Talk to people who have recently moved, and they swear they’re never going to do it again. Moving is an enormous task, and the cost can cause major sticker shock. If you have a full-service move, you’ll pay a lot more, but if you do it yourself, you’ll pay with time and effort. So what should you do?
It’s not easy to give an average cost of moving, because every situation is different. However, there are move calculators online, like this one from MovingGuru.com that can give you ballpark figures.
Using MovingGuru’s calculator, a move from Atlanta, Georgia, to Modesto, California, for a three-bedroom house, for example, would cost an estimated $3,600 to $4,400 for a full-service move, $670 to $818 for a self-service move (you pack and someone else drives) or roughly $36 to $44 per day plus fuel to rent a truck and do it yourself.
The same move for someone with a one-bedroom apartment would cost $675 to $825 for a full-service move, $670 to $818 for self-service and $23 to $28 per day plus fuel for a DIY move.
U-Pack, a self-service mover, estimates that a 1,000-mile move from Dallas, Texas, to Phoenix, Arizona, would cost about $1,624 for an “average” move, including fuel, liability, taxes and an experienced driver.
Whatever services you eventually choose, you can use these tips to save money.
1. If possible, avoid moving during the summer, over the holidays and at the beginning or end of the month, because the cost of moving is higher during those times.
Leases are usually up at the end of the month, so demand is highest then and at the beginning of the month. If you can move between Monday and Thursday, you’ll save over having to move on a weekend.
2. Purge your possessions.
Evaluate everything you own and decide if it’s all really worth packing up and moving. If it isn’t, set it aside in a designated space. Then hold a garage sale or give the items to charity.
3. Eat everything in your freezer.
You’ve already paid for it, so you might as well eat it. You may have some unusual meals, but you’ll avoid throwing away money by eating what you have on hand.
4. If you have lots of books, check how much it would cost to send them media rate at the post office rather than packing and moving them yourself.
Shipping by media rate isn’t the speediest, but it is cost-effective. Also, it can only be media, which means educational materials. Be aware of the restrictions before you ship and know that you can’t get the media rate if you have other things packed in with your books.
5. Get multiple quotes and require proof that the companies are bonded and insured.
If one quote is unusually low, it may be because the company doesn’t include services others include, so be skeptical.
6. Read reviews of moving companies.
Remember how they used to judge ice skating competitions in the Olympics? Judges would throw out the highest and lowest scores and then average the others. This is a good approach to use with reviews.
Some scathing reviews are written by people with an ax to grind, and some glowing reviews are written by paid reviewers. Go with the overall impression you get from the bulk of the reviews. Obviously, if all the reviews are bad, you should avoid that company.
7. Get boxes from grocers and liquor stores, and see if your local newspaper gives away newsprint remnants for wrapping up breakables.
The one specialty-packing item that may be worth paying for, however, is packaging for hanging artwork, because there’s no readily available free substitute for this type of container.
8. If you can be flexible with your moving dates, you may be able to save.
Even just a few days one way or the other can result in savings, particularly if you avoid a weekend, holiday or the beginning or end of a month.
9. Save on hourly movers’ rates by doing as much prep work as possible.
The more you have packed and ready to put on the truck, the less packing the movers (who charge by the hour) will have to do.
10. To avoid having to buy insurance from the moving company, see if your homeowner’s insurance cover it.
Movers will try to sell you insurance as an add-on, but you may already be covered under your homeowner’s policy. Call your insurance agent and ask, and you could avoid this expense.
Mary Hiers is the author of “10 Ways to Lower the Cost of Moving,” which originally appeared on Mint.com.