If you are only moving locally, you might assume that your most affordable option is to do everything yourself. This might be true if you are only thinking about the monetary cost of moving. But what about your time? Do you really have endless hours to dedicate to packing, relocated, and unpacking? If your answer is no, then you should consider hiring a local moving service. And believe it or not, there are some ways (such as the following) to keep costs manageable.
1. Move in the middle of the week.
Most people would rather move on the weekend. Because there is more demand for weekend moving services, movers often charge more for their services on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays. If you can manage to move in the middle of the week, you may pay less for the exact same service. This might mean you have to take a personal day at work, but it also may not. Many moving companies will happily pack and move your stuff without you being present, which means you can go to work while they orchestrate your move. This works well when you're only moving locally!
2. Get rid of clutter.
When you're only moving locally, there is a temptation to just keep and move everything. But if this means your moving company will need to pack more boxes, bring more workers, or use a larger truck, keeping the extras will raise your moving costs. Take the time to go through your clutter and sell or donate anything extra before the movers start working.
3. Unpack yourself.
Hire movers to pack and transport your items and bring them into your new home. But do the unpacking yourself. This will save you money on moving services, and since you can unpack at your own pace, you won't feel too inconvenienced.
4. Make sure you're not paying for insurance you don't need.
Check with your homeowner's or renter's insurance plan to see whether your items are covered while being moved from one home to the next. If your insurance plan covers this, then you should be able to turn down any additional insurance offered by the moving company. There's no reason to pay for double coverage.
The strategies above can help keep costs low when you are moving locally. You don't have to do everything yourself. There are ways to hire local movers without spending a fortune.
