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• By NJ Great Moving
• In Moving Tips

Simple Ways to Save Money During Your Move

No matter how you look at it, moving is expensive. Of course, there’s the actual moving aspect, but there’s a lot more to it than just getting your belongings from one place to another. Luckily, that also means there are a lot of ways you can save money during your move. If you’re looking for tips on how to reduce the cost of your move without needing to cut corners, you’ve come to the right place. Below are some simple and effective ways you can save money on your move.

Declutter Your Old Furniture and Belongings to Save Money

The more items you have, the more it will cost you to move. That’s why one of the simplest ways to save money is to declutter your belongings and get rid of items you no longer use. As a rule of thumb, you should follow the six months rule. If you haven’t used or worn an item in six months, you should not bring it with you to your new home.

Decluttering is an important step for any move whether you’re moving locally or cross-country. However, it’s an especially important step for long-distance moves. If you are moving over 400 miles away from your current location, consider getting rid of all your heavy, cheap furniture. You’ll find that it’s probably easier and cheaper to buy new furniture when you arrive at your destination.

While decluttering, you should separate your belongings into four piles: keep, donate, sell, and trash. You should keep your trash pile as small as possible as you can probably donate the majority of your items so long as they are still in good shape. When it comes to selling items, see if you have any high value items that might sell well on eBay such as vintage clothes, cameras, working appliances, etc. It might take you longer, but depending on the condition of the items you could earn a decent amount of money that you can then put towards your moving expenses.

Of course, if you don’t want to deal with the hassle of selling items individually online, you can always have a yard or garage sale to get rid of all your unwanted items. It’s a great way to clear out your house and while you won’t be able to charge quite as much as you would on online sites, you can still make a good chunk of change.

For all your other items, donate as much as you can to goodwill. Don’t forget to ask for an itemized receipt! You’ll be able to claim a tax deduction at the end of the year. For everything else, try to give away as much as possible. Ask your friends and family if they want anything. After they have taken what they want, list whatever items are left for free on craigslist and your local Facebook group. As they say, one man’s trash is another mans’ treasure!

Get Free Boxes and Packing Materials for Your Move

A lot of people forget to include the cost of packing materials such as boxes, tape, bubble wrap, etc. After all, it’s easy to get caught up in figuring out the other moving logistics. However, you can save yourself some hefty moving costs if you can find a way to get free boxes and packing materials. Hopefully, you have at least a month or two before your planned move out date. If you have any boxes leftover from online shopping keep them!

If you don’t have any boxes, reach out to your friends and family to see if they have any they want off their hands. Otherwise, you can visit other places such as the liquor store, around the office, or a local school to see if they might have any. You can also check your local Facebook group. The same can be done for packing supplies such as bubble wrap or packing peanuts! Try to gather as much as you can for free and then purchase whatever you are missing. If you’re lucky, you may not have to spend much if any money at all!

Hire the Best Professional Movers for Your Move

Yes, hiring professional movers can actually cost you less in the long run than trying to do it yourself. For example, if you live in New Jersey, you can find some very affordable NJ movers who will be able to make your experience seamless and stress-free. Professional New Jersey movers have years of experience moving pretty much everything from pianos to delicate china. Therefore, they know exactly how each should be handled so that everything arrives in perfect condition at your new home.

Of course, when you hire professionals, you get much more than people to move your stuff. You also get the peace of mind that if any accidents happen during the move, you won’t be held liable. Did the movers damage the freight elevator? They will cover the repair costs through their insurance. Did the movers get a parking ticket? You don’t have to worry about it! More importantly, you don’t have to run the risk of injuring yourself during the move as you won’t have to carry anything heavy. This way you can relax and just deal with unpacking once you get to your new home.

The best part about hiring professional movers is that there are a lot to choose from. You can shop around to find the best local movers for your budget. Just make sure to ask plenty of questions. If you get a bad feeling from them, move on to another company.

Consider Your Utilities

Some utilities won’t let you prorate your bill, so if your billing cycle doesn’t line up with your moving date, consider cutting off your service early so you don’t have to pay for an extra month. While you don’t want to cut off your electricity too soon, you can definitely live a week or two without cable or the internet. If you only have to deal with a day or two, consider shutting off your gas early as well.

If you’re moving to a new city, do some research on what is available. Some cities offer a free concierge service that will find you the best deals on your utilities. Also, make sure to take advantage of the new customer deals that many cable and internet providers offer.

Ship Your Books Safely

If you have a veritable library and can’t part with any of your books, consider shipping them instead of moving them. While it might take a bit longer to arrive, you’ll be saving on time and backbreaking work for the movers. USPS offers a Medial Mail service that allows for shipments of up to 20 pounds. That price is hard to beat!

Get Moving Insurance to Save Money

Most professional movers offer basic moving insurance that covers $0.60 per pound if an item is damaged or lost. While this might be fine for items that aren’t expensive, it won’t get close to covering the cost of more expensive items such as TVs, cameras, laptops, fine china, etc. While most trustworthy NJ movers will do their best to make sure nothing gets damaged, accidents can happen.

While it might cost a bit extra, getting full moving insurance can give you the peace of mind you need, especially if you own a lot of electronics or expensive items. As the name suggests, full moving insurance means that you will be covered for the full amount in case something gets damaged or lost. That means you don’t have to worry about buying a replacement should anything happen, saving you money in the long run.

Conclusion

While you won’t be able to bring your moving costs down to zero, you can greatly reduce the amount you spend by following these simple tips. Speaking of tips, here’s one you often hear: wrap your fragile items in bedsheets, towels, clothes, etc. While it can work, remember that you will need to wash all of these items once you unpack! Plus, if anything breaks you’ll need to worry about glass shards in your sheets or towels!

Moving will never be easy, but hopefully these tips can at least make it less costly. If you’re looking for an affordable and reliable mover in New Jersey, make sure to contact us! We service the Tri-State area and can provide you with a quote within a few days of your request!