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If you have a move planned in the near future, your checking account may feel a little *um* pinched. If you’re buying your home, there’s the downpayment and closing costs. If you’re renting, there’s the first month, security deposit, and perhaps the last month. You might need to shell out deposits for your utilities, schools, and on and on and on. It’s no wonder so many of our customers ask us how they can save money on their moves. Here are the five tips we like to give that can save surprising amounts of money, depending on the type of the move.
Before we get into it, let’s talk about the difference (besides the obvious) between a local and a long distance (currently unavailable service) move. Local moves are generally charged by the amount of time the moves take, and long distance (currently unavailable service) moves are charged by the amount of stuff that’s being moved, and the distance. This is important because not every cost saving tactic works for both types of moves.
Local Moves
Disassemble Furniture
Movers can perform some simple disassembly, such as removing chair and table legs, taking apart a bed, etc. Since you pay by the hour for local moves, you can save some time by doing the disassembly yourself. It’s a good idea to ask your movers about it first, since some items may not need disassembly.
Move Some Items
Most people think that moving some boxes will save them a lot of money on their move. Boxes are actually the fastest things for movers to move, since they don’t need to be wrapped, and can be easily stacked. There are some things you can move yourself to save money, and those include items like electronics, pictures and mirrors, and lamps. All of those items would need to be packed for safe transport in a moving truck. In most cases, you can move them safely in your car, as long as you wrap them in blankets, and don’t stack items on top of them.
Long Distance (currently unavailable service) Moves
Mail Books
If you have a large collection of books, they can add a hefty charge to your move, especially if you are being charged by weight. What a lot of people don’t realize is that the Post Office will ship books at a discounted cost. Tell the Post Office clerk that you want to ship them “book rate.” It will take a while for your books to get there, but you’ll save some money.
All Moves
Pack
This one isn’t such a secret, but if you have the time, pack for yourself. It will save you a significant amount of money.
Reserve Parking for the Truck (and the Elevator)
Whether you are moving locally or long distance (currently unavailable service), it saves you money when the movers can park as close to your front door as possible. In many cities, you can reserve street parking. If you are moving locally, two spaces should suffice. If you are moving long distance (currently unavailable service), reserve three spaces. If you live in an apartment building with a service elevator, reserve the elevator, and if possible, the loading dock, with building management.
