Whether you are moving to a new home in the same city or relocating to a home in another city, you do have to shift all your things as well as your family; an exercise that will involve some costs.
There several factors that can influence these costs, and each of them will contribute to the overall cost of moving. First and foremost is the size of the move. If you have to move a lot of stuff, your belongings will make for a heavier shipment. This will increase both the weight and volume of the things that need moving and will add to costs. So, make it a point to go through all your stuff, room by room, and see if you need to carry them along to your next home. Get rid of junk, or things that have outlived their usefulness, and carry only what you really cannot do without. You can always repurchase new stuff at the other end.
Your belongings need to be packed appropriately before they are moved, and this involves a lot of packing material and boxes and crates. This can add to costs. Where movers undertake to pack your stuff, the costs will increase. Do it yourself, and you can save some money, though not the effort of packing.
The distance that your belongings have to move can also affect the cost of moving. So, a longer distance or one that takes your belongings out of town are going to be costlier. Other factors that can add to the cost of moving is when you have bulky furniture or other things that need to be disassembled before they are packed. Remember you will also have to reassemble them again once you reach the new home. You can save on this if you do the work yourself instead of asking the packers to do this.
Often, especially in moves that are forced by a transfer or change of jobs, it is not possible to have a location at the other end of your move, where you can unload your belongings. in such a case, you will have to ask the packing and moving company to arrange to store your belongings till you are ready to receive them again at your new home. Movers will readily agree to store your things for you, at a price, that can increase your costs. So, think this out carefully before you choose this option.
You can always reduce your costs of moving drastically by bringing in all the packing and moving supplies yourself, carrying out the packing of your belongings on your own, and then use a rented out trailer to haul your things to your next location. This can be a fair bit of hassle but can save you a lot in costs.
Peak season or weekend moves will generally cost more with a moving company. See if you can adjust the dates of shifting your home for you to take advantage of lower costs. Another thing that can add to costs is any insurance cover that you may be required by packing companies to consider. Some of them may even refuse your work if you are not prepared to do so. It is a cost that is worth incurring, as it can help you to avoid any loss due to accidents or others that can always occur, during such moving.
Some moving costs are tax-deductible, or may even be reimbursed by companies if you are on a transfer. Make sure that you itemize every expenditure and maintain proper records to allow you to get the advantage of both these situations. Other factors that can affect moving costs is the difficulties in accessing both your current location and the new one. So, if there are a lot of stairs involved, the moving company will charge you more, because they require extra manpower for the lifting and shifting.
How then can you save on moving costs? Start with getting rid of household items that are not necessary. Go through every room in your home, and you are sure to find things that you have not seen or used for years but are still part of your home. Arrange to sell them or donate them. Donating to well known NGOs can even get you tax-writeoffs. Doing all the packing your self and renting a moving truck or a self hauled trailer can save you a lot of costs. Ask for help from friends and relatives to help you with the moving. You can also get boxes and free packing supplies from local stores, though matching their sizes with what you need can be quite a task.
You need to be well organized before you plan any move so that the entire exercise is completed with the least worry, effort, and tension.