If you are looking to move but your finances are low, and you cannot spend much on a move, we have some creative ideas on how to move on a low budget. This will help you save money, prepare for your move, with time-management strategies, but will take your full effort since you are on a low budget. Having a larger budget obviously will make a move much simpler, allowing Woody’s and Sons to move your furniture and items to your new home, but we understand that some people are on a low budget looking to relocate themselves.
The first thing to think about when planning a low budget move is to see how much savings you have, that you can set aside for the move. Even if you are on an extremely low budget, it always helps to check to see if you can pull any savings money out to put towards the move. Even with careful planning for a move, most moves will include about 10 to 20 percent of unexpected costs. Having extra money put away in savings to help cover this change in expenses is definitely a must-have safety net.
Next, consider what extra costs you may have when moving on a tight budget. If you are using a moving company, talk to them about the relocation, and every detail going into the contract with the moving company. By doing this, you can attempt to limit unexpected charges and changes to your moving plan that add up to the 20 percent additional expenses we spoke about before.
To go along with trying to gain a little extra money, from either a savings account or another way is to have a garage sale. If you put up ads online, through Craigslist, Facebook, and other social media sites, you may be able to sell some unused items of yours. This cash-flow could turn into very beneficial funds when already being on a tight budget. Another option to a garage sale is using EBay, Craigslist, or other sites similar. The only downside to these two sites is that you are not selling and receiving cash immediately, EBay is a bidding process that takes a few days, and Craigslist is an online article post by the seller which may or may not get immediate attention. A garage sale is the most advantageous for a mover short on time.
One of the most important tips when planning a move by yourself on a tight budget is to start early. This will give you plenty of time to develop your low-cost strategy that will suit your budget, moving style, and the time you have available. The best way for someone who has a full time job and goes to work every day, is to do a little bit each day, commit 30 minutes when you get home or before you go to bed to separate, or pack items, and make small but consistent progress. When it comes closer time to your move, you will be surprised at the amount of work you have completed already.
Also, to help make the moving plan easier on yourself is to start with separating trash and things that won’t be relocated away from the items that are meaningful and useful to you after your move. By doing this, you will be able to either throw away or sell these items, possible making money, but more importantly limiting the amount of things you plan on moving to your new home.
One of the best, and money saving opportunities for doing a move on your own is looking online, through friends, and neighbors for sources of free packing material. Craigslist has countless people ready to donate the packing material they just used for one move and only want someone to come pick it up from their home. By searching and spending the time to go pick up these materials, will drastically change the expense costs of your move.
The last tip to help keep a low budget move on that tight budget is to look for free moving labor. To help find this free moving labor, think of family and friends that can come assist you. Have you helped someone move before and are looking for the favored returned? Perhaps colleagues from work that you have become close with would come lend a hand. At the end of the day you might have to splurge for a pizza and a couple drinks, but would still be able to save money and stay on a tight budget that you set for your move.
Moving, like spoken about in most of our blogs, is a time consuming and strategically planned process. By hiring Woody’s and Sons, we can help this time consuming event not be as time consuming on you. For others that are low on funds, and looking to handle the move all themselves, follow the tips included in this article and others we have talked about over our blog series.