MOVING
Moving day! I should probably say moving days. The medical journey often involves multiple moves. For tips from those who have made the move for medical school, check out The Guide to Moving from Med School Wives. My money saving tip for moving is actually a money maker tip. Sell all you can before the move! You’ll have less to move and more money for your moving budget.
What is your best tip when it comes to saving money on moving costs?
YVETTE: Nothing aside from do-it-yourself U-Haul and kind friends who are up for a ride! We literally had friends go with my husband. They drove their own car behind the U-Haul and all rode back together after unpacking our house.
HEATHER: I knew in 2018 that we would only live in that apt for a year. For the whole year, I saved every single diaper and Amazon box that was large enough for packing. We ended up with extra at the end and didn’t have to buy any moving supplies.
I had to move by myself with the girls and Joe wasn’t a factor in lifting or making the drive to the new place. We rented a U-Haul, hired movers for an hour to load the washer, dryer, couch, and beds, and I did the rest myself.
In a year long babysitting trade agreement, my friend made the 2.5 hour drive to get my girls and drive them to her house (which is 5 minutes from our new place) and had them all day until I arrived that night with the U-Haul and minivan in tow.
I unloaded the truck myself and hired movers to unload the heavy items at the end. Total moving cost was about $350 I think.
AMANDA: Ugh, moving is the worst!! I’m not sure if I’ve ever found a good way around this. We get moving boxes for free from grocery stores, Costco, basically any place willing to give us extra boxes.
SAMANTHA: We are going through this right now. I’ve seen many people say “shop around for movers!” or… “pay strong friends to help!” I think this is a great idea. If you’re looking for moving help – set a budget an ask around…offer payment to able bodied friends who want to make some quick extra cash!
When it came to boxes…we have been reusing the same boxes since we first moved out of our apartment back in 2014. We break down the boxes and store them flat after each move. Also, we try to sell things on Craigslist or other social media sites if we know we want to get rid of it. I just sold a tandem bike that I got for free from a friend 5 years ago for $100 on Facebook! That’s an extra $100 in our pocket. So be sure to think about what is quality or unique enough to post a picture of and try to sell before you just bring it to Goodwill.
Also, back to the idea of saving on bills and utilities…if you’re moving to a new neighborhood where you’ll be restarting Wifi, cable plans etc…consider using this time to work on getting a great deal! At the end of the day, moving is expensive…period…there’s no way around it. Do your best to consider your new space/home and plan what furniture you’ll need and what you can sell before you move – use the money you make off of those items to help pay for your moving costs. And always plan ahead!
MICHAELLA: PLAN AHEAD. Save ahead of time and figure out what you’re willing to spend (emotionally, mentally, physically). When it comes to moving, what works best for you and your family is the way to go. We are using U-Box to move from Nevada to Washington because neither of us wanted to drive a U-Haul and tow a car (Geoff’s car).
If you know where you’re moving too, try to sell the items/things you don’t need. We got rid of a lot of our furniture by selling it to friends and other classmates that were staying local to where we are (Nevada) for residency.
KRISTEN: Write off moving expense on taxes if you can.
Do you have any money saving tips for moving? Share in the comments below!
This is really helpful. I’ve been trying to research guides and recommendations to make my financial status better every year. Thanks for this!
I’m so glad you’ve found it helpful! Each gal has got some great ideas!