Did you know that there are over 7,000 licensed and registered moving companies in the US? With some of the larger firms running hundreds, if not thousands of trucks each. There is a lot of moving going on throughout America each and every day – some corporate, and some private.
Yet, while all this professional moving is happening, every day there are thousands of families packing up their home themselves. Hundreds of family movies have been made about the misadventures that happen when a household moves long distance, yet so many people still insist on doing it themselves rather than trusting professional national moving companies in USA to take the stress from them.
Why People Move Themselves
One of the main reasons that makes people decide that managing their own move is cost. Which is fair, moving is not a cheap exercise, particularly when you have a complete household to move, plus whatever is stored in the garage. However, with a few tips you can start to bring those costs down – in fact, you will usually find that moving it yourself will cost you more than hiring the professionals.
Create a running total of how long it will take you to pack the house up, how long it will take you to load a truck, how long it will take you to physically drive the truck, and then how long it will take you to unload at the other end. Don’t forget to factor in that you can’t park up at just any motel when you have a large U-Haul truck, so you will need to consider where you will spend nights – and allow for at least an extra day than if you were just driving by car.
While you’re on your spreadsheet, also add in the cost of meals while you are on the road, as well as the actual packing boxes and materials that you will need, and of course the cost to hire the actual truck. Once you’ve got your final figure, start looking at how much a professional mover will cost you do to the same work, while you relax and focus on getting your family settled for the big move.
How To Decrease Costs
Hiring a moving company means that you do not have unexpected budget blowouts, no last minute insurances, no petrol hikes, no bribes to get the neighbors’ kid to help you load up, you are given a price, and they tell you exactly what is included. However, there are a few things that you can do to decrease the overall cost of moving.
Lose Weight
Moving to a new house is the perfect time to have a good cleanout and get rid of anything you don’t want or need. Be brutal. Those manuals for Adobe Flash MX are not going to help you unless you want to turn them into art (and if you really want to do that, put a call out on www.Freecycle.org in your new location, someone will love to give you their copies). Likewise, all those clothes that you haven’t actually worn in years, it’s time to say goodbye – the exception here is expensive eveningwear that still fits, or specialty sports gear, like ski suits, that are going to be useful in your new location.
Having a garage sale will help you downsize and be a nice little contribution to moving costs. Anything that doesn’t sell in the garage sale offer on your local free & exchange page or freecycle. If no one wants it, it is garbage, take it to the tip. Do not give broken, missing or damage goods to charity shops, they don’t want it any more than you do.
Be warned – downsizing can be a very addictive process once you get started. You might also want to work out right at the start, which things are precious and that you will not get rid of.
Time It Right
Did you know that moving companies will often offer discounts if you move during winter? Or if you move during the weekday rather than a weekend? If you have any flexibility about when you move, try to find the cheapest time to move in the direction you want to move in.
Share The Load
If you have downsized well, you may find that you now only have enough to fill half a truck – which can be a perfect opportunity to save some money. Often moving companies will offer a discount if they are able to pack your gear into a truck with someone else’s house lot that is going the same way. This way that are travelling with a full load which makes better economical sense for them. The downside to this is that you will usually need to be a little flexible about which days you are moving.
Get Help – Financial Help
If you are relocating because of a job, talk to your employer about what they can offer in regard to contributing towards your moving costs. While the IRS has recently changed regulations around claiming moving costs as an expense (see here), that doesn’t mean your employer will be unwilling to help, particularly if you are only asking for a contribution rather than the full expense. The other thing to consider is if your new job has a contract or discount with any particular group that might entitle you to a cheaper moving rate.
You may also find that your own memberships or credit card companies have deals with specific moving companies designed to give you a better rate. For example, AMEX and AAA both have member discounts available for certain moving companies. However, just because you theoretically get a discount, it still pays to shop around and get a few quotes.
Get The Points
When you are looking at paying your final bill, consider paying with your credit card. Although some companies will put on a surcharge to accept a credit card payment, do the math and work out if the points and rewards that your credit card will give you are going to offset any monetary percentage. Whichever way is going to give you the better deal, go with that.
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