Usually moving turns out to be not only stressful, but also rather costly. Still, there are many ways to save money on your move even if you hire an affordable moving company rather than try to do the moving yourself.
The main way you can save on moving expenses is to cut back on supplies. One of the most important aspects of moving your possessions is to pack them well and securely. You may think you need to spend a lot of money to protect your possessions, but read on.
The most important thing for you will be to get enough boxes. All the things that make your house a home, such as photographs, decor, etc, need to be packed well to prevent damage and breakage. You can get boxes from long distance moving company, but they'll be expensive! If you know of anyone that has moved, ask them if you can take their extra boxes from them.
Furthermore, call around to warehouse stores and other retail establishments to find out if you can relieve them of a few boxes. Later in the evening, most stores have plenty of boxes you can use for your moving if you were to show up when they complete restocking their merchandise.
Sometimes, you need very large boxes and you can get these from warehouse or appliance stores. These boxes are usually sturdy and well made, which makes them ideal for electronic items that might be fragile. Businesses such as law firms and construction companies are good places to get mailing tubes to protect posters and other artwork, house plans or important papers.
Most interstate moving companies use bubble wrap to protect fragile items, as well as those inflated plastic bags to cushion larger items. Although these might be the ideal packing materials, they are quite expensive and you don't need them for most of your items. Consider using newspaper instead: it is cheap and if you get a daily paper you'll quickly accumulate enough to move two households! If not, ask friends for their old newspapers or call a business office that gets a daily paper.
If you know that your are moving in advance, you can ask your friends and family to save any packing materials that they might get.
Fragile items may be wrapped with your household linens. Visit a local thrift store if you find that your bed sheets are too delicate. Several quilts would cost you the same as you would pay to rent just one cushioned furniture wrap from a moving company!
In addition, you may get a substantial discount if you agree to let your cheap moving companies store your items for a short period of time until they can combine several loads to be delivered in your area. This option is a great way to save money, especially if you don't need your things immediately.
One of the best ways to get the deals that you want is to look for the reviews online and in consumer publications. There you may find some tips on saving money and negotiating rates.
