3 Tips For Saving Money When Moving

While moving to a new home or city may feel like a fresh start, getting this fresh start can bring along with it a lot of stress, both mentally and financially. But luckily, this doesn’t have to be the case. With the right planning and strategizing, you can find ways to move from one home or city to another without having to spend too much of your hard-earned money.

To help you see how this can be done, here are three tips for saving money when moving.

Drive Your Own Moving Truck

To reduce as much of the stress of moving as possible, it’d be ideal for you to hire someone else to just take care of everything. And while this is something to consider, it’s not a great option if you’re trying to do things on the cheap. However, there are parts of your move that you could outsource while keeping some of the more expensive parts for yourself to do.

One way you can do this is to only pay for the things that you really can’t do on your own. Like if you have a lot of heavy items, you may need to hire someone to do this manual labor for you. But once that’s done, Trent Hamm, a contributor to U.S. New and World Report, shares that you can save a lot of money by renting your own moving truck and driving it to your destination.

Beg, Steal, Or Borrow Boxes

Getting all of the supplies that you need to safely and effectively pack up your home can get expensive. But while there are some things that you’ll need to buy new, like packing tape, you should do your best to save money by getting pre-used boxes.

Some of the best ways to do this, according to Kyle Taylor, a contributor to LifeHacker.com, are to ask people if they have boxes you can have, bring home boxes from your work or school, or check the Dumpsters behind retail shops for some of their discarded boxes. By putting in a little effort in these ways, you can save a lot of money from having to buy boxes or totes to move all of your stuff.

Figure Out Your Meals

When you have most of your home packed up, it can start to feel like you’re living in a hotel. And when you’re in the middle of your move, you may very well be living in a hotel until you get to your new place.

During this time, you may find that you’re spending a lot of money on food. To avoid this, Wendy Rose Gould, a contributor to Real Simple, recommends that you spend some time planning and preparing your meals in advance. Put something simple in the freezer that you can easily cook even without most of your kitchen items. Or, get groceries to fill a cooler as opposed to eating out. These things can save you a lot of money on food while you’re packing and moving.

If you’re concerned about how much money you’ll be spending to move, consider using the tips mentioned above to help you find ways that you can save.