How to Move On A Budget: The Ultimate Guide to Saving Time & Money

If you plan on relocating in 2022, best to start thinking ahead about how to move on a budget. 

From creative packing supplies to deals on moving companies, we’ve put together an ultimate guide to save time and money on your next move.

We begin with our first of 10 budget-saving tips, a tip which you can use before even setting a moving date. 

1. Plan Ahead

A move can be a logistical ordeal that can require project manager-level expertise to pull off. If you plan ahead, however, you can mitigate and even avoid last-minute surprises that threaten to derail your budget.

• If you’re a renter, send advance notice to your landlord. Check your renter’s agreement to see how much warning you need to give to avoid or minimize penalties if you’re breaking your rental agreement early.
• Start researching the cost of products and services you’ll need for your move. For example, find out how much a moving company will cost for your size of apartment or home.
• Create a budget for your move. 
• Reserve a storage unit. 
• Understand hidden costs associated with relocating. For example, cleaning services, inspection costs, security deposits, etc. 

2. Purge Your Belongings

When was the last time you looked in those boxes you packed when you moved from your childhood home? How about that stack of magazines gathering dust in a corner; when was the last time you read them? How about the treadmill you bought with good intentions only to let it turn into a clothes hanger? 

A move can be the perfect excuse to free yourself from clutter. Think of it not only as an opportunity to clean house literally but also emotionally. 

Organize your life in preparation for a new beginning. Ditch the things that hold bad memories. Replace them with things that get you excited for the future. 

You can do it in a couple of different ways which we’ll cover next. 

Make piles

Use the popular ‘keep, sell, donate, toss’ piles when deciding what items to toss before a move. If you have items you’re unsure about, make a ‘I don’t know’ pile and deal with it last.

Need inspiration for your clean-up? Here are a few of our favourite books on the art of decluttering:

• The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up by Marie Kondo
• The Gentle Art of Swedish Death Cleaning by Margareta Magnusson
• Martha Stewart’s Organizing by Martha Stewart
• Decluttering at the Speed of Life by Dana K. White
• Outer Order, Inner Calm by Gretchen Rubin
• The Minimalist Home by Joshua Becker 

Once this job is done, you will have reduced the number of things to move and saved yourself money at the same time.

Sell the valuable stuff and toss the rest

Now that you’ve organized your belongings into piles, take the ones from your ‘sell’ pile and list them for sale online on Kijiji, Facebook Marketplace, or the like. Or, have a garage sale. 

When you sell the items that still have value but that you no longer need but, you not only declutter but you earn money you can put towards your move.

For your ‘toss’ pile, borrow a friend’s pick-up truck, if you don’t have one, and make a trip to the dump. Or, consider hiring a junk removal company to save yourself time A few to consider are:

• 1-800-Got-Junk?
• JunkHelp
• GetTrashed 
• Junk King
• Johnson Junk Removal
• Just Junk

3. Avoid peak moving season

Everyone wants to move in the summer. You can avoid the rush by relocating in the off-season, namely in the fall or winter. 

If you can’t avoid moving during the summer months, book your movers on a day in the middle of the week—your budget will appreciate the decision.

As for the best time of day to move, avoid the morning and evening rush hour. This will save you time as well as money.

Stay flexible

On top of avoiding the popular moving season, you can save yourself money by being flexible with your moving date.

Ask your moving company when they have availability in their schedule, then pick an option that works for yours. This strategy will give you negotiating power when working out a rate.

4. Avoid paying for moving boxes

The cost of boxes can quickly blow a moving budget. 

Although you can buy them easily through your moving company or at your local hardware store, there are better ways to collect the boxes you need for free, or for a nominal fee, and reuse existing ones at the same time. 

Consider the following during your hunt for moving boxes:

• Family and friends
• Office, workplace, or colleagues
• Supermarkets and department stores
• Local art stores
• Recycling centers
• Social media
• Liquor stores
• Kijiji, Facebook Marketplace, or garage sales

Boxes are everywhere and they can often be yours for the taking if you simply ask.

Get creative with packing supplies

Forget brand new bubble wrap. It’s expensive and not an environmentally-friendly choice. 

Reuse or use recycled packing supplies when planning your move. Use the same sources as we mentioned in the previous section to hunt down packing paper, newspaper, styrofoam popcorn, or previously-used bubble wrap. 

You can also find packing supplies around the house. Depending on the fragility of what you’re packing, linens, towels, rags, and casual clothing can be used to wrap items. 

5. Pack ahead of time 

Although packing ahead may not save you money, it can save you time and stress. 

Start by packing up the things in advance that you use less frequently like holiday decorations, specialized kitchen items, and off-season clothing. 

By gradually tackling your packing, you’ll make the process of purging, selling, boxing, labeling, and storing more manageable and less-stressful. 

