How to Reduce Moving Costs: 5 Ways to Save on Moving Costs

It’s not a secret that moving house can be an expensive affair, especially when you’re moving hundreds or thousands of miles across the country. The sheer thought of having to pay big bucks to have your possessions transported all the way to the new address is enough to stress you out way before Moving day itself.

Luckily, there are good ways to save money when moving – proven methods of cutting the moving costs that work great every single time.

So, do you wish to pay less money on your own house move? Of course, you do.

Find below the top 5 ways to save on moving costs so that you don’t pay more money on your move than absolutely necessary. It just feels good to know you’re saving hard-earned money, doesn’t it?

If, you want to hire us for your moving day, give us a quick call at (800)850-6353.

Hire an affordable mover

Possibly the best way to reduce moving costs is to hire the services of a low-cost moving company.

It’s a well-known fact that different moving companies charge differently for the same types of services, so your search for cheap movers will come down to requesting cost estimates from multiple local or cross-country movers and comparing their rates. This doesn’t sound too complicated, does it?

In theory, all you have to do is find the cheapest price quote and then pick the mover that has supplied it. In practice, however, it’s a bit more complicated simply because you shouldn’t just look at the bottom price – instead, you should take a closer look at how the price is formed and whether or not it includes any extra services such as packing and temporary storage.

Also, you must compare the moving companies when it comes to their reputation – reading customer reviews will help you get a better idea of what to expect from the pros in terms of professionalism and reliability. And when a reputable mover has offered a good price for your move, then you’ll have the perfect match that will enable you to save BIG on moving costs.

Get free in-home estimates from Nation Capital Movers if you live in Washington DC, Maryland, or Virginia. We offer guaranteed pricing with no hidden fees or charges.

Move during the off-peak moving season (if possible)

You can also cut moving costs if you pick your move-out date to be somewhere during the off-peak moving season. Read on to learn why.

Movers’ prices during the moving season (May – September) are higher because of the greater demand for professional moving services. Most people choose to move house during the warm months, especially during the summer, and that’s when professional moving companies tend to charge more for the same services.

What this means is that if happen to have any flexibility about the date of your move, then you should definitely try to schedule your relocation during the off-peak moving season (September – May) when most movers will lower their rates because of the decreased demand for their services.

How to make moving cheaper? All you have to do to pay less when moving is to pick a beneficial move-out date during the off-peak season. Now, you may not have the luxury to choose when to move out, but if you do, then you should definitely do it. In addition to getting a better deal from professional movers, you’ll also enjoy the greater availability of top-rated moving companies near you.

For example, a winter move can result in significant savings for you since you’ll end up paying less money for the same moving services. And if you’re lucky enough to have good weather on your Moving day, then your money-saving strategy will have worked perfectly.

Declutter your home

One of the best ways to reduce the cost of moving is to move to the new place with as few items as possible. Why? It’s simple, really – when moving long distance, the moving price will be calculated based on the total weight of the shipment.

In other words, the more items you choose to take with you, the more money you will have to pay for their transportation. This is true even when you’re moving locally and your local moving company is charging you by the hour – the pros will need more time to protect and load your things.

So, how to cut costs when moving? Do what you should have done years ago – purge your home of any items you no longer need, use, or want. The detailed inventory list you’ve created in the very beginning will help you figure out which items you can simply discard with the purpose of lowering the overall cost of moving.

Remember: if you don’t need anything anymore, just don’t pay out of your own pocket to move it.

The good news is that you’ve got plenty of good options once you’ve decided NOT to move some of your items: you can gift some things to your friends, you can donate them to charity, or you can try to sell them provided you’ve got enough time to organize a moving sale or to post them for sale online.

Pack your things by yourself

If you really wish to reduce the cost of living (who wouldn’t?), then you should seriously consider packing up your things by yourself – that is, without paying professional packers to do it for you.

Local movers will charge you for packing on an hourly basis, meaning that they will calculate the time they have spent protecting your items for transport. On the other hand, interstate movers will quote you a flat fee for the add-on service of packing after they have completed their in-home survey.

Either way, professional packing services are extra expenses for you.

Save big on moving costs by packing whatever items you can on your own. As long as you’ve got enough time, you can easily pack up your clothes, your shoes, and all non-breakable soft goods in your home – towels, blankets, sheets, pillows, and so on. Also, packing your books for moving shouldn’t be a big problem for you.

All in all, there are a few important rules you’ll want to remember when packing by yourself:

•       Start packing as soon as possible to ensure you’ll be done with the packing task prior to Moving day;
•       Always start with the most difficult rooms to sort and pack and work your way toward the premises that are usually easier to pack up;
•       Bear in mind that you’re not alone in this. Consider reaching out to your best friends to help the moment you realize you’ve fallen behind your personal packing timeline.

Save money on packing supplies

When moving on a budget, you’ll want to cut moving costs by using any cost-saving tricks that you know. After all, why should you pay more when you can pay less, right?

Another way to reduce moving costs is to get most of your packing materials for free. And how do you plan on acquiring the packing supplies you need without paying for them? It’s easier than you think.

On average, you’re going to need about 60 moving boxes to pack up your things, so buying all those cardboard boxes brand new will surely increase the overall cost of moving. So, what you should do instead is bet on second-hand packing boxes in good condition.

There are 3 major methods of acquiring free moving boxes together with other packing supplies such as bubble wrap and packing paper:

•       Ask friends, neighbors, and work colleagues if they have any packing materials at their homes that they don’t really need;
•       Visit the largest supermarkets and home improvement stores in your town or city, and then speak with the store managers if you can have the cardboard boxes they no longer need;
•       Visit the free sections of websites such as Craigslist and Freecycle and see if someone in your area offers any packing materials for free.

Use the above ways to save money when moving to decrease the overall level of stress during the relocation. Feel free to combine several cost-saving techniques for the best results.