Moving expenses??

[DisneyNutMic]

How much does it really cost to move?? What expenses do I need to be prepared for?? We are just moving across town so we don't have to worry about renting a moving van or anything.

Power and water hook up I already know. We are just moving our cable so no charges there.

 

[TaraPA]

You can get free boxes from your local grocery store - ours had an area out back by the dumpsters where they kept the boxes from their deliveries during the day & said I was free to take what I wanted.

You will need a heavy duty packing tape gun - don't try to do it all with the little plastic tape dispensers - it goes MUCH more smoothly with a big metal one. Packing tape actually added up when we moved - we got the large rolls that go with the metal dispenser - we must have spent $100 in tape!

Check if your town requires a Moving Permit. Ours did. I think it was about $50. We moved within the same township so get this - we needed 2 permits - a moving OUT and a moving IN. Crazy! Also if at your new place you need to park your moving van (if you rent one) on the street there are often permits for this as well.

 

[thebigkahuna]

Don't forget to change the address on drivers licenses' - it cost $25 each and had to be done within 10 days of the move.

 

[ceecee]

We moved across town and it was $800.00 for the moving company to move all of the furniture and boxes, outdoor things (basketball hoop and several large rocks). We had to pack everything and label the boxes as to which room they would go to. They set up all the furniture and left the boxes in each room. We did not buy their boxes, just got some from the local grocery. Gas, electric, phone, cable etc. there was not a charge. We did have to get the wiring done for the invisible fence. We also had additional expenses due to well water (needed tx and water softener). I also paid to get the carpets and tile professionally cleaned since it was 3 years old.

 

[cglaura]

You can get free boxes from your local grocery store - ours had an area out back by the dumpsters where they kept the boxes from their deliveries during the day & said I was free to take what I wanted.....

Be very careful with this, they are a breeding ground for roaches and ants. Even if you don't see any, the tiny babies could be nested in the couregated (sp?) holes.

My friend bought rubbermaid containers, then sold most of them at a yard sale for pretty good money since they were almost brand new.

 

[P.I. Squirrel]

Power and water hook up I already know. We are just moving our cable so no charges there.

Will you be changing companies for water/power/gas? If so, be prepared for possible deposits with all of these. Many companies now allow deposits and connection fees to be billed, but our local electric co-op requires all of those to be paid before service is turned on.

When we moved, we ate out much more, since all our dishes were packed away. Good to include food in your budget.

If you move from a newer home to an older one, or vise versa, you may need to change your dryer cord. There are two different cord designs, depending on how the ground is handled at your new house. 15 to 20 bucks

We hit Wal Mart, Target, and Big Lots at the end of the Christmas season, and stocked up on Rubbermaid containers that were on clearance. They really made the move easier.

Also, you mention it's only across town, so you won't need a moving truck. Sometimes, it's less hassle to part with $75 and fill the truck, moving it all at once instead of many smaller trips with your car.

Last, we never seemed to budget for window treatments. So, it was sleeping with a temporary curtain on the window the first night until we replaced it with blinds. When you add up all the windows, it gets pricey.

 

[Handbag Lady]

When we move, we try to be as frugal as possible. We buy the office boxes in packs of 3 or 5 from Office Max or Staples (depends on who has the deal) and then we don't need tape. We try to move ourselves over the course of one or two weeks, so that we do it every night after work.

And we re-use the boxes. I pack my car at night, go to work, drive to the new place after work, unload and empty what I can, then go back to the old place and by then, the husband has boxes all ready to go again.

We only pay for the large items we own to be moved by movers.


We've never done a large cross-country move. At that point, I'd give up and pay full pop to have someone do it all for me.

And I've never heard of a moving permit.

 

[powelweb]

We're packing up, too, and DH found moving supplies on craig's list that someone had left over from their move, so we bought a bunch of boxes in all different sizes including wardrobe boxes to hang clothes in, along with packing tape, bubble wrap and wrapping paper.

maybe you'll score a find, too.

 

[Gigi22]

Newsprint for packing breakables. Although be warned that over time newspaper ink etches onto glasses and china, so be prepared to unpack promptly if you decided to recycle the newspaper by using it for packing!

 

[PigletsMommy]

We're packing up, too, and DH found moving supplies on craig's list that someone had left over from their move, so we bought a bunch of boxes in all different sizes including wardrobe boxes to hang clothes in, along with packing tape, bubble wrap and wrapping paper.

maybe you'll score a find, too.

