Moving can be an overwhelming task whether it is a residential move or a commercial relocation. Planning is essential to ensure that your move is as smooth as possible within your budget and timeframe. Lack of planning leads to costly moving expenses and excessive stress. If you are not among the fortunate ones whose expenses are covered in part or in full by your company, then a little bit of planning results in significant cost savings.
- Prepare a Moving Budget: Preparing a budget is a very crucial step in the planning process. With a move budget in place, you know how much you have and how much you can spend. You can then easily decide on how you would go about with the moving process either by hiring a moving company or moving yourself. Without proper planning you would end up paying more from your pocket and even face debt and frustration.
- Get Moving Quotes: When you plan on using a moving company for your move, you should get quotes from several moving companies before making the decision. With free quotes available from many moving firms online, you will get a fair idea of how much the services would charge. Make sure you give out information as accurate as possible so that the quote reflects your actual moving expenditures.
- Pack Your Own Belongings: One of the best ways of reducing your moving expenses is by packing your own boxes rather than relying on the moving company to do so. Get your hands on sturdy moving boxes, packing paper and bubble warp, and pack up your house or office yourselves. It’s pretty simple; the more work your moving company does, the greater would be the bill amount.
- Lighten the Load: Controlling your belongings can serve as a huge money saver. The more items that have to be moved, the higher would be your moving expenses. You can throw out old stuff, sell or even donate the unwanted items to reduce the load. A garage sale is a great way to get rid of old belongings, save money and even earn extra cash. You can even donate the items and claim the amount on your income taxes.
- Pay Heed to Move Timings: The move timings can have significant effect on your moving expenses. It is best to schedule a move during the week rather than on the weekend or during the off-season to enjoy lower rates (if any) from your moving company. When you show some flexibility and coordinate with the company’s move schedule, you can secure discounted rates. Moreover, last minute reservations may result in increases expenses. When planning a move with a moving company, make sure to book in advance so that you can save costs when the actual move occurs.
- Prepare the New Location: You should make sure that your new location is ready and all the renovations are carried out before the transition takes place. This will help you save storage-in-transit fees if your things have to be stored until they can be unloaded and moved to the new location.
- Before The Actual Move: Before you move away from your old locality, make sure you end local memberships to clubs and associations, cancel utility connections and pay off utility bills, use up all items that cannot be moved such as perishable items, and change your mailing address.
- On The Day of the Move: On the day of the move, make sure your important documents are marked and available when needed. Be sure to be present onsite at the new location so as to guide the movers where to place what items. In case of a residential move, make sure you have essentials for the first few days, till you settle down.
- DIY Move: When you are planning a move on your own, it won’t hurt to drive your own moving truck or recruit help from friends and family to help load and unload items to save time and money. This would make the move a fun-filled event rather than a nerve racking experience.
Regardless of the nature of the move, proper planning is essential to avoid any last minute surprises and to keep moving expenditures under control.