Financial Friday: Five Tips for a Better Move

Courtesy of www.apartmenttherapy.com

Moving is one of the least fun things on earth - and can be one of the most expensive. However, from having to move several times during and after college, I have found several simple ways to make moving less hectic and even more affordable. I made sure to apply all of them during my move last weekend, and I wanted to share my top five moving tips with you.

1.) Use trash bags. It may not be the classiest way to transfer your stuff, but instead of using the time to scour for boxes, just use trash bags. Especially for clothes, pillows, blankets, and other belongings that won't get ruined if they aren't packed "perfectly," trash bags are a great go-to for easy packing.

2.) Recruit friends/family. Why hire movers when you can recruit your friends and/or family? Movers are uber expensive, and, sometimes, don't take much care of your belongings. I was fortunate enough to have Z, my parents, three of our friends, and several big cars to help me move, and we all worked together to get everything packed and moved into my new place. To compensate, I bought them all pizza and beer, and we were able to eat our hard-earned meals together in my new place.

3.) Throw it away. I spent a good three days before the move organizing everything I own, and ended up throwing three trash bags full of stuff away. Anything I hadn't touched, looked at or worn in over six months went in the trash. This not only made my load lighter on moving day, but also provided me with more space for the smaller apartment I was moving into.

4.) Break it up. Moving, well, sucks. But it doesn't have to be extremely overwhelming. This last move, I devoted one day to moving all of the "little" stuff; one day to the large furniture, like my couch and mattress; and one day to (begin) unpacking, setting up, etc. It prolonged the process, but it broke the move up into smaller chunks, and made it seem a lot less stressful.

5.) Stock up. The day before moving my big furniture, I made sure to put some essentials in my new apartment, such as toilet paper, paper towels, and hand soap. I also made sure to put water bottles in my fridge, along with milk, butter and beer. Having these essential items already in my new place helped to accommodate everyone on the day of the big move.

What are some of your tips to making moving less hectic/more affordable?

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