This move came pretty fast and the story is, we’ve actually been trying to get another house for a while. I own the old house and had it set up to rent out by a certain date. Well we were under the impression that we were getting a house and after a few weeks of being drug along, we didn’t get it. I was crushed and wasn’t going to pack a single thing until I knew we were moving. So we tried for the second house we wanted, it ended up moving pretty quickly. Initially we were going to change the date of the new tenant but I thought, hey I could get this done in 2 weeks no problem. Psh! I got it done, but you know packed my sanity in a box which I have yet to find. I wanted to share a few things that helped me not only save money but probably helped or would have helped keep my sanity.
- Purge purge purge. I never realized that 10 years of stuff looked like a version of hell when it came to moving. I mean in reality, I was hoarding all of this stuff because I held on to so much stuff, but why? When you are putting things away in your garage or storage area, really think if you are going to use it again. Go through those things periodically, say in your Spring Cleaning. I literally took about 6 full pick up truck loads to Goodwill. My thought process while purging was similar to what I posted about going through my closet http://cleverpinkpirate.com/2011/07/12/purging-what-does-your-closet-say-about-you/Do I LOVE it? When did I last use it? When would I use this again?
This helped me eliminate and donate to a good cause! - Don’t pay for boxes. When we started looking for boxes, I found that to get all the boxes we would need, it would cost us a pretty penny. So I went dumpster diving, well not really. I found shopping centers that supported recycling and had outdoor receptacles made just for boxes! I actually got around 50 boxes for free! Another way is to look on Craigslist or just ask your favorite stores if they could set their boxes aside.
- Bribe your friends. Wow, movers are bleepin expensive! If you are in good health and are moving in town, you could do it with the help of a few good friends or family members. Set up a date and ask them if they can help and offer to buy them pizza and beer or hey even pay them and just rent a UHaul. Unfortunately our move was so fast, it was just Brian, me and the kids who helped move. Hey, I paid the kids for their help 😉
- Utilize the savings for moving. Stores like Lowe’s offer you a 10% coupon on anything you buy for your new house and move. I found that when I went to the post office, they give you a packet full of coupons and also when you use the USPS.com site they have coupons you can print when you put in a forwarding address.
- Scope out stores and sites for new furniture deals. There are always new items being put on Craigslist, while you have that moving truck see if you can find furniture you can go pick up. Of course, take the truck to goodwill maybe you will find that table or couch you need. Also, shopping off season at stores helps too. This weekend we found a beautiful patio set at Fry’s Food Stores 66% off!
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