10 Ways to Save Money Moving
This blog post contains affiliate links, but momma has a wine habit to support, yo
Moving soon? Then you definitely want to know how to save money moving! Moving can be a really stressful time, but it doesn’t always have to break the bank. Even on a short notice move, you can save a bundle when packing up your household.
It seems like we’ve moved a bajillion times! The next to last time we moved, we literally had to move a household of five (seven if you count the dogs we had at the time) in SEVEN days.
Yup, you read that right! Our youngest daughter is highly allergic to mold, and when the Minnesota winter decided to thaw, it cause mold to grow in the basement of the house we were rental.
Imagine the chaos as we bring our then 12 year old daughter home from the hospital to figure out we needed to need in less than a week so the landlord could fix the mold situation! YIKES! Talk about stress.
Luckily, I’ve moved to over 15 different states and over 30 different times so I’m kinda the queen of knowing moving hacks and how to save money moving to your new home because I’m cheap yo!
Now I pass my wisdom onto you fine folks so you know how to save money moving and not have to spend hundreds, if not thousands, of extra dollars paying for things that you really didn’t need to buy to move to your new home!
How to Save Money Moving
1. Get Boxes for Free: Check with sites like Freecycle or visit your local liquor store or supermarket for free sturdy boxes. If you are moving long distance, make sure the boxes are really sturdy. You don’t want them collapsing mid-move.
2. If you have to pay for boxes buy them at home improvement stores: More and more home improvement stores, like Lowe’s, have a moving section. It’s normally near the organization section. (SKIP moving places like Uhaul, their boxes are almost ALWAYS double the price)
3. Sign up for moving coupons: The post office and some retail stores offer coupon packages to help your move go a little bit easier. We subscribed to the Lowe’s Moving Club, and also got a forwarding address packet at the post office that was chock full of great coupons!
4. Don’t pay for packing material: Use your clothes and linens to pack: Rather than paying $10/package for packing material use items around your house to pack those delicate items.
Since we have two different wardrobes here in Indiana, we use the clothes we aren’t wearing to wrap our breakables. We still need to pack our clothes, and it protects items that might break in the process. Leftover puppy training pads work as wonderful packing materials too!
5. Donate and pare down as much as you can: Whether you are using a moving company or packing up your own moving truck, getting rid of things you rarely use or broken items will save you money. It means you won’t have as much weight moved (which is how moving companies charge you), or you could rent a smaller moving truck! Either way it’s a win/win situation.
6. Look at Do It Yourself Moving Options: If you aren’t afraid to pack yourself and/or doing some heavy lifting, you can save some really big bucks. There are a lot of “u pack” type services where the company drops off the container for you to fill with your household goods, and then picks it up when you are ready.
These options come with or without help loading, and can cost up to 75% less than full moving services. We are moving almost 1000 miles for less than $1500 rather than paying $6500 for a full service mover!
7. Don’t Be Afraid to Barter: When moving, you can always use any help you can get. Most homes require that you clean the carpet and fix the walls when you move out. If you have a friend that has a carpet cleaner or owns a business that can help you, don’t be afraid to barter with them.
A lot of times people don’t calculate expenses for the home they are moving out of in their moving costs. Bartering and asking friends for help can really help you save money, and/or get that security deposit back.
8. Leave yourself plenty of time: Don’t make your moving schedule too tight. It could end up costing you a lot of money if you do.
Just to give you an example, we have used ABF UPack in the past. If we have to have our shipment in storage for even a day, it’s going to cost us almost $400 for them to “store” it.
If we miss the drop off time, it’s an additional fee. If you have hired movers to help you load your packed items, and they are there hours before your truck arrives that’s more charges you weren’t counting on. Long story short, make sure to give yourself enough time to load, unload, and travel to your new home.
Using ABF UPack definitely saved us hundreds of dollars on our move from Indiana to Minnesota, you can get your own Upack moving quotes here. Add extra time to your travel and packing time, and Upack could be the best way to save money without doing all the work!
9. Budget for meals: Make sure to include meals in your budget. As you start to pack your dishes, and eat what you have in your fridge eventually you will need to pack a meal or eat out. If you plan ahead, you can figure out some more economical options, or even plan to eat at a friend’s house before moving.
10. Keep your receipts: Moving to a new location for a job could be a tax deduction at the end of the year and save you money on your taxes or increase your refund. (Crunchy is not a tax professional, make sure to ask your accountant)
Have you moved recently? Are you planning on a move? What’s some tips you have for families looking to save money moving?
Jenn @comebackmomma says
Great tips. Check with local shops and real estate agents for newcomer coupons as well.
Jenna Wood says
I never even thought of buying packing boxes at home improvement stores!
Crunchy Frugalista says
Jenna, I hadn’t either until I found them there and they were like half the price of the boxes at Uhaul!!
Lena says
Eating at the friends – house! That’s my fav!
Crunchy Frugalista says
Yep, much better than ordering take out each night 🙂
Cinny says
I’m sure I’ll be coming back here for help very soon. 🙂
SHELLEY R ZUREK says
I agree with the boxes and packing material comments. This can be really really expensive. Sometimes it is worth it to have a professional mover pack and move your large items. They are insured and really do know how to pack furniture properly.
Jadey Sam says
Great tips ! I wouldnt know where to buy those boxes till now!
Gemma says
Hi, great post and people can save even more if they eBay as much of their clutter as they can and earn while they do and have less stuff to move which should save on boxes :-).
Alyssa says
Another great place to get free boxes is at the workplace. We are moving and got all our boxes free through work. Hospitals have tons of boxes that they just throw away and would be willing to give away.
Ashley Sears says
Alyssa, That is a fantastic tip! Saving on boxes is such a great way to save on moving costs. Buying boxes can be SO expensive.
Sandy C says
My favorite moving tip: use toilet paper. I buy a case of 4 packs (and sometimes single rolls, wrapped in paper) before packing and use them to cushion the bottom of boxes or to fill “holes” in boxes. Although they get a little smooshed, they’re still usable at your new home. Also – when packing yourself, be sure to push down on the top of each box after filling it – if there is any “give”, chances are the box will be smashed during the move- which could cause your shipment to shift while in transport and damage other items.
Ashley Sears says
Sandy those are some great tips. I love using clothes to remove the “give” at the top of boxes. It prevents from having to use as many wardrobe boxes. Had never thought about the toilet paper. Great idea!
James Rider says
Thanks for great tips. We have some inexpensive product packaging ideas & tips to reduce your cost.