Movers And More: How To Budget For Your Move
What do you need to budget for before your next move? From movers fees to the boxes and bins you need to buy, take a look at what you should factor into your packing, prep, and transportation budget.
The Moving Company
Residential moving isn't an easy DIY job—especially if you don't have friends and family to help with the lifting, carrying, and driving. If you don't want to enlist your entire family as move-day helpers, you don't have a van that's large enough to accommodate your furniture, or you just don't have the time to transport everything you own from your old home to the new one, you can hire a professional moving company.
The specific price you pay for a professional moving service depends on a few factors. These include the mover's rate schedule, how much you need to move (by weight), how far you need to move, and special requests. Artwork, musical instruments, and heavy or awkwardly-shaped items may cost extra.
The Packing Materials
Movers who offer a full-service option may include the price of packing materials in the overall estimate. Basic services will not cover packing materials. This means you will need to buy your own supplies. Budget for containers, tape, labels, and fillers or protective items such as packing paper and bubble wrap.
If you're searching for a way to save money on your move, you can trim some of the packing supply budget. Instead of buying bins, reuse old (and free) cardboard boxes. Swap out store-bought packing paper and bubble wrap, for old towels and bed linens. You can reuse old newspapers to pack some delicate or breakable items. But be aware that the ink on the paper could transfer onto some belongings during the move.
The Storage Fees
Will you bring everything you own to your new home? If you've recently downsized, are planning a temporary move, are combining two households into one, will renovate your new home immediately after the move, or just have too much to fit inside of your house, you may want to explore self-storage options.
Self-storage gives you extra space to keep your move-day overflow. The amount you budget for self-storage will depend on the size of the rental unit, the length of the lease term, the rate schedule of the rental facility, and whether you need extra features such as upgraded security or climate controls. You may also need to budget for additional packing materials that you will use in storage.