If you’re moving from one side of the country to the other, you might be so excited about the prospect of making a crossnation relocation that you don’t even take the time to consider how it might affect you and your family’s budget. Since a crossnation relocation is longer than a local move, you’ll probably have to shell out more money than you would for a relocation to a neighboring town to your current one. What’s more, this kind of relocation can raise your cost of living. As the cost of living goes up, the cost of moving to the new area will go up, as well. Cutting corners where you can and maintaining a flexible attitude will help you get through this. You can also use our tips below as a starting place for figuring out how you can make sure that you and your family have as smooth, safe, and affordable of a crossnation relocation as possible.
Choose Your Moving Services Wisely
When you’re picking a moving service in an unfamiliar area, it can be tempting to choose the first crating service or other moving service that shows up on a quick search on the Internet. While this might be a convenient approach, it will almost certainly cost you more than it would to do your due diligence and dig for a more affordable choice.
Look for Deals to Reduce Transportation Costs
During certain times of year or certain seasons, you might find that you have more options for good deals that are on sale or at a reduced cost. If you look on discount websites or you search for items on sale such as moving boxes, you’ll be able to save on the costs of a crossnation relocation and pour the money you save into your new life on the other side of the country. When you’re moving the whole way across a country, you can search for things like “shipping container for sale” or “moving services discount” to find some cheaper options than what might be readily available.
Consider Downsizing to Reduce Hauling Costs
While it might seem important to keep every single item in your home and take it with you on your adventure, you should keep in mind that a hauling service usually charges based on the volume of materials that you intend to haul. If you downsize and throw away or donate items you no longer want or need before you move, you’ll have lower hauling costs and higher relief from the financial stress in the long run.
When you’re downsizing before a crossnation relocation, there are a few things to keep in mind. First, you don’t want to put off downsizing for your move. You should get a headstart on downsizing as soon as you know that you’re going to have to move in the near future. Once you get the word that you’ll need to relocate for work, school, or another obligation, you should begin making plans to throw away or donate any items that you no longer want or need.
Additionally, you’ll want to consider how much space you’ll have in your new home. If you’re going from owning a large house to renting a small apartment, it can help to take videos of your new apartment before you move so you can estimate how much space you’ll have. Sometimes, putting some items in storage that are large and bulky until you know that they’ll fit into your new space is the best way to avoid a problem on a moving day. If you have open items in the kitchen, bathroom, or cleaning closet, you should make a point of using them up before you move so that you don’t have to transport half-empty, open containers that could spill all over your belongings. You’ll also want to clear out one room or area of the house at a time so you stay organized and don’t get overwhelmed by the sheer amount of stuff that you have to sort.
Once you have a game plan in place, it’s time to start downsizing! First, you’ll want to go through the items that have sentimental value in your home such as photo albums, crafts from your childhood, old toys, and baby clothes. Next, you can sort through general items. As you downsize, you should think about whether it would be hard to replace something or not. For example, regular plastic cups that are sold at big box stores are probably easy to replace. On the other hand, your great-great grandmother’s fine china is probably difficult, if not impossible, to replace. For this reason, you should prioritize keeping items that are tough to replace and throw away or donate items that you could repurchase if you need them in the future.
Choose Your Moving Company Wisely
When you’re selecting a long distance mover, it pays to vet them properly. Otherwise, you could end up with a shady mover who doesn’t even have a legitimate business and lose all of your stuff. As a slightly less dismal outcome, you could have precious items damaged or lost in the moving process if you don’t choose a qualified mover for the task. Before you agree to hire a mover, you should ensure that the long distance mover is licensed to make a crossnation relocation happen.
As moving.com shares, “The U.S. Department of Transportation Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration issues a U.S. DOT number to licensed interstate movers. If you’re moving out of state, verify the moving company’s license through the FMCSA’s protectyourmove.gov site and request the company’s U.S. DOT number; you’ll need it if you have to file a claim against the company later. If you’re staying in state, check with your local consumer affairs agency. You can find a list of local agencies through the FMCSA’s contacts database.”
