How to move house when you’re on a tight budget? 5 Key tips

Moving to a new house, in a new place, can be as stressful as it is exciting, not to mention prohibitively expensive for most people, especially when it comes to long-distance moves.

While the prospect of moving itself can seem daunting for most people, the effort involved, and the cost of this entire process can force them to drop the idea for good.

Millions of people across the country give up on promising new opportunities, and potential improvements in their quality of life, largely because they are afraid of change, and the amount of money warranted for such massive changes.

Even though we don’t have much to offer when it comes to overcoming the fear of change, there are quite a few things you can do to move house, even if you are on a tight budget. In this article, we cover some tried-and-tested tips, tricks, and best practices for the same.

1. Plan ahead & organize your move

The biggest mistake that most people make when it comes to big life changes, such as relocating to a new house, is to wait until the last few days to start planning and preparing.

The sheer scale of change involved, and the number of moving parts can easily overwhelm even the most level-headed individuals. As such, it is absolutely imperative to start planning your move, at least a few weeks in advance, so that all essential considerations are taken into account.

In addition to having plenty of time to plan your move to perfection, starting early can help you compare and identify affordable moving solutions with 9kilo that fall within your budget, instead of being forced to stick with the only service provider available at the last moment.

2. Get rid of unnecessary items

The common scourge of most households is the endless ensemble of unnecessary trinkets, keepsakes, and other useless possessions. Though we don’t want to admit it, at our very core, our primal instinct to hoard still very much calls the shots, whether it is the tabs on your browser, or household artifacts.

This habit proves to be quite expensive when relocating across long distances, with the cost of transporting a few such possessions almost up there with buying them afresh.

When you’re up against a tight budget, these compulsions can cost you dearly, and as such, it is recommended to build up the nerve to say goodbye to a significant chunk of your collections. A great way to go about this is by getting rid of everything you haven’t used over the past three years.

You can consider holding a yard sale, which can be a great source of funds, particularly when you’re on a tight budget, and what is left can be donated to charity, or simply disposed of, unless they have some sentimental value that you want to preserve.

3. Move during the off-season

As is the case with most things, the cost of moving on a whole is determined by supply and demand factors.

For example, given the trend of outward migration from states such as New York and California in recent years, towards Florida and Arizona, the cost of a U-Haul truck rental in the former states is far more expensive than in the latter.

Similarly, there are certain times of the year when the demand for moving services peak, usually during the Summer when kids are away from school. If you can avoid this period, and stick to the lean seasons, such as during the fall, or in winter, you stand to save substantially in moving costs.

4. Do it yourself

When you’re on a very tight budget, consider handling the move all by yourself, preferably with the help of friends and family.

There are many resources and services to help accomplish this successfully, with services such as UHaul and Penske helping solve your transportation needs, and ULine offering all the packaging and moving supplies you could possibly need.

It is worth noting, however, that a DIY approach can be quite stressful, and in the case of long-distance moves, the cost is often on-par with hiring professional movers. So, make sure to avoid this, unless you really don’t have much budget to work with.

Final words

Moving is hard, and it is particularly difficult when you don’t have the funds to spare for hiring a professional moving service.

That being said, by using a few tips discussed above, you can substantially lower the cost, bringing it well within most budgets, provided you take on some additional stress and strenuous labor.