I 2nd this. I got 75 boxes for free. Varius Sizes, including 4 of the large clothing boxes. Its been so nice not having to bug the grocery store or liquor store employees for their boxes.

I missed out on 2 huge rolls of bubble wrap by a day. They were giving away for free

I've gotten most of my packing newspapers for free from family members & neighbors when they are thru reading their papers. Also my apartment complex & my in-laws apartment complex has a free small paper by the mail boxes.

 

[littlezar]

I seriously moved 4 houses down the street in military housing (due to renovations) while my hubby was deployed. I could have had the movers do everything, but it was easier for me to move a lot of it myself (even with 4 kids underfoot!) I did have the help of 1 girlfriend.

We started with the kitchen and would just empty the cabinets into rubbermaid totes, go to the new house, unpack into the cabinets and do again til the kitchen was done. Did the same for the linen closet, the bathrooms, the shelves over the laundry and all the stuff the movers won't touch (candles, batteries, cleaning supplies, lawn & garden seed, etc) For all the hanging clothes, we just put a sheet in the back of my van and her suv and took the clothes from the closet, laid them on the sheet and hung again in the closets. My boys rode their bikes down the street and one walked with the gas grill and the lawnmower.

I have another girlfriend who moved 2 blocks away and her and her husband did the entire move on their own just using a full size pickup and a minivan. After all was said and done, she said they should have rented a moving van for a day because it was so many trips back and forth.

 

[mickeyfan1]

WHen we moved 9 miles from one house to this one, we hired movers to do all the bg stuff, furniture, fridge, washer, dryer, couched, beds, dressers, tables and chairs, china cabinet, stereo cabinet, etc. We moved all the little stuff ourselves, I bought a few big rubbernaid bins, we fulled them uo, brought them here, emptied them and repeated. So our cost was the movers. We did have a water hook up fee, like 35 dollars, elecvtric, trash, sewer was just transfer. To get my address changed on my DL it was 3 dollars, I think, definately less than 10. Around here you can not get boxes from the grocvery store or the liquor stores. They either reuse them or recycle them and won't give them away.

I don't know how you are going to move your big stuff, I guess you have frioends with trucks and strong backs? If so, I would plan on buying them food and cold drinks.

 

[mickeynminnie08]

It has been a few years, but when we moved 6 blocks to our new house we had a lot of help from family members. Boxes, we got from local grocery stores and I definately second packing tape...I love it! We packed over the course of two weeks, then we had 3 pick up trucks and had our three bedroom house moved in a day. Now we had to spend a week unpacking before everything looked settled, but other than the packing tape and water/sewer deposit, we didn't really spend anything except lunch for our helpers.

 

[Swimalie]

Another place to get good boxes free is a hospital. We got a ton from a friend's mom who worked at a local hospital. She had all these empty boxes from the glove boxes. I think we ended up with over 100 of those boxes and we are still using some for storage 4 years later. We've always moved across country and used a pro so other than the tape dispenser, I can't offer much over what has been said. Good luck.

 

[Local_Girl]

We made a move across the state a few months ago. DH collected paper boxes from work and the local copy shop and we had literally dozens of them for the move. They are great for heavy things like books (we have a ton) and smaller fragile items. You might also want to borrow or invest in a dolly so you can stack multiple boxes at a time vs. having to carry each one individually out the door (and into the new house).

I've never heard of moving permits... Maybe a regional thing?

Also, as an aside, sometimes there are extra costs in making a move that you don't realize until a later time. In our case, we moved in the middle of winter to a somewhat rural home on lots of acreage. We didn't realize how much lawn area there was until spring when the snow melted...and we had to buy a riding lawn mower! Oh, and we had to move quickly due to a new job that wanted DH sooner than later so we didn't have a lot of time to look for a place. We also ended up having to buy a new fridge, which wasn't in the plan.

 

[Kriii]

Although Dh's employer always covers the movers, realtor fees, closing costs etc we have found ourselves paying for things such as appliances, window treatments, utility deposits, and multiple little "things" needed in the new house such as storage bins or extra closet shelving. There are also little updates to the new home to make it comfortable and to our taste such as ceiling fans, extra cable boxes and paint. Some items are too used or yucky to move, such as the litter box, so we buy those new. We learned the hard way to make a professional home cleaning part of the contract or you might find yourself cleaning carpets etc. One owner pretty much left our new home filthy. Make sure the previous owner removes ALL of their stuff or you may find yourself stuck disposing this (another lesson learned!). Hope your move goes smoothly.