Additionally, you should see what the Better Business Bureau has to say about the moving company. If they don’t accredit the moving company or the company has a terrible rating, you may want to take pause and reconsider whether they should be the moving company that you choose. Finally, make sure that your moving company has the proper accreditation as a professional moving company. If the company carries the American Moving and Storage Association’s ProMover logo, they’re likely to be legit. Finding companies that are approved by the American Moving and Storage Association’s Moving is as easy as logging on to their website and searching it for approved movers.
Leverage Your Small Business
For some folks who are doing a crossnation relocation, it’s all about business instead of being about relocating their family home. For this reason, looking into office movers would be worthwhile if you’re moving your small business from one place to another. Some movers may offer discounts to small businesses or allow for a discounted rate if you agree to advertise their services on your company website, so it’s worth letting movers know what you have to offer to not only save yourself a few bucks on the move, but also benefit them.
Consider Storage Services
In the middle of a cross-country move, taking some of the pressure off of yourself to haul all of your belongings to the new location at once can make a huge difference in your stress levels. For items that you won’t need right away or those that you aren’t sure whether you want to keep them, you can rent a storage unit like one of the climate-controlled, air conditioned storage units to keep your belongings safe. If you’re debating whether you should get a climate-controlled storage unit or one without that feature, it’s a good idea to consult with some experts who are more knowledgeable on the subject.
As lifestorage.com indicates, ‘Whether or not you need climate-controlled storage depends on what you plan to stow in your unit. Basic self-storage will mostly be sufficient for standard items that most people plan to store. This includes a lot of different household, business, or yard items. However, climate-controlled storage is necessary and highly recommended for more sensitive items like antiques, musical instruments, electronics, or fine art.’ No matter what type of storage unit you choose, you should pack your items carefully to keep them safe and secure.
Budget Your Move Well in Advance
Unlike moving down the street, moving in a crossnation relocation requires some additional expenses that you might not think about upfront. If you’re used to moving locally or for short distances, you’ve probably never thought about how much money or planning it takes to move so far away. While local moving companies may seem pricey, you can bet that a long distance moving company will cost significantly more due to the distance and specialization of this type of moving job.
Pack Everything Yourself if Possible
If you’re trying to save money, one way to cut corners is by nixing the movers and packing all of your belongings yourself. To do this, you can buy or upcycle boxes from a variety of places such as popular home improvement stores. If you really want to save money, you can go to your local stores and ask if they have any shipment boxes that they’d like to give you for free or for a small cost if you take them off of their hands.
When you’re packing your house on your own, it can be a fun experience that’s bonding for you and your family. You can get sentimental about the memorabilia that you and your loved ones have collected over the years. With younger family members, packing up the house can feel like a game as they “make baskets” by throwing lightweight items into the boxes or racing to see who can pack the most boxes in an hour. When you pack things yourself, you’ll have an added sense of satisfaction when you are finished with the job. What’s more, you’ll be able to find everything easily if you stay organized with your packing system. As long as you don’t throw every random item into a different box and call it a day, you’ll have a better idea of where things might be if you pack on your own.
However, Don’t Take Unnecessary Health Risks
As you’re moving from one country to another, there are many risks to your health that you need to consider. From an environment that may have hazards that are unfamiliar to you to the physical toll that such a high-stress move can take, you’ll want to prepare for potential health risks as much as you can before you make your crossnation relocation dreams a reality. One health risk in moving that frequently gets overlooked is furniture moving. While this is something that affects people who move locally, it still affects those who are planning for a crossnation relocation in the near future. When you’re moving furniture, it can cause you to have strains, sprains, and other injuries if you don’t practice proper lifting techniques. For this reason, we recommend calling in professional movers if you have any history of issues with your back, joints, or other aspects of your body that would be affected by lifting heavy objects like a couch or dining room table.
Consider the Pros and Cons of Renting a Moving Van
For a crossnation relocation, you could either drive cross-country or get a moving van from a vehicle rental company when you arrive in your new area. Some pros of renting a moving van include having more space than a regular vehicle and being in control of hauling items instead of the movers having control of it. Cons of renting a moving van include the cost and having to drive it yourself. Ultimately, only you can decide what the best choice for you would be.
In life, we sometimes have to choose between investing money or time into something. The moving process is no different. The more time and effort you pour into finding a good deal, the more likely it will be that you find the most affordable options for moving expenses. What’s more, you’ll be able to spend more money on new experiences in your new town or city if you practice saving money on the moving process for a cross-country move.