Summer is coming to an end and we can’t wait to see where life takes you next. Whether you are on moving out in search of your dream job, chasing your dream city, or moving to college… we have a few simple, but effective tips that will save you some big bucks.
1. Don’t hire movers
We will be honest – no one likes moving. No one wakes up in the morning craving the feeling of having to move heavy furniture to and from the house and a big truck in the blazing heat… especially if there are stairs involved If you don’t have family and friends around (it happens) we recommend hiring acquaintances. As a 17 year old boy I would’ve gladly taken 100 bucks to help someone carry a couple boxes and furniture. That saves you a third of the cost considering that the average cost of a mover is $350. No high school boys around? Look for a group of frat guys willing to accept quick payment and a couple cases of beer. None of that either? Maybe a middle aged man with some leftover student loans. Get creative!
2. Rent a truck
With the money you didn’t spend hiring a fancy moving company you can invest in renting a moving truck. Sure you have to drive it yourself, but you drive a car everyday too so the hassle shouldn’t be too much. I recently had a good experience with Home Depot. They tend to do a flat rate and charge a small fee for an extra hours and have a variety of sizes for it. (It cost me $25 to rent a truck and got all my stuff moved in in an hour and a half.)
3. Craigslist
As you get ready to move out, instead of being so quick to throw away anything you might think won’t be worth taking, take a stab at posting them on craigslist. In case you’ve been living under a rock for the last couple decades, this is a locals classifieds and forums it is community moderated (anyone living around your area will be exposed to your posting), and largely free. You can cash in some extra bucks as you get rid of stuff you wouldn’t want anyways. It is quite simple too, just take a picture of your item, write a brief description, and set your selling price.
4. Forecast
Yes, the whole act of moving is expensive, but nothing is worse than being all moved in and realizing you didn’t budget plan for your new place. Try not to think about it as going only from point A to point B, doing so will make you miscalculate moving and settling costs. Remember more often than not, the money you spend moving in is in comparison small to the money you’ll spend on setting up your new home.
