Guide to Making a Long-Distance Moving Expenses Checklist

Know How to Create a Budget

Whatever your reasons to move may be, you should write down all of your relocation tasks and associated expenses. With that list, you can write down the total of all your costs. Then you should sift through your finances and decide what you’ll dedicate to the relocation budget. Not doing so is one of the most common moving mistakes. Of course, you can always go back to it later if you want to make any small changes if you’re able to find ways to cut costs. Keep in mind that you don’t have to pay for everything right away. If you have to pay in parts to cover payments, do so. It’s also an excellent way to budget.

Always Have Some Extra Cash in Your Budget

Always have emergency money on hand in-case. There can be several things that require cash when traveling cross country, or you might want to pick something up while on your way. Whether it’s for food, tolls, fixing your car, picking up a new piece of furniture, or anything else, extra cash can save you trouble.

What Costs Should I Consider When Moving Long-Distance?

A cross country move includes many different factors and, you guessed it, those factors cost money. If you aren’t entirely sure of what to expect for your relocation, you should, at the very least, think about the necessary costs. Having an idea of what you’ll have to pay for is the first step in creating your checklist.

Moving Company Fees

If you’re planning on moving cross country, we highly suggest that you hire long-distance movers. Relocation companies are well equipped and knowledgeable about long-distance relocations and can even save you money if you use any of their moving services. However, you should still be prepared to handle the fees that come along with hiring. Expect to cover labor costs and supplies, basic insurance, truck usage, and possibly a storage service.

Transportation Costs

Relocating to a new state or part of the country sounds exciting, but not only are you going to have to figure out how you are going to get there, but how will you pay to get there? Travel costs should not go unnoticed, and you need to know how much to spend and on what:

• Gas for your truck or car.
• Food and drink for the road.
• Depending on how far you’re relocating, you’ll need to find overnight accommodation.

Additional Fees & Expenses

What hits the hardest are the things we don’t see coming. Whether you like it or not, there will always be unexpected and additional fees to pay. Always ask questions when you are paying for a service and ask them to explain when you don’t understand a policy or a part of an offer. Here are some additional underlying fees to expect:

• Disassembling and reassembling furniture fees for large and expensive furniture.
• Hefty lifting fee for carrying large furniture.
• Travel fee for the long commute.
• Extra-stops fee for when you take extra stops on the road.
• Express delivery fee if you decide to have your belongings delivered faster.

Of course, there are other costs you may encounter, if you’re moving with pets, for example.

Apartment Related Expenses

A considerable part of your budget should be dedicated to your new apartment or house before you get there. Anywhere you move, your landlord or property owners will not allow you to move in until you pay a down payment or a deposit. Make sure you take care of these payments before you get on the road:

• Deposit and first month’s rent. – Most landlords will not let you move into your new home until you pay your deposit and rent.
• Building fees – These are specifically for moving into an apartment and are included in building maintenance and services that the building provides.
• Cleaning service – Even when you move in, you’ll have to make sure that your new apartment is clean.
• Utilities – Depending on when you relocate, your landlord may require you to pay a part of the month’s bills or all of it. Either way, you’re going to need water and electricity.
• Internet and cable – Internet and cable can be expensive, but necessary. A large percentage of our everyday lives revolve around the web. An excellent tip to go by is to research service providers near your apartment and call for service packages ahead of time.
• Groceries – After all of that moving, you’re going to be hungry. Set a budget for groceries and create a list ahead of time and get yourself stocked up.

Costs to Consider

The Cost of a DIY Relocation

Trust us, we know that long-distance relocation and hiring movers are a significant process and investment, and you might be thinking, “why not just do it myself?” It’s understandable to want to do a DIY relocation, but if you choose to do so, be prepared for what’s to come. The first thing to note is that you will have to spend a lot more time on this relocation.

Costs you should expect:

• Packing supplies – Buying materials can cost well up to $200 depending on where you go and how much stuff you have. If you aren’t careful, it could be hard on your budget.
• Lifting equipment – If you have large furniture, such as a piano, or couch, etc. you have to have specific equipment to get it out of the house and loaded on your truck.
• Auto transport service – If you decide to use other means of travel, you can hire professional movers for an auto transport service to have your car delivered directly to your new home.
• Truck rental – Assuming you have a lot of stuff to move to your new home, you’re going to need to rent a vehicle from a truck rental company.
• Gas – You’ll have to have fuel for either your car, truck, or maybe even both.
• Food – While on the road, you’ll have to eat at some point.

Best Tips to Reduce Costs and Save Additional Money

Having a set checklist is great for making sure you don’t spend too much on your relocation, but what if there were ways for you to save? Fortunately, there are many things you can do to cut costs and even get some extra cash:

• Get rid of things that you don’t want or need. You can sell them in a garage sale, or you can sell old books to a book reseller, if you have no use for that old piece of jewelry or lamp that your great aunt gave you, you can always get it appraised and sell it to an antique shop as well.
• If you don’t plan to use a full relocation service, you can always opt for just one thing that movers offer. A packing service where professional movers pack everything, for example.
• Find your packing materials. There are many household items, like towels and sheets, you can use like packing materials. You can also ask family and friends for any boxes, or go to the Salvation Army or Goodwill and ask for discarded boxes.

Now that you have all you need to know about managing your expenses, your relocation should be much smoother, and hopefully cost you less than you’re expecting.