The Incredible Moving Pod

Moving Cheap is always a great idea especially now. I have hit this particular point numerous times, but it is so important that we will take another shot at it.

Pack Rats Have The Most Expensive Moves

Most of the time the most expensive part of a move is the moving of your stuff. If moving cheap is a priority to you than hanging onto unnecessary objects is going to bust your budget. If you don’t need it or you haven’t used it for the last 6 month then get rid of it before you move. Of course there are exceptions like seasonal and Things that mean a lot to you.

Even better than just throwing your unneeded things out you can sell them. Think about listing those objects on Ebay, Creags List, Yahoo Auctions, Your local want ads, or having a garage sale. You could help pay for your move with the things you sell.

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You’re moving to a new city because of a new job, but you don’t know where you will live yet. You book the first moving company you see in the phonebook. They come to your house to get your stuff and pack it into there truck. When you get to your new city you find out that finding a place to live is going to take longer than you thought. The moving company says “no problem we can store your things in our where house for an extra fee". One month later you have finally found a decent place to move into and you are ready for your furniture and clothing to be delivered.

How much was that storage bill? 

To avoid the extremely expensive storage fees that moving companies like to charge try these.

1. Find a temporary home to rent that can hold your things ahead of time. You can use it as a base to explore the area and take the time to find the perfect place to live permanently.

2. Get the moving company to deliver to a storage facility of your choice. Any other storage is going to be cheaper than what the moving company is going to charge you for using their where house. Keep in mind that you will need to spend a little more money when you are ready to move your stuff into your new home.

3. Use a container moving company with storage facilities. This can be expensive and you will need to do your own loading and unloading, but it is still going to be cheaper than the above scenario.

Photo of  Unit 13 by St_A_Sh

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I am as cheap as they come, even when it comes to moving house. So, anytime someone tries to get me to pay extra on anything, I can’t help questioning the expense. Every time you move you are taking the chance that your belongings could be damaged or the moving equipment you are using could be damaged and you would be liable. The question is if you are moving cheap, should you get moving insurance.

Check the insurance that you already have

If you are renting a moving truck then check with your car insurance to see if it might cover your rental truck as well. Most car insurances don’t, but a few do. If you are concerned about an expensive piece of furniture or electronics than check your home owners or renters insurance.

Are your things worth insuring?

How hard would it be to replace your breakables? If you are using movers for your cheap move then it is almost a given that something is going to get damaged. If you don’t care if one or two of the items being moved are destroyed then don’t bother insuring your stuff.

You have to think of everything when you are moving cheap.

Photo of The hot seat by B Melch

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How much of the stuff that you have do you use all the time? If you are moving cheap then you should think about what you are moving. Generally the biggest expense when moving is getting your stuff from the old place to the new one. It doesn’t matter if you hire a professional moving company, get a moving truck rental, use moving pods, or transport everything in your own van or truck the less stuff you have to move the cheaper it is going to be. Even that last option is cheaper in gas if you can make fewer trips. Here are a few things to keep in mind while deciding what is worth keeping and what can go.

Start with the things you have permanently stored. Separate the seasonal things like Christmas decorations and lawn furniture that you use every year out from the rest. Then pull out the keepsakes you have to keep. The rest is just a waste of space and moving costs, just let it go.

Thin out everything behind doors and in drawers. Chances are you only use what is in front and on top. Go though coat closets and junk drawers. These tend to be dumping places. If you don’t know what to do with it or where is should go then you probably don’t need it.

Go though your clothes. Most people only wear 20% of there clothing. Figure out what you haven’t worn in the last year and then try to get rid of the rest.

Books, magazines, movies, and music are heavy and take up a lot of room. Try to get rid of as much of them as you can. You can sell some books, movies, and music to earn a little extra moving money.

Good luck moving cheap, I know you can do it.

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If you are finding yourself needing to move in the cold dark winter then you are probably feeling pretty abused right now. If you need to be moving cheap or just want to then winter is a great time to move.

Most people do not move in the winter so it is easier and cheaper. You don’t have to book your movers, moving truck, or moving pods as far in advance in the winter, and the prices are more competitive.

Gas in the winter is naturally cheaper then the summer. I don’t know if you have noticed, but so far gas is a lot cheaper now than it was last summer.

If you find yourself moving a good distance north and need to be moving cheap than I have really good news for you? In most cases it is cheaper to move north than south. Why that is the case is a subject for a different post.

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In this challenging economy we are all looking for more affordable ways of doing everything. Using a moving pod instead of paying full service movers is going to save you a bundle, but how do you get your stuff into the moving pod?

Will Work for Doughnuts

Most everyone has friends and family that will understand that you need help. If moving cheap is really a necessity for you then, it’s time to swallow your pride and ask. Don’t forget to provide doughnuts or pizza to your helpers.

If you don’t have people in your life that will happily help you then it would still be cheaper to hire some neighborhood kids to do the heavy lifting.

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