How To Save Money On A Long-Distance Move?

Table of Contents

• 1. Long-Distance Moving Options
• 2. Choose a Reputable Long-Distance Mover
• 3. Tips on Saving Money for a Long-Distance Move

 

A long-distance move is a lot to handle and can cost you a substantial amount of money. You have several options for handling it:

• Hire a full-service moving company
• Do some of it by yourself and delegate the rest
• Do it all by yourself

The last option will help you to save the most money on your long-distance move, and the first option will be the most expensive. To save your money and time, prepare and organize your move properly.

 

Long-Distance Moving Options

1. Full-Service Movers

If you are quite busy or don’t have time to organize your move by yourself, you can hire a full-service moving company for a smooth, trouble-free long-distance relocation. Full-service movers handle all the tasks regarding your cross-country move, such as:

• Bring boxes and packing materials
• Disposal of packing materials
• Furniture disassembly and reassembly
• Loading your belongings into a truck
• Packing and unpacking your items
• Transportation of your goods
• Unloading your items from the truck

But hiring a full service moving company will cost more than Full or Partial DIY because it includes the cost of all the services listed above and other possible expenses. So, if you are planning to hire full-service movers for your long-distance move, we recommend you choose a reputable moving company to save money.

 

2. Partial DIY

Partial DIY means some of the work you will have to do yourself, but the rest will be done by a moving company.

Packing

We insist you hire packers for your long-distance move if you have expensive or fragile items, such as furniture, household appliances, piano, and antiques. These items are fragile and expensive, so there is a possibility of them getting damaged during the relocation. Therefore, these items should be packed properly, so they won’t get damaged during transportation. Also, packers can bring all the necessary packing materials and finish the job faster, so you can save your time and energy.

If you don’t have fragile or expensive items or you decided to sell or donate them, then you can pack everything by yourself and save your money.

 

Loading & Unloading

You can load your goods to your truck by yourself, ask your friends for help, or hire professional helpers for labor. At the destination, you can do the unloading by yourself or ask your friends for help if you want to save money on hiring movers. Another option would be hiring helpers.

 

Transportation

The last step is to make an arrangement with a shipping company if you are using pods or containers. Ask them to leave the trailer or storage container in front of your house for you to load your stuff. When you’re done, the transportation company will pick up the container or trailer and deliver it to the destination.

Also, you can rent a truck or a van and drive your belongings by yourself. But again, you’ll have to consider other expenses such as fuel cost, motel, food, etc.

 

3. Full DIY

If you do all the above-mentioned work by yourself, then it will be a full DIY long-distance move. It is the cheapest option, and you can save the most money. However, you will be exhausted doing it all by yourself, starting from organizing, buying packing materials, packing, loading, and driving your belongings to your new house, unloading, and unpacking all by yourself. Also, you have to find a truck for rent, consider containers or boxes, wrapping materials, fuel, food, and motel expenses. It will take a lot of time and effort, but it still helps you to save the most money on your long-distance move.

 

Choose a Reputable Long-Distance Mover

To entrust your long-distance move, you should consider a licensed and insured moving company. It is important to choose a reputable mover and avoid moving scams, so you won’t have to search for your possessions across the country.

You can ask your friends for recommendations or find a good moving company on Google, Trustpilot, and Yelp. If you already picked a couple of options, then you should search the company’s federal motor carrier or USDOT number. Then, check your prospective moving company for both the Better Business Bureau (BBB) accreditation. Look through the mover’s complaint history on BBB and read the online reviews. Occasional incidents, bad reports, and moving scams will be reported, and, nowadays, you can track those records online.

 

Tips on Saving Money for a Long-Distance Move

Let us give you some tips on how to prepare and save money for a long-distance move:

• Schedule your move in advance. We recommend you move during the slow business times like winter because the prices will be much lower.
• Get rid of unnecessary stuff. You can either toss, donate, or sell the things that you no longer need if you have enough time. It will lower your costs because you’ll have to pack and transport fewer items. You can get some extra money for your move if you sell those items.
• Find free boxes. Try to find free boxes from any neighborhood stores.
• Take only what you need. Pack by yourself and ask your friends for help. If you don’t know how to pack properly, afraid that your goods might be damaged, or busy working/studying, then hire professional helpers.
• If you are moving for work, find out which parts of your move are tax-deductible.
• Pack the essentials kit. When you arrive at your new home, you should have the following things nearby for the first days before you finish unpacking:
  • Your wallet and keys;
  • Toiletries;
  • Changing of clothes including underwear and pajamas;
  • Chargers;
  • Toilet paper and towels;
  • First aid kit: aspirin, band-aids, antiseptic wipes, etc.

 

Now you know how to save money on your long-distance move and prepared for it mentally. We recommend you choose between Partial or Full DIY, depending on your time and budget. If you have time constraints, then our long-distance movers are always here to help.