As you’re reading the title, you’re probably wondering: ‘Part 2?’. Indeed, we have already written the part one of this post, which has been published on this website. Feel free to look it up for more information on tools which you can use to plan your budget more easily and some regular costs that you ought to include if you’re moving yourself or by a moving company. We have also mentioned how you can save some money while planning the actual trip from your current to your future home in our previous entry. If you’ve already read the article, then feel free to simply skip to the body of the text, and read the rest of our suggestions.
Save some money on packaging and storage fees estimates for the move
- Boxes: We would like to remind you here than when relocating, weight is money, and before you start calculating the number of boxes which you will need, you should get rid of all the stuff that you don’t really need. You can sell those items online or hold a garage sale, if you’re looking to earn some money for the move, or give them to your family, friends and neighbors in exchange for their help with the move. Once all of the stuff is sorted, consider your boxing options carefully. Will you buy new boxes from the moving company or use old ones? Will you rent ‘green’ boxes from a company? Will you ask a friend who’s recently moved to sell you theirs half-price? Will you use the old boxes which you already own? We would only offer you one more piece of advice here, despite the fact that you’re trying to save some money, keep in mind that you want your stuff to arrive in one piece while considering all the options. Finally, enter the expected price in your Excel table as your budget estimate.
Bubblewrap tends to turn 30 year olds into 5 year olds, so be sure to include a good estimate in your budget
- Bubblewrap/Newsprint: Here, you can definitely save some money. If you’ve ordered something recently, feel free to re-use some of the bubblewrap. Also, if you know someone who has recently moved, they are bound to have tons of the stuff left, so feel free to ask them to take those off their hands, or maybe pay half-price. As for newsprint, in order to save some money, feel free to use some of the old newspapers that you surely have lying around. After you have calculated the cost estimates, enter them in your budget table.
- Tape/Labels/Markers: These are pretty self-explanatory, and not that expensive. Though, if you really want to save some cash, look around the house for markers or sharpies before buying new ones. You surely have some lying around, which will help you lower the cost of these items in your budget.
- Mattress Covers/padding: If you aren’t moving yourself, but via moving company, they may provide this at no-cost, so be sure to ask them about it.
- Storage Fees: Here we will again mention the golden number, five. And, after you call all of these storage companies, be sure to enter the highest amount into the table. You will thank us later when you have some extra money from this leftover.
- Extra Insurance: Don’t try to save any money here. If you’re storing your valuables, be sure to insure them. If you think about it carefully,
- Moving Costs: These are costs to move the items from your home to the storage facility. This may be included in a line item above or the moving company may allow you one additional stop at no extra cost. Plan some extra money in your budget just in case you need to buy sometimes else, like paint etc.
- Lease Cancellation Charges: Your landlord can charge you for cancelling your lease or they can also withhold your initial deposit, so you should make sure to include these costs into the estimate for your moving budget
Buying or renting your new home while saving some money
- Lawyer Fee: Be sure to include a fee for your lawyer as you plan your budget for the move
- Other Fees: There may be other fees which you should calculate into your budget estimate as well. They could be title search fees or survey fees, but make sure to leave some money on the side for them. If you end up not needing to pay the fees, it will be a great way to save some extra money.
- Inspection/Appraisal
- Home or Apartment Insurance: Check the estimate with your company and be sure to include it in your estimate for the budget.
- Redecorating Costs: This one will probably be difficult to calculate. After choosing your new home, try and breakdown the costs and then calculate what you will need into your budget for the relocation. You can either get an estimate for each room separately, based on how many things you will need to repair or replace, or you can estimate the cost of redecorating for the whole house/apartment after the relocation at once.
- Property Taxes
- Utility Deposits: Here, you will have to contact different utility companies to get the estimates as you’re planning your budget for a move. Be sure to include the cable, water, electricity, heating, telephone and any other services which you might need. You can also ask the companies how much they charge you for your current utilities, or ask the landlord, if you are renting your home. This will help you plan your estimates for the relocation much better, and in the long run, save some money.
- Apartment Rental Deposit
- Apartment Damage Deposit
- Apartment Pet Deposit
- You may need to get a parking permit, garbage disposal etc. Be sure to include a certain amount of money here as you plan your budget for the move. If you don’t need to buy some things, it will be a good way to save some money.
Finishing up planning your budget for the relocation
Don’t forget to add the contingency rate at the end, as it will help you have some extra money for emergenciesAfter that, you should multiply your subtotal by 5%, as this is your contingency rate. Finally, add those five percent to the subtotal to get your total cost estimate for the move.
Now that you have all of your costs in one place, add them up and this will give you the subtotal for your budget for your move.
After that, you should multiply your subtotal by 5%, as this is your contingency rate. Finally, add those five percent to the subtotal to get your total cost estimate for the move.