Moving is relatively common in the US, and there’s a good chance that you’re planning to move this year despite the pandemic. But moving can be a stressful and labor-extensive process. However, it doesn’t have to be that way for you and your family. Through some simple suggestions, you can reduce the number of things you have to move, and maybe even profit along the way.
Hire a Moving Service
Hiring a moving service is one of the best moves you can make if you want your move to be as smooth as possible. However, it’s costly, and you might have to wait for weeks before you can even make a move. It all depends on how much stuff you have in your old home.
If you’re living alone, then there’s a good chance that you can get the cost efficiency you need by hiring a moving service. However, if you’re an entire family of four or five living in an average-sized home, you might have to reduce the amount of stuff you have.
A single move can cost you upwards of $1,400. However, a long-distance move can cost you between $2,200 and $5,700, and that’s just a two-person party. So if you have a lot of things to move, you’ll probably have to wait weeks before you can live in your new home. By the end of the day, it might be better to be creative and reduce the number of your belongings if you want to make your move hassle-free. One way to do this is through a garage sale.
Sell Some Heavy Furniture and Belongings
Who doesn’t love a good old-fashioned garage sale? You can time it with the yearly garage sale in every neighborhood. Many people will undoubtedly visit your home just for your furniture alone. You can also make a profit by doing this. It can help pay for the move of whatever furniture you’ve chosen to bring to your new home. Better yet, it can jump-start your savings.
It’s always good to reduce the number of belongings you have before you move to a new home. It’s profitable and convenient for you. An old New York Times article has found that you can earn around $500 to $1,000 in a single garage sale. If you add inflation to that, that’s about $1,657 this year in earnings. That’s enough to pay for a three-bedroom home moving service.
Rent a Storage Unit Near Your New Place
Okay, so let’s say you don’t want to part with your belongings for various reasons. Well, your move doesn’t have to be costly or nightmarish. All you have to do is prioritize which items you have to move first and which you can store and retrieve later.
By renting a storage unit nearby your new place and moving stuff that you don’t need just yet in that storage space, you can save time and money when you do have to make your move. Once you’ve moved to your new place, all you have to do is retrieve whatever you’ve stored, and since it’s closer, you don’t have to go through the hassle of traveling an entire state for it. However, if you’ve decided that you don’t need it yet, that’s also good, because now you have a place to store it.
A storage unit, on average, costs around $90 to $290, depending on the size. There’s a good chance that you don’t need something higher than a 5×5 storage unit. You can save about $500 to $1,000 by doing this strategy alone.
Don’t Move With Your Pets
If you’re moving and you have a pet, especially a dog, it might not be best for them to join you in the family car. There are a couple of reasons for this. The main reason is that if the move is interstate, then it’s going to be a long trip, and you’re going to need to prepare for that. It’s going to be a hectic trip if your pet comes with you. Another reason is that you’ll need to prepare a lot more things for your trip if you decide that your pet is coming with you.
It will be best if you don’t move with your pets in the same vehicle. Instead, hire a pet ground transport service to help you out. These people are experts at what they do, and they’ll make sure that your lovely fur baby will arrive at your destination safe and sound. They’ll be a lot more comfortable, too!
Final Thoughts
Moving to a new place doesn’t have to be a hassle if you follow the suggestions we’ve given you above. It doesn’t have to be costly either. So try them out on your next move, and see the major difference in time and money.
