How to Save on Moving Costs

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How to Save on Moving Costs

Staff Writer · Mar 5, 2010

The amount you spend or save on moving costs depends a great deal on how much stuff you’re moving and the distance you’re traveling. Therefore, you’ll need to be able to negotiate with your mover and be conservative with respect to expenditures.

Strike a Deal

If you’re using a moving company, you can save a good deal by being well-organized and striking the right type of deal when obtaining estimates. Movers use a book called the “Tariff 400” to provide estimates for moving costs. The book is a reference so the mover can determine how much he’ll charge for moving so many pounds for so many miles. Moving companies typically discount the tariff by about 40 to 60%; therefore, you can barter with them to get the best deal.

Be Flexible About Pick-up and Delivery as Well as When You Move

To reduce moving costs, it’s a good idea, when dealing with moving companies, to be flexible about the date of your move. Give the mover some latitude with respect to the move-out and move-in dates. Usually if you allow about five days for picking up your stuff and five days for hauling it to it’s intended destination, you’ll receive a better price. You can also reduce moving costs if you choose to move in January or February as these are slow months for most moving companies. In fact, choose any time besides summer and you’ll have a better opportunity to save on moving. If you’re opting to rent a van for your move, then calendar in a time besides the weekend to use the vehicle as rental rates are cheaper during the week.

Save by Packing Your Items Yourself

You can save a great deal on your move if you pack items like clothing and books yourself and leave the fragile items, such as crystal and china, for the movers. Or, you can choose a moving company that will give you a reduced rate if you pack all your items yourself and have the movers load, transport and deliver them.

Don’t Buy Your Boxes

You can also save costs by collecting your boxes from supermarkets to use for your move. Use bubble wrap, which is considerably cheaper than packing material, or newspaper to pack your valuables. Nevertheless, if you’re using a moving company and find it more convenient to buy your boxes or packing supplies, they’ll be less expensive if you purchase them from a do-it-yourself mover like U-Haul. You can also lower box use by taping the drawers of dressers, which reduces packing time as well as costs.

Take an Inventory

Costs for a move can also be minimized if you choose to pitch, donate or sell items that you haven’t used for a year or more. You can cut down on the weight of your load as well as time and expense by getting rid of the things you rarely use.

A move is a good chance for you to cull out the items you don’t need and organize yourself so you can obtain the best price with respect to moving costs. All it takes is a little planning and you can easily succeed.

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