How to reduce operational moving costs?

If you are moving, then you must know that it will be expensive. Starting from the moving fees, packing materials, transport, and so on, the bill can surprise you. For this reason, you should try to reduce operational moving costs. Some things you have to pay when you are moving, but this does not mean you cannot reduce them. If you are not sure how to achieve this, then read the rest of this article to find out.  

Find a moving company 

When you need to move, you should find a good moving company. This is a good way to reduce moving costs. Unless you have relevant previous experience, you should hire movers to do the job. When you find several of them, make sure to ask for an in-home estimate. Based on their binding estimate, you choose the moving company that will not make a huge dent in your budget. In addition to this, compare those moving quotes. The things you should pay attention to are price, services, and terms of conditions. The moving company is a must if you want to move. Therefore, you can reduce operational moving costs by choosing the less expensive company. 

Reduce operational moving costs by asking movers to lower their price 

There is nothing wrong with asking to reduce operational moving costs. If you are paying everything in cash, you might get a discount. In addition to this, you can ask if they are willing to give a discount based on quantity or if you add packing services to your bill. Apart from these reasons, if you come as a referral, you can also reduce the cost of the moving services. Bottom line is you can never do wrong by asking, and apply this to every aspect of your move. For example, you can ask them how many movers do I need, what should I do in the case of late delivery, damage, and so on. 

Move during the off-season 

If you have the opportunity to choose the date of your move, try to avoid summer. The summer months are the busiest for the movers. Most people take their free days in summer, and since schools are out as well, they take this time to move. This is why you should avoid the summer if you can. Winter is the best if you want to reduce operational moving costs. You can even get 20% off if you book your moving services in the winter. However, if this is not an option, then aim for a weekday around the middle of the month. 

Reduce operational moving costs by saving on packing supplies 

Usually, if you buy packing supplies from your moving company, it may be more expensive than getting on your own. Here is what you can do. 

• Free/cheap moving boxes – there are many sites where people are selling or giving their used moving boxes for very cheap. In addition to this, you can get some from your local markets, or from your friends and family. 
• Wrapping material – if you have old clothes, blankets, sheets, socks, and other pieces, you can use them as a wrapping material that will act as a protection 
• Space-filling material – use the old newspaper to fill the empty space in your moving boxes 
• Labels – you do not have to buy fancy labels; you can use an ordinary black marker to label your boxes 

Pack your items by yourself 

You do not have to hire movers to pack your items. Instead, do it yourself. You can check several guides on how to pack, and start slowly. Pack one room at the time since this will help you to stay more organized and on time. In addition to this, packing most of your items is not that hard. This especially applies when you need to pack your clothes, small furniture, pictures, books, and so on. For large and heavy items, you can also lookup manuals on how to disassemble them and then to pack them up. Just make sure everything is wrapped and secured well in order to avoid damaging some parts. As for small parts, such as screws, bolts and so on, make sure to put them in small bags and to label the bags. This will help you to remember where they came from. 

Reduce operational moving costs by asking for help 

You can ask for help from your friends and family. Why would you spend extra money on movers, when you can invite your friends over? For this reason, when you start packing, have your friends over to help. This especially applies to the kitchen since you probably have many kitchen cabinets filled with food and utensils. After the job, make sure to prepare a delicious meal for your friends and family to express your gratitude. In addition to this, you can even make a housewarming party once you settle in your new home. This will be a great opportunity for all of you to relax and spend some quality time together eating delicious food.

Eligibility for tax deductions 

After the move, you should check whether you are eligible for the tax deductions. You can do this while filling out your federal income tax return. Some cases where you can do this are when you are moving for a new full-time job, the move distance is more than 50 miles, and so on. All the moving costs, including packing, transport, and storage fees are eligible. For any additional questions, you should see a tax consultant as they would have all the answers for your situation. 

Do everything to reduce operational moving costs 

As you can see, here are some ways how you can reduce operational moving costs. When you are moving, even organizing the move on your own, you will still have some expenses. For this reason, you can apply some of these tips and lower your moving costs.