This week’s post isn’t as legally
pointed as the others, but the supposed rule of writing is “write what you know,”
so my upcoming move inspired this post – moving on a budget. And, moving affects everyone from the pre-law
student moving to their new law school location or the 3L transferring
locations for an amazing job.
By the way, I hate moving! It’s bitter sweet…I enjoy having an exciting,
new place to conquer, but the actual process of moving sucks. I usually wind up looking like a crime scene
on CSI. Bruised, cut, broken nails (a CSI
agent would say I put up quite a fight), writhing on the floor in pain until I
have slowly died from exhaustion – “cause of death?” the agent will ask - moving. I miraculously recover about a week later,
with a slight symptom of amnesia (obviously as I am moving again). Anyway…I’ve been preparing for this move for
a while and made a few notes on how to cut costs and even earn money during a
move!
1.
Plan Ahead. This is key.
The earlier you begin, the better your opportunities to save money and
stick to a budget. Planning early on
will also give you a boost with the rest of the list. For example, if you are moving across country
and need to fly, you can save by knowing your dates in advance and booking
early. This applies to any hotel stay
you may need, too.
2.
Create a Budget. Try to think of any imaginable cost. Will you have an overlap in your
locations? This could mean double
rent/mortgage payments and utility bills.
Application fees, security deposits, realtors, etc. will add up in
addition to your regular cost of living expenses before the actual move. Not to mention, the actual move expenses such
as supplies, trucks, traveling/gas, and help.
If you pack your kitchenware up early, you will have to account for food
costs. How much of these expenditures
are you able to handle in addition to your current expenses? Can you make extra
income or reserve money? Create your
budget and stick to it the best you can.
3.
Show Me the
Money. Start going through your belongings
early. Sell your textbooks back to the
school bookstore and other books to Half Price Books (or an equivalent). Sell furniture, appliances, and electronics
to local consignment shops. Take gently
worn clothes to thrift stores (“one man’s trash, that’s another man’s come-up.”
– Macklemore). Try having a yard/garage
sale. Whatever you can’t sell, donate to
charity. Remember to grab a tax
write-off form to get a deduction next tax season! Getting rid of things you no longer use will
lessen the amount of moving supplies and minimize the size of the moving truck,
all while saving you money.
4.
DIY v. Hired Help. As I mentioned before, I hate moving, but I
always do it myself with the help of very good friends and family. Have you seen the costs of hired help lately? Hired help has its benefits – less likely to
break things, no aches and pains afterward, and they will stay focused and stay
until the job is done (because you’re paying them to). However, if you have reliable help, it is the
more affordable option. You can usually
pay them with food, beer, and/or a gift card for a small percentage of what you
would pay a professional mover – even if you include the cost of renting a
moving truck.
5.
Stretching Your
Dollar. Earlier, I mentioned the costs of food. Depending on how far your move is, you will
want to avoid two financial losses that food can syphon – money wasted from
spoiled food and high fast food/restaurant prices. Slowly limit your groceries nearing your
move-out date. Cook as much of your
perishables as possible. Tupperware them
in advance and you can pack up your cooking supplies and just use paper plates
and a microwave! If you have prepared
meals ready, you also will be less likely to purchase restaurant food. If you are feeding your help, go for food
that doesn’t need much prep work in case your kitchen supplies haven’t been
unloaded yet. Try preparing lasagna in a
disposable pan in advance. It feeds a
lot of people, is affordable to make, and you only need the oven at the new
place to heat it up! Ordering pizza also
has the same effect! Another way to stretch your dollar is by finding packaging
materials for cheap or free. Ask
bookstores, bulk stores, and grocery stores for boxes. Save plastic grocery bags to stuff in boxes
for extra padding.
6.
Get Your Money
Back. Who wants to clean a place they are never
going to be in again – especially after a hard day of labor? However, if you get some dollar store cleaning
supplies and use some elbow grease, you may get some or all of your security
deposit back. In about a month, you’ll
get a nice little reward for your effort!
It’s time for me to go pack! If you have any extra tips, comment or send
an email, and I can add them to another post.
Good luck on your move!
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