How to Spend Less If You Move on Short Notice
Your new apartment will be great! That is, until you find out that your new roommate is a nightmare, or until your landlord turns out to be a real bastard. You need to get rid of it quickly.
But life doesn’t always wait for your emergency fund to fill up with money to get you to your knees urgently. And there is something about relocation emergencies that can empty your bills even faster than usual.
You may not be able to avoid large security deposits, especially if you are moving quickly. But you may be able to save a little money – and a little of your sanity – as you figure out how to get your wealth to a new dig.
Ask for help
Take a deep breath first. Then take another one. “Tons of people have made last-second moves before, and millions will do so after you,” said Mike Glantz, founder of HireaHelper, a travel comparison site.
He recommends posting to social media as soon as you know you need to get out of your current situation. But instead of asking you, he advises you to frame your request for help as a statement. “Can someone help me move on Saturday?” may be less effective than “I need help moving boxes on Saturday.” If you can lend a helping hand, I would appreciate your time, ”for example.
“You’d be surprised how many people can jump in quickly with an extra hand, a few more boxes, or even grab some unnecessary items from your hands,” said Glantz, who has worked in the travel industry for more than a decade, said.
If you’re lucky, the generous soul that owns the big truck will voluntarily take you and your belongings, saving you from the need for the following two tips. But if you have few friends who own trucks …
Don’t just name the first movers on Google
“Joe Schmo’s Moving” may appear first in your frantic internet search results, but that doesn’t mean he’s the one betting on the job. Explore at least a few options for reserving a time slot.
A moving marketplace website can help you get it done quickly. I have had a good experience of finding movers through the Home Advisor ; other options include Unpakt and Move Matcher .
Some comparison sites even show ratings and availability instantly. “It costs a little more than you might be paying the move bill to make sure you don’t actually pay a ton more, which is unfortunately very common for last-second moves, with first Google results.” Glantz said. …
Be sure to read the fine print on any comparison site where you enter your contact information. For example, when I requested quotes from Home Advisor, I immediately received a flurry of phone calls from companies offering me quotes.
Don’t feel like you need to answer those calls if you’re worried about a hard sell; relocation companies will email you quotes for review. But if you don’t want moving companies to have your contact information at all, be sure to check the comparison site’s policies before requesting ratings.
Midweek Book Movers
“If you need to make a notice just a few days in advance, don’t expect transport companies to have a lot of empty seats,” Glantz warned. “Aiming at booking with a minimum number of moves should help you land at a more economical cost,” he said. “Think Tuesday or Wednesday, not the weekend.”
It’s the same with truck rentals. If you need to relocate for the weekend or towards the end of the month, these rental locations will be more competitive and more expensive for you.
You might not be able to calculate your move within a month to avoid price increases, but it might be worth considering calling from work for the day to get the best price for movers or truck rentals.
If you can’t justify the cost of transporting all of your personal belongings, consider asking them to only carry the heaviest items, such as furniture. “Basically, you could move for a couple hundred dollars, depending on your situation,” Glantz said.
Your quick transition to a new location most likely won’t be stress-free, but a little prep work once you realize you need to hit the road can give you more time to focus on randomly throwing things into whatever box you do. you can take things calmly and in an orderly manner .