Tips For Saving Money on Your Move

Relocation has become an appealing option for job seekers who haven't had much luck locally. While moving often makes the most sense, the cost of uprooting yourself and your spouse or family can be off-putting. It's nearly impossible to move cheaply, but there are several ways to reduce your relocation expenses. Follow my eight tips to have money left over for those new home accessories.

• Move Yourself, but Get Help - It can cost thousands of dollars to hire moving services, but that doesn't mean you have to move all by your lonesome. To save money, consider driving the truck yourself but hiring loaders to load up your moving truck and unloaders to meet you at your new home. They usually cost about $150 for two hours, and the $300 for both ends of service will save you time and energy while costing much less than movers.
• Comparison Shop - Take the time to compare price quotes on moving trucks and loading/unloading services, and make sure you read some of the online reviews for both. You want to get a good deal without sacrificing the effectiveness of each service.
• Get Free Boxes - Ask friends if they have extra boxes you can take off their hands and peruse Craigslist for free boxes. Collect as many boxes as you can and supplement those with boxes you can buy.
• Eliminate Waste - Moving trash is only delaying the inevitable and will waste your time and money. Go through your stuff with an eager eye for eliminating waste and discard anything that's seen its last useful day.
• Don't Be Too Hasty - Days of endless packing can make you care less about keeping things that might be annoying to box up. Don't throw away things that will need to be replaced when you move, like spices and cleaning supplies. Those items are expensive and throwing them away isn't getting rid of waste, it's just wasteful.
• Sell or Donate What You Can - Perfectly good stuff that you no longer need may very well find a home with someone else. Get a tax break when you donate or raise a little extra cash by posting items for sale on Craigslist or eBay.
• Pack With Care - Prevent your fragile possessions from breaking by packing them with care. Cut the costs of packing supplies like bubble wrap by using what you already have; bed linens and towels are great for padding breakable items.
• Keep Receipts From Moving Expenses - If you're moving for a job that's in the same field as your previous position, your moving expenses are tax deductible. File your receipts away for tax time so you're ready with proof of payment.