6. Shop around for a moving company

When the goal is to figure out how to move on a budget, one might assume moving yourself would be the way to go. We’re here to say: not necessarily.

A move is an arduous, time-consuming process that could be worth investing in. Ask yourself:

• Do I have the time to do it right? 

If the answer is yes, then save money and move yourself. If you don’t think you’ll have the time, invest in hiring a moving company. 

• Can you afford to do it?

Don’t forget to factor in lost income from taking time off work. Hiring a moving company may in fact save you money once you consider wages lost to time spent packing, unpacking, moving, etc. 

• Do I want to take on the risk of items breaking? 

True, movers may break your things but they’re insured (or should be) which protects the cost of your valuables.

• Am I in good physical shape?

Even those of us who are in shape can risk injuring their back, shoulders, or wrists while moving, not to mention experience the added stress of doing it oneself. It could very well pay in injury-prevention to have professionals do the heavy lifting. 

What to ask when choosing a moving company

When choosing a moving or rental truck company, consider the following:

• Research the cost of a move

Before you call around for quotes, arm yourself with the knowledge of what it will roughly cost you to move, say, your 1-bedroom condo or 3-bedroom house, or at least the general cost of hiring movers.

• Call around to get quotes 

You may find that the additional cost of hiring a moving company isn’t much more of an investment compared to booking a rental truck. Start by contacting a few movers who specialize in your area, like Right Move, Billy.com, YouMoveMe, Two Men And A Truck, and NorthAmerican Van Lines. 

• Read a company’s online reviews

Search Google, Yelp, and the company’s own website for customer reviews.

• Request an in-home quote

For moving companies, ask that a representative visit your home to assess the size of your move and give you a quote. If they don’t offer this service, consider it a red flag. 

• Get an estimate online

Use a site like MoveIt.ca, AtlasCanada, or Uship to get an online estimate.

• Know your moving route

For vehicle rentals, ensure you have an accurate idea of the distance you’ll travel and whether or not you’ll need the moving truck for one-way or roundtrip travel.

7. Get creative when financing your move

Get creative when figuring out how to move on a budget. 

Are you relocating for work? Ask your employer to pay for it. 

Are you a sole proprietor? You may be able to write-off moving expenses, like hotel accommodation, gas, and food if your move is long-distance. Visit the Revenue Canada and BDC websites for a breakdown on tax deductible business expenses. 

Could you barter in exchange for moving services? 

If you have to borrow money, which we don’t recommend, use a low-interest loan or credit card that you pay back with the proceeds of your home sale or the return of your renter’s damage deposit. 

8. Ask for help on moving day

Could you ask family, friends, and coworkers to help with your move? If so, invite them to help in exchange for dinner and drinks.

In addition to saving time and effort with packing and unpacking, a friend-assisted move can reduce stress, make it more fun, and act as an excuse to spend quality time with loved ones—and do double-duty as a house-warming party at the same time!

9. Get creative with utilities

When it comes to utilities, a move from one home to another is like a dance: you need to time the transition perfectly. 

You don’t want to pay for services at a property you no longer live at nor do you want them switched off too early. At the same time, you want to avoid paying for services you aren’t using yet at the new property. 

How to move on a budget? We’ll keep repeating it: plan ahead! Best to call your utilities (heat, electricity, water), internet, and cable companies in advance to ask about their moving procedures. 

Here is a resource of local suppliers who service St. Paul and Bonnyville and their contact details 

10. DIY Cleaning

Whether you’re moving out of a rental property or a house you own, you will need to clean it after you move out. 

Like hiring a moving company, it may pay to hire a professional cleaning company to do the work for you. The alternative is to get your domestically-included family and friends together to clean the property yourself.

Like a move, a property clean can be a chance to hang out with loved ones, get some exercise, and enjoy a casual meal (that you’ll supply as a thank-you) afterward. 

Finally—It’s time to move in!

Congratulations! You’ve moved.

Once the movers and friends have left and you’re alone for the first time in your new home, it’s time to eat.

The first meal in your new home may seem like a small part of the overall moving budget, but if you’re feeding a family of four the cost can quickly snowball to a couple hundred dollars. 

Don’t expect to be cooking your first night in your new place. In this guide on how to move on a budget, we recommend you either:

1. Set aside a small amount of your budget to order in a meal, or 
2. Prepare a meal in advance or have leftovers available that you can quickly and easily reheat in the microwave or oven.

How to Move on a Budget: Ask a Professional

So, how do you move on a budget? You use the above tips and you get the advice of a professional. Whether you’re looking to move across town or across the province, CENTURY 21 Poirier can help.

With decades of experience with client moves, the team at Century 21 Poirier can assist you to plan and budget your relocation accordingly. 

Contact us with questions you may have about this ultimate guide to moving on a budget—and if you’re ready to move to a new home. We’ll sell your current property and support you in the purchase of your next one.

Happy moving from the team at CENTURY 21 Poirier!