself to your destination, you can ship your car across the country for around $1,000, according to ShipAnyCar.com. But should you? That depends on how long you foresee keeping said vehicle once you arrive.

Because our family had pretty much outgrown our 13-year-old car, we opted to sell it before moving.

You can also pay someone else to drive your car to your destination, or look for someone who is willing to drive it for free, but I would be leery of that. For one thing, you'll need to add up the cost of the wear and tear to your car and the gas. You'll have to make sure that your insurance or the driver's insurance will cover the car. It seems to me if you don't want to drive it to transport your family, shipping it would be a better deal.

9. Pick the Right Way to Move Yourself

If we had only considered the cost to get from point A to point B, we probably would have flown our family from Chicago to California. Airfare would have been about $1,700 for five people and two cats.

However, we decided that we wanted to grab this opportunity for a grand family road trip vacation. After all, it was going to take some time for our stuff to get to our new home — we had the movers come just before a holiday weekend, and it was more than a week before they dropped it at our new house. We rented a minivan for a month — $1,400 — which gave us the advantage of having a vehicle for shopping trips to furnish our new home in the first few weeks. (We didn't end up buying a new car right away.) Our gas, hotel stays, and campsites were reimbursed by the company relocation package. And along the way, we took in the Laura Ingalls childhood home site in Walnut Grove, Minnesota; the Ingalls Homestead in De Smet, South Dakota; Badlands National Park; and Yellowstone National Park.

The agony of moving day faded from our memories day by day, as we heard the kids ooh and ah over a mud volcano at Yellowstone and watched them ride a pony across the Western prairie just like Laura Ingalls did.

Did driving cost less than flying? Nope. Was it worth it? In this case, definitely!

10. If You Are Moving for Work, Find Out Which Parts of Your Move Are Tax Deductible

Homan Moving Systems has some quick tips about this, but you really need to consult an accountant. Whether or not you are being reimbursed for relocation expenses, you are going to want to keep your receipts from all your moving bills, transportation, hotel stays, and meals, because some moving expenses are tax deductible. But not all moving expenses are treated equally under tax law. For instance, we learned that our corporate relocation funds could be put toward the closing costs of the new home we bought — but if we used it for this purpose, it would be taxable. So we made sure to claim every expense from the trip before taking a disbursement for closing costs.

This is not tax advice, because I'm no expert. Talk to an accountant or consult the moving expenses section of IRS.gov.

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This article is from Carrie Kirby of Wise Bread, an award-winning personal finance and credit card comparison website. Read more great articles from Wise Bread:

5 Unexpected Moving Expenses

Little House — Sat, 13 Nov 2010 17:00:06 +0000

Having just completed a move that took much more energy than I had anticipated, I realized there are a few hidden expenses associated with moving that I had left out of my budget. I was determined to do a quasi-do-it-yourself move, and I took into account the costs of renting a moving truck and hiring a few helpers to help load and unload the heavy furniture and the multitude of boxes. But after settling into my new place, I sat down with my checkbook register and glaring at me were hidden expenses I hadn't anticipated: A few things I had forgotten about since I hadn't moved in five years, and items that aren't common purchases.

Now that I have the experience of living in both a house and an apartment, and with the move still fresh in my mind, I can highlight a few unanticipated fees movers need to be aware of.

Transfer Fees

I wasn't moving very far, only a few miles away, which meant I could keep all of my existing utility services with the same companies. Most utility companies now have the option of transferring services online or over the phone without having to talk to a representative. However, since I was overlapping my service by a couple of days, it wasn't as easy to turn on and off service as I had thought, so I ended up speaking with representatives.

While discussing my service needs with the phone company, the representative informed me that to transfer phone service to my new location it would cost a whopping $235, not a charge I had anticipated. Thankfully, it's a charge that gets split over three bills. I guess they realize their technician fee has a bit of a sticker shock, and they need to cushion that blow.

Moving on from the phone company, I called the electric company. Thankfully their disconnect and reconnect fee didn't include a technician's service. At a minimal $35, that charge felt like a relief.

When all was said and done, transferring my utilities from one location to a new one four miles down the road cost me $325.

Increased Utility Costs

Moving from a house to an apartment, I will most likely see a decrease in my utilities. However, a few years ago when I moved from an apartment to a rental house, I was thrilled to be inheriting a lawn. What I didn't anticipate was the cost difference in utilities for maintaining a lawn.

Not only did my water bill increase substantially while trying to keep the lawn green, my trash and sewer services (a charge I had never heard of while living in an apartment) made up one-fourth of the total utility cost. I'm sure that the leaky faucets didn't help alleviate any of that expense, but now I'm more aware of the true costs of living in a house.

I also found that since my rental house was quite old, the appliances were using twice as much electricity as newer, energy-saving appliances, increasing my electric bill. Needless to say, I'll be relishing the lower utility bills.

Packing Materials

Months before I signed my lease, I knew that I was going to be moving this year. It was a goal I had set for myself. Since I had plenty of time to prepare and pack, I had started collected boxes early on in the year from stores for free. However, as the move-in date became imminent, I realized I needed more boxes and caved in to purchasing them. I also needed packing tape, and my total cost for the boxes and tape was around $100.

Many of the boxes I'll be able to resell since they are still in good condition, which partially makes up for the costs that sneaked up on me. A thriftier person will be hunting for them on Craigslist, and I'll be eager to sell.

Insurance Increase

As a renter, I carry renter's insurance. I've spent too much time searching for particular pieces of furniture and would be devastated if it was all destroyed in a fire or theft. Many buildings and landlords also require insurance since they aren't responsible for a tenant's personal belongings. When I called my carrier to update my address, the representative mentioned that she needed to review my premium to see if there would be an increase, something I hadn't realized could happen. Luckily, it decreased, which made up for some of my additional moving expenses.

