Ways to Save Money During a Move.
There’s no doubt about it: moving is work. While you’re excited about landing that dream job or retiring and finally living in a warmer climate, you still have to pack all of your belongings and get them safely to your new home. Before jumping in blind and winging it, it’s best to weigh the pros and cons of the two choices in front of you: whether to hire professional movers or to do the move yourself.
Hiring professional movers
Even if your budget it tight, there are many good reasons to hire a moving company. If you are moving across the country, long distance moving companies can benefit you. For one, you won’t have to drive a large truck over the crowded highways at rush hour and secondly, you won’t have to worry about getting your items there safely. Hiring a moving company versus doing the move yourself doesn’t necessarily mean more money, especially if the move is long distance. You would have to factor in additional expenses such as a hotel, dining, and gas. Also when you hire a moving company they pack up your furniture and supplies and make a list of the number of boxes. If anything breaks or turns up missing you have recourse. Moving companies have peak seasons that naturally cost more due to the high demand. If you schedule your move for the offseason you can get a lower rate. Also, plan to move during the week to save even more money.
Doing the move yourself
If you decide to do the move yourself the biggest advantage is being able to pack up and move at your leisure. When you hire a professional service you select a date and time and everything needs to be ready. You can also get away with using store boxes at a cost of zero added to your budget. When you use movers you also get a written estimate based on your belongings and if you add anything there’s an additional fee. When you move, so long as there’s room on the truck you can decide to add more items. You, of course, will need to shop around and check out the local competition to get the best rates. And, moving on the weekend or during their busy season when truck rentals are in high demand should be something to reconsider. When you do the move yourself, you can decide to hit the road running and arrive in a day or take a few days to get there. With a professional moving company, you don’t get that option, it’s always a few days and sometimes it can take up to a week before your things arrive.
Getting the best of both
There is still another way to save money and not have the stress of driving a truck across the country. You could opt to use a moving company, but do some of the work yourself. Moving companies allow you to pack your things and then schedule the pickup. It will take a considerable amount off the original estimate, giving you a way to get the best of both options. Just make sure to get the box size requirements from the company in advance before you start packing. If you don’t and you have more large boxes than your quote, you will pay an additional fee for those boxes.
Moving to a new location is exciting. With a little research and weighing your options carefully as to whether to hire movers or DIY, you can reduce the amount of stress and make the packing and moving process smooth and come in under budget.
