Moving to a new home is both an exciting and stressful time. You’re leaving your comfort zone and an area you know well for something entirely new. This is also becoming a lot more common due to changes in the job market, cost of living having a more noticeable impact on one’s quality of life, and various other reasons. 

However, the cost of moving can be prohibitive, too. It’s not as easy as loading up a car and driving off to your new home, and many movers end up finding that out the hard way when they pay a few thousand extra dollars just to move somewhere. 

Today, we’re going to help you avoid those unseen costs or at least mitigate them.

Here are some tips for moving on a budget effectively!

1: Choose the Right Time to Move

The timing of your move has a lot to do with how much it costs. Certain periods are a lot busier for moving companies, and you end up paying more since they’re stretching themselves thin to serve everybody. 

One of the best ways to get lower prices for a moving service is to time your move for the colder seasons. Everyone wants to move when it’s warm, sunny, and comfortable, but if you wait until winter moving companies are more likely to give you a discount. 

This isn’t an issue, either. Yes, it’s a little less comfortable, but moving companies are typically going through a slow period, and they need the business. So, you get a lower rate, and the business gets much-needed work until things pick up. 

You might also be able to get better deals during weekdays. Again, fewer people want to pause their normal work week to move, and most schedule their move for the weekend. This isn’t as reliable as waiting until the slow season, though. 

2: Minimize What You’re Taking

If you’re moving on a budget you have to be aware of one thing – the more you have to move, the more it will cost to do so. While you don’t need to liquidate your entire home, it does help if you can declutter a bit and get rid of things you’re not really going to need before you move.

You might even have some things you can sell and help offset the moving expenses.

This is something you’ll want to do months in advance to give you plenty of time to sell unwanted items of value and sort through the stuff you’re simply going to throw away without rushing. 

3: Travel Smart

Relocating on a budget doesn’t just mean budgeting your costs for moving your stuff. You also need to budget how much you’re spending on maintaining your needs. 

While you might not think about it, your normal costs such as food, gas, and other things go up while you’re traveling. 

When you’re transporting your family to meet up with the moving trucks, try to make budget-conscious decisions such as packing sandwiches, having your drinks and snacks in the car with you, minimizing detours, etc. 

4: Make Use of Free Materials

You’re going to need a lot of materials when you move. Boxes, bags, tape, filling materials, bubble wrap, and more. Usually, some movers offer packing services, but if you’re operating on a budget, that’s not really something you’re considering.

So as an alternative, for a few months before your move, start hoarding those items as much as you can. Save your Amazon boxes and package filling, stow away your newspapers to use as box stuffing, buy a roll of masking tape here and there, etc. 

If you go to buy all your materials when you start packing, it can cost between $100 and $250 on average. Just taking advantage of things in your daily life for a couple of months can give you a good stockpile of those items for free, and then you can buy a lot less. 

Also, try to ask your friends and family to put those items back for you instead of throwing them away. Usually, they’ll be willing to do so, and you’ll save a lot of money. 

5: Give the Movers Some Flexibility

Moving services typically aren’t rigid in their prices. You can negotiate a great deal. However, like any good negotiation, everything goes both ways. You can’t just demand lower prices and immediate service. 

The best way to give the company something valuable is to let them pick the date that they move you. 

If you have a couple of weeks to get moved in, offer them their choice of moving date in exchange for a better price. This takes a huge load off their shoulders, and they can typically cut a little off the top of your bill for the convenience you’ve offered them. 

6: Compare Mover Prices

Don’t just search Google and pick the first moving service you find. Pick a few movers with great reviews, and then compare their prices. If you can find a mover that does a great job at a competitive price, you’ll shrink your overall moving costs dramatically. 

However, it’s also important to not just choose the cheapest service. Like most services, you want to choose a mover that offers a lot of value for what they’re charging. It doesn’t help to hire a cheap mover if they don’t do a good job.

Cheap movers are often associated with breaking things, careless approach to brittle objects, and cutting corners while doing their job. On the other hand, there are some reasonably priced movers that offer additional services such as junk removal services, which can be quite useful in certain cases.

Nevertheless, explore your options and choose the option that best fits your needs and monetary capabilities.

7: Time Your Move Around Your Bills

You won’t necessarily save money with this last tip, but you will get more of what you paid for. 

Most of the time, your service providers aren’t going to refund you any money just because you stop using their services before the end of your billing cycle. Think of your internet bill, rent, and other recurring bills you’ve been paying for years. 

If you leave halfway through the month, you’ll still be held responsible for the full month’s payment. 

Try to time your move to minimize that. That way, you’re not wasting a bunch of money on something you’re not even going to be using anymore. 

Choose Bantu Mover for Lower Moving Costs in the Houston Metro Area

If you’re moving on a budget and still unsure which moving company in Houston to go with – you’re not to worry.

Bantu Mover will help you reduce your moving costs without sacrificing any quality or service.

Contact us today for a free quote and premium service at a reasonable price.