Making a move to a brand new apartment can be a very exciting experience, but it can also be a financially costly one. As well as the cost of hiring a professional moving company and buying packing supplies, you will also have to pay an application fee, the first month’s rent, and the security deposit. There will be an additional deposit fee on top of this if you have even one pet. Fortunately there are some tried and tested methods through which you can cut down on at least some of the expenses, and here are a number of tips to help you to cut costs when you move.
One of the most important decisions you can make very early on is to set exactly how much you can afford to spend on the relocation before you even begin looking for another apartment. This will spare you a lot of frustration later on, and such a budget determines the security deposit and rental rate that you can afford to pay, how far you can move, what tools you can purchase, whether you can afford to hire a professional moving company to help you, and even where you can eat meals along the way. You then need to divvy up your cash into categories and create your budget. Areas of spending can include moving supplies such as tape and boxes, a moving company, food and transportation. You will inevitably have to tweak the budget at some point along the way, so make a document that has two columns to enable you to keep track of how much you expect something to cost and how much it actually does cost.
If something turns out to be considerably more expensive than originally anticipated, this can be compensated for by selecting an option that is cheaper in a different category; for example, if you are making a long distance move across the United States then most of your budget should probably go on transportation and food and lodging for the journey; you can save in a different area by using towels as packing materials and finding free boxes.
It is a good idea to never forget about the likelihood of hidden costs, of which there are plenty when it comes to relocation. Make sure that these costs are a part of your budget from the start so that you do not end up spending more cash than you can actually afford. Hidden costs can include having to take a day off work and thus losing that day’s pay. More costs you may not have thought about include paying installation fees for internet and cable at your new apartment and possibly having to pay as much as two months’ rent in advance for a security deposit, which may be before you have received your previous deposit back for your current apartment.
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