How to Save Money Moving to a New Home

Moving can be costly and stressful. Buying a new home or renting a new apartment can use up a great portion of your savings and budget, so cutting corners to save money during the move will help recover some of that money spent on acquiring a mortgage or a rental property. Use these helpful tips to help save money and stress for your next move to a new home.

Save Money Renting Your Own Moving Truck

Since we are experts on moving trucks and truck rentals, we can point out several ways that you can save money with your truck rental. Renting your own moving truck or moving van is one way to save money because the DIY aspect of renting your own moving truck means less money spent on paying movers. You can still rely on our expertise and helpful tips to guide you during your move. Try to plan as much as possible in advance. When you do that, you will know the exact size moving truck you need and won’t have to spend extra on a larger truck or waste money scrambling at the last minute trying to get a larger moving truck. When you can reserve your moving truck rental ahead of time, you can also look into taking advantage of specials and deals that your truck rental company might be offering. In some cases, there are deals for overnight rentals or moving truck rentals that take place during a weekday rather than the busy weekends. If you are only moving a short distance, perhaps you only need the rental for a few hours. This can save you a lot of money, as an hourly rental fee for a few hours is less than the daily rate. Be sure to ask for deals and know what is included in your rental fee. Ask if mileage is included and if there are additional fees for taxes, GST, or anything else. A quoted base price might seem less but if all of those taxes and fees are added on, then it may not be the deal you thought it was.

Planning Ahead Saves You Money and Stress

Planning your move ahead of time definitely saves you the stress of a last minute move, but it also saves you money. In addition to having the right size for your moving truck, there are many other aspects of planning ahead that save you money on your move. When you plan ahead, you can find boxes for free from companies rather than having to go out and buy boxes. You can also search for deals for all of your moving supplies rather than having to settle for what you find at the last minute. Planning ahead also allows you the time to clean everything, identify what you want to give away or throw out and allows you time to declutter for your new home. The more time you have to organize all of your boxes and label everything, the easier it will be on you when you have to unpack. Planning ahead and being more organized will also mean less days you have to take off of work for your move.

Keep a List and a Budget for Everything

When you have so much to do, you need to keep lists for everything. Even keep lists for things you normally might not, just to keep yourself organized and on top of everything. This will help ensure you don’t forget about important deadlines, deposits, and other timely events that take place leading up to and during your move. In order to maintain savings, keep a budget for your moving expenses. Also be sure to include the extra expenses in relation to your mortgage, home inspections, home owner’s association fees, condo fees, maintenance fees, and / or rent deposits. Keeping a detailed budget along with lists for everything will ensure that you are prepared for each day leading up to your move and that there are no surprise expenses or things you miss on your list.

Movers’ Insurance

For many, moving insurance may seem like an extra and unnecessary expense. However, if you talk to anyone that had anything lost or damaged during a move and they will tell you quite a different story. First of all, if you are not moving far away, take all of your valuables including not only jewelry, but also documents and pictures that are irreplaceable and put them all in a safety deposit at the bank. That way, you don’t even have to worry about insuring those or losing them during the chaos of a move. If you are flying to your new home, then take those valuables with you in your carry on luggage rather than checking it as baggage or sending it with the movers. Whether you decide to insure your possessions when you move or not, take pictures of everything and keep a copy of the list of boxes and their contents with you.

Pack and an Overnight Bag and a First Day Box

You may not realize how tiring moving day really is. When you get to your new home, the last thing you will want to do is start unpacking. Keep a small overnight bag with you that contains everything you need for your first night and first morning in your new home. This can have things like your toiletries, toothbrush and toothpaste, pajamas, and clothes for the next day. Also pack a “first day box” and load that into the truck last or keep it with you. This can have food for breakfast or brunch the first morning in your new home and things you will want to have right away to help you unpack such as box cutter, cleaning supplies, etc.