Plus a tip to protect your data during a move
Moving tends to be a four-figure expense that's difficult to budget for.
Moving is always more expensive than you'd think. The average local move in the U.S. costs about $1,700, while a long-distance move can top $4,000, according to the home-services site Angi. My fiancé and I spent a sweltering summer in New York City touring fifth-floor walkup apartments, and then packing up our belongings and moving them to a new place a few blocks away. I'm exhausted.
Sign up to get Don't Short Yourself in your inbox weekly.
The upside: After a decade of moving around - from college in South Carolina to stints in a few local newsrooms to finally landing in New York in 2023 - I've picked up a few tips.
Here's where I found the savings.
Money move of the week: 7 ways I kept moving costs down
1. Shop around for movers
One of my biggest regrets from my last move was not shopping around for movers. I remember the ones we hired showing up on moving day and claiming we had way more stuff than I had told them on the phone when I reached out for a quote - so they hiked the price, on the spot, from $700 to about $1,000. This time, I did my homework by getting multiple moving quotes and reading company reviews.
I chose a company whose name I had jotted down in my notes app a year ago after someone recommended it at a party. I liked that their quote was based on how long the move would take, rather than the amount of stuff we own. We paid $830 for a four-hour moving session, including tips for all three workers. Using our last move as a comparison price, we ultimately saved $170 just by making a few phone calls.
2. Downsize - and make some money doing it
I knew I needed to downsize before I started packing, so I began by identifying unwanted belongings to sell. I made about $75 selling some books and a dress on Facebook Marketplace. I also had a bunch of clothes I no longer needed, so I used the resale app Vinted to sell them, and made $106. I prefer Vinted because it's easy to use and there aren't any seller fees, but platforms like Poshmark, Depop or eBay will do the trick, too.
I was honestly hoping to sell a lot more of my clothes (I ended up giving a bunch away), but I still made $181 that went toward moving costs.
3. Check neighborhood groups for free stuff
I'm convinced neighborhood buy-nothing groups are quietly helping keep the economy afloat. These are online groups where people give away things they no longer need, like clothes, books and furniture.
I used one in my neighborhood to unload things I couldn't sell and to furnish the new apartment. I picked up a coffee table, desk, side table and nightstand for free. Based on prices for similar items online, I conservatively estimate that I saved about $300.
Bonus: Giving away unwanted stuff directly to neighbors made me feel better than sending it to a landfill.
4. Reassess your internet plans and fees
Immediately after our application for our new apartment was approved, the listing agent who showed us the unit contacted me from a Spectrum email address pitching wifi packages. Turns out, he has a side gig at the internet company - talk about NYC hustle culture.
I was initially skeptical about this guy's double-dipping sales pitch. But once I confirmed the offer was legitimate, I realized he was actually offering a good deal: internet speed of 500 Mbps with a two-year price lock of $40 a month, or $50 a month if we needed a router. We were paying $55 a month at our last place - lower than the national average of $65, according to the internet pricing data site BroadbandSearch.net - but I liked the idea of saving even more.
So I decided on the $40-a-month plan and bought a $26 router online. Moving to the cheaper plan without a router rental fee saves me $15 a month. Subtract the one-time cost of the router, and now I'm saving $154 on my internet bill this year.
5. Use boxes from your last move
I can thank my past self's frugality here. When I moved from Brooklyn to Manhattan two years ago, I was so annoyed by how much I paid for boxes at a local hardware store that I flattened all of them and stored them under our couch for two years so I wouldn't have to buy new ones for our next move. A set sold online with the same size and number of boxes costs about $50, so we'll say that's how much this saved me.
My old apartment, all packed up in used boxes that I'd kept under the couch for the past two years.
Pro tip: In the months leading up to the move, I also saved boxes from deliveries I received, instead of hauling them downstairs to the recycling bin. The medium-size Amazon boxes were perfect for packing books, which also helped to avoid weighing down larger boxes.
6. Use coupons from the U.S. Postal Service change-of-address packet
Typically when I move to a new place, the red-and-blue-striped envelope from the post office confirming my new address goes directly from the mailbox into the trash. This year, however, I gave it a chance and found that the coupons inside could actually be useful.
A Wayfair $(WTI3)$ coupon helped me score two fancy bath mats at a steep markdown. The pair was originally $125, but, thanks to a sale on the store's website and the coupon, I got both for $21, meaning I saved $104 total. I'm also holding on to a Crate & Barrel coupon from the change-of-address packet in case there's something I need later.
7. Take advantage of sales
Since our move coincided with Amazon's (AMZN) Prime Day sale, I timed a few purchases accordingly and saved a combined $21.50 on the router and some household essentials. It wasn't a windfall, but every little bit helped offset the cost of the move.
Grand total in savings: $980.50
A moving-day privacy choice I'm glad I knew about
Skip the instant tools linking to your bank account when applying for apartments: Maybe I'm just paranoid based on some of my reporting, but when I applied for my apartment and the income-verification tool prompted me to link my bank account, I took a pass. Instead, I found an option to upload pay stubs manually. It took a few extra minutes, but I preferred doing that for the added privacy and peace of mind.
Next week, we're going to talk about saving money on travel, so I want to hear all your tips for cutting vacation costs. Do you have a go-to budget-friendly destination? A foolproof strategy for redeeming credit-card points on flights or hotels? I want to hear how you're planning your trips. Email me at dontshortyourself@marketwatch.com, and your response might be included in the next edition.
Key money reads
- If you're moving soon, here's more information about comparison shopping for internet service.
- The American workforce has fallen by over 1 million people in the past year. Here's what's going on.
- The real-estate market is not for the weak. This is the ZIP code with the hottest housing market in the country right now.
- Plus, Missouri voters rejected a proposal to eliminate state income tax, and major tax proposals will appear on Florida and California ballots this fall.
Reader tips
Send us your favorite way to save or grow your money, and we'll share it with our readers. Send it to dontshortyourself@marketwatch.com.
About Genna
I'm Genna Contino, an award-winning journalist on MarketWatch's personal-finance team. I'm 27 years old, originally from South Carolina, and currently splitting the rent on an overpriced apartment in New York City with my fiancé. When I'm not writing about my hack for saving hundreds of dollars on airfare, or the four must-have money conversations before moving in with your partner, you can find me reading a celebrity memoir, overanalyzing reality TV, junk journaling, borrowing DVDs from the library or getting thoroughly humbled in an adult ballet class after a 10-year hiatus.
-Genna Contino
Comments