Storage

I don't consider myself a pack-rat. However, every time I move (about once every five years) I notice that our moving truck gets larger and larger. I can't help but believe that I've become part of lifestyle inflation, something I'm not proud of. Since I moved from a rental house with a garage into an apartment, I ended up with many items that will go into a small, on-site storage unit, which is something I didn't consider until I started loading up the garage.

Now that I've had time to ponder and calculate the total cost of moving, I feel that I'll be prepared when I finally make one final move: into my own house.

This article is from Little House of Wise Bread, an award-winning personal finance and credit card comparison website. Read more great articles from Wise Bread:

The ABC’s of DIY Moving

Kentin Waits — Tue, 26 Oct 2010 13:00:07 +0000

The thought of moving is enough to strike fear in the hearts of the bravest souls. Relocating on-the-cheap (without the benefit of a team of professional movers, a sea of boxes and bubble-wrap, and a small fleet of vans), well, that’s just plain hard. For most of us, high-end moving services aren’t part of our reality and moving still involves straining the bonds of friendship, frustrated all-night packing marathons, and eating croutons and bacon bits for lunch because we’ve packed the rest of the food.

With some simple preparation, a laser-like focus, and lots of patience, moving on a budget can be less of a hassle. Here are eight tips for successful DIY moving.

Purge

Over the years, we become unconsciously married to our household items. Either through sentimentality or just plain habit, we tend to hold onto everything without a critical look at what needs replacing, no longer fits our lifestyle, or doesn't suit our taste. Moving is a perfect time for a serious review of the "stuff" in our lives. Take a look at everything big and small. What can be purged through charitable donation? What can be sold on eBay or Craigslist? What should just be tossed in the recycling bin? The more you reduce your load before the move, the less organization, packing, and unloading required later. Making a few bucks on unwanted items before moving can also help ease the budget burden during the move.

Prepare and Organize

Once you’ve pared down, it’s time to get organized. During a big move, I keep a calendar of what needs to be done day-by-day in order to be out of the old place and into the new place on-time and with my sanity relatively intact. Weekdays are for logistics — calling the new utility companies, handling address changes, getting quotes on van rentals or storage facilities, etc. Evenings and weekends are reserved for collecting boxes, cleaning, and packing. Two or three tasks accomplished each day helps keep a move manageable without putting the rest of your life on hold.

Box It Up

Never underestimate the number of boxes you’ll need for a move, and (trust me on this) it’s always better to have too many that too few. I’ve never embraced the idea of paying for cardboard boxes, so I hit the grocery stores, dollar stores, and warehouse clubs continuously in the weeks preceding a move. Most places will happily give you as many as you can carry; it saves them the expense of crushing and disposal. Keep in mind, larger grocery stores restock their shelves during off-hours, so late evenings are your best bet for finding fields of boxes just waiting to be recycled. While you’re at it, keep an eye out for newspaper and bubble wrap that may also be headed to the recycling bin.

Label

Consistent, easy-to-read, and accurate labeling of boxes can make all the difference if you need to unpack over time or divide your move between a storage space and new home. I use bright paper and bold black markers to clearly label (in two or three words) what’s in each box. Remember, labels always go on the sides of the boxes — top labels just get covered up when boxes are stacked.

Put the Word Out

Labor is always at a premium during a move. Putting the word out to good-hearted friends and family weeks in advance can help get more "yeses" and keep things congenial and on-track during the move. Scheduling and rotating your team of helpers can help avoid frustration, exhaustion, and taxed friendships. Strong coffee (or the adult beverage of your choice), snacks, and frequent breaks keep everyone motivated and help show consideration.

Rent wisely

For a move of any significant size, a moving van or truck rental is probably required. Local and national options are usually available, but keep in mind that additional charges might be lurking in those advertised low prices. Daily moving rates seldom include mileage or extras like moving pads. Watch out for the nickel-and-dime fees and remember to refuel before your return or get stuck with an astronomical price-per-gallon charge.

Store It

The past few years have seen a boom in the storage industry. Our society is in transition, financially struggling, and on-the-move. Before you rent a storage space, be sure to shop around, get a few different quotes, and check each place out with a critical eye. First, look for water damage; it might suggest the building isn’t weather tight or well-insulated. Keep an eye out for rodent droppings, gnawed wood, or other signs of an infestation problem. Look for ways to breach security within your space — are the units divided by solid walls, or just chain link fence? Though you’ll probably supply your own padlock, is the locking mechanism and latch in good shape and solid? Is the facility remote and poorly lit, or bright and well-monitored?

Pack a Bag

The chaos that moving creates affects all aspects of our lives. One small way to battle the disruption is to pre-pack the essentials. Approach this day-to-day bag as you would if you were traveling — what will you need every day during your move that might otherwise inadvertently get packed away? Medication, extra clothes, toiletries, computer essentials, unpaid bills, checkbooks, and work supplies should all be considered. The last thing you want to do is survey a wall of boxes at 6:00 a.m. while trying to figure out where your employee security badge is.

Even the best moving plan can’t account for every contingency. Moving is disruptive, chaotic, and stressful. These tips can only help prevent some of the more common logistical and financial pitfalls from the getting the best of us. Worst case scenario: Two stacked computer paper boxes make a great coffee table, and croutons and bacon bits eventually start to taste like a ham sandwich. Happy moving!

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This article is from Kentin Waits of Wise Bread, an award-winning personal finance and credit card comparison website. Read more great articles from Wise Bread: