Moving on tight budget – Saving money tips

The moving process is daunting, especially for those, who are on a tight budget. Shifting all your belongings from a current place into a new location without dropping a ton of cash is a big task. The relocation stress can be avoided by paying special attention to financial aspects of the moving process. Here are few strategies for optimizing the moving expenses and planning a move without breaking the bank.

Plan about your budget prior and make a move

Be calculative about each thing to be carried along. Deduct moving cost as much as possible.

Hire professional movers:
It is an optimal choice to hire professional and reputed movers. There is always a misconception that DIY moving reduces money, rather than hiring movers. The efficient movers can significantly reduce the amount of time that the move takes, which in turn saves money. The fabulous features of movers include speedy service, well-planned, organized and executed move and they are equipped with the basic requirements such as trucks and tools.

How to choose affordable movers:
Surfing:
Through online, search for the best moving companies in your locality. The Yelp, Better Business Bureau, and the Angie’s list serve you for this purpose.
Get multiple bids:
In order to save money, ask for bids from at least five companies, so that it is easy for you to compare the rates and choose the suitable one, which fits your budget. Opt for a company that gives you cost reduction offers.
Consider license:
Most of the moving companies are liable to false insurance and security policies. The probability of loss of your possessions may be limited by considering their license and security policies.

Saving on moving supplies:
The affordable packing supplies can be obtained by doing online shopping. Instead of using bubbled wrap, use crumbled news paper to pad the breakable items. Use your own blankets and linens for padding, since renting those things may burden your expense. The usage of previously used boxes for packing will cut down your moving expense to a great extent. If you’re going to use tape dispenser only for short term, then borrow it from your friend or neighbor, instead of buying a new one.

Save money by purging the possessions:
The moving quotes are calculated depending on the volume of the items that needs to be shifted. It is important to sort through your belongings and get rid of those you do not wish to carry. This activity consumes some time but saves a considerable amount of your money.

Saving on transportation:
You need to rent a truck, if you are moving by yourself. Even though, your move is temporary, if your belongings are more than the space in the truck, then separate storage units are necessary.
Go for combo deals:
There are some storage companies, which offer storing units along with the trucks and rental vans. Choose those types of companies for cost reduction moves.
Rental trucks:
Rent a suitable truck, based on the volume of your belongings. Renting a small truck and making multiple trips will gobble your money and slow down your move. Stock the easy to move stuff such as towels, clothes and linens in your own car, so that you can find enough space to load the bulky items in truck. This reduces the number of trucks you’re using to shift your belongings.

Earn from unwanted stuff:

Garage Sale

Sell unwanted items at discounted price to raise money for moving !

The items, you have never used can be unloaded while you are moving. The garage sale will fetch you money. Try to sell unwanted papers and books, so that it will reduce the time and hassle of packing unwanted items. Selling old boxes are a great source for money, keep some for packing and sell the rest for reasonable cost. Shifting furniture from one place to another is a great deal. If you’re having enough furniture, make sure that it fits your new home else sell the extra furniture to neighbors and friends. Some house hold utensils are fragile in nature, packing those items by using bubble wrap and card board boxes consume time and cash. Instead of carrying such breakables along with you, selling it for a good cost is always a wise choice.

Cut down trip expenses:
Plan your departure:
It is advisable to stay in a hotel or motel, the previous night before you depart. If you look for a suit rooms then obviously you’re going to waste money. If space permits, you can unroll the sleeping bag and sleep in your living room itself.
Food while traveling:
Try to stick with foods that balance your intention of saving money. If you are a health conscious person, avoid junk foods and road side eateries, since these inadmissible foods may harm your health and create discomfort while traveling. The pre-prepared homemade food will reduce your expense. The homemade energy bars, juices and sandwiches makes you feel refreshed at minimal cost.
Shop in dollar store:
The dollar stores are an excellent place for shopping, if you are on a lean budget. The cleaning supplies and toiletries for your new home can be bought from these simple stores.

Plan ahead:
If you’re relocating to new apartment or home, talk to the landlord, property manager or a real estate agent regarding the facilities such as cable and internet connections. You can even get those services through online booking but consulting them will fetch you these services at much reasonable cost. Make a prior visit to the new home before shifting, to ensure that the furniture fits through the doors and walls of your new residence. If you suspect that it is not possible to fit then remove those doors ahead, to avoid unnecessary questions and charges from the movers.

DIY home repairs:
DIY (do it yourself) strategy will help you to save money. The simple home repairs and installation works, which are carried out by us, will lighten our budget burden. The new home may be structurally sound but to make it livable, it requires a bit of sprucing up. So, it is always advisable to keep the tools handy. By doing a self employed home repair, you can save huge amount of money.

List of best moving apps for a smart move

Moving apps:

Before the invention of smart phones, it was quite difficult for anyone to relocate from one place to another. Now-a-days smart phones have become an invaluable side kick to explore new things by providing many applications. Among them one of the most useful types of application is moving applications. Theses apps are versatile in providing guidance and relevant information for the user in creating check list, searching for the best moving companies and generate unique bar code that can be attached to the boxes that helps to track the box. With these moving apps it is easy to accomplish the moving process from start to finish. The main purpose of inventing these apps is to lighten the moving work load.

Some of the available moving apps:

Move match:

Move match can run only in android platform. It is available for free of cost, helps in determining the total volume and weight of your shipment and forwards the same to the movers explaining them where to drop the box. The probability of getting items missed is greatly reduced through this app. The relocation process becomes much easier through the detailed and intuitive information provided by this mobile application.

Screenshot of Move Match application

Screenshot of Move Match application showing results of companies sorted by country

Moving planner:

If we do the checking process manually we tend to do mistakes. This mobile application actually acts as a “check list”. Moving planner remains one of the popular applications among other moving apps since it displays numerous household items that are likely to be packed up. It helps in organizing your move in a right way.

Moving guru:

Moving guru is the prescribed app for searching professional movers. It is highly customized from other apps by providing acknowledgement to the users. “We’ve moved” notification is sent to the user which ensures them that their belongings are moved safely. An instructional moving tips video is provided which guides the user on how to shift items in your living room, kitchen, dining room and bed room. It is a good choice for home movers.

Moving day:

Moving day is the top ranking app. The regular process of label making involves entering and scanning the bar code manually which takes enough time, followed that label must be taken print out and then it is attached to the containers. The craze for moving day application has increased due to its unique in-built scanning process.

My move:

My move is developed by World Media Group. It is a free of cost app which helps in calculating the weight of your items and also provides valuable information for choosing suitable movers with proper reviews. Simplified design and quick responsive functionality are the two pillars of this moving organization application. The cool feature it has is the automatic sorting ability for your search criteria, to have easy access to the information you are searching for.

Let’s storage:

Let’s storage is an expert in supplying professional relocation assistance. The usage of this app increased in short span of time. It allows you to estimate the total space required to store the items. The displayed estimated space for the items is very essential for renting a truck. The tracking of the items is also easily done.

Moving van:

Moving van is a user friendly app. The export of the inventory list and the record of exact contents of each box are done easily through this app. Inventory list in PDF form can also be accessed with the help of moving van. This is an appropriate app for those who seek convenient shipment.

I-moving:

The traditionally used moving app is I-moving. While shifting getting an affordable moving company is a big issue. I-moving makes this job easier by offering proper moving quotes, so that it is easy for the user to choose the company which fits into their budget. Make sure that you opt for a proper licensed and insured moving company based on the performance ratings.

SmartStop self storage’s inventory tracker:

The items inside the storage locker can be easily tracked with the help of this I-phone application. The instant information it furnishes renders helping hands in providing safety for your costly possessions but you need to pay for it. If you look for a more practical tool then the unanimous choice is this app. To make your move little smarter, they have a unique feature, QR Code Scanner.

Screenshot of SmartStop inventory Tracker

Screenshot of SmartStop inventory Tracker displaying its QR Scanner feature

Move advisor:

The brand new moving app is moving advisor, which has the capability to impress every one with its elegant design and easy to use functionality. The ACTION button is the extremely useful feature it posses. For example, once you tap the ACTION button underneath reserve the truck, you are provided with options of top five truck rental companies. This free app is currently available only in android devices but the manufacturers assure the availability of this moving app in I-phone and I-pad very soon.

Sortly:

This is an “ultimate organized app” that enables the features like creation of custom label and QR label. The valuable possessions are well organized with visual inventories through sortly app. A prior check list is offered so that it is easy for the user to plan what should be done before the moving day.

State farm move tools:

It is a highly interactive and visually appealing moving app launched by an insurance company state farm. The supreme aim of this move tool is to assist an easy home move. The contents of the box can be edited at any time; this feature makes the labeling process much easy. The packing process can be started from wherever you want; all you need to do is just drag the items from the pre-defined inventory list available on the top of the screen.

The above showcased mobile applications will help you to make the tedious relocation process easier. It can be undoubtedly stated that moving apps are crucial in your moving adventure.

Checklist of important things to carry on a moving day

Getting ready for a move is not an easy task. It involves a series of important issues that needs to be focused. To end up in a successful journey, moving preparation is very vital. Stressful moment of relocation can be avoided by following three things 1.discover the purpose of journey  2.time management  3.carrying the essentials required. Moverrankings helps you to make your move easy by listing out the essentials to carry while moving.

Labelled Packing Boxes

Labeling cartons for ease when unpacking stuffs

Packing supplies:

While moving from one place to another safeguarding our breakable items is a big issue. As some of the household utensils are highly fragile it is recommended to use spare card board boxes accompanied by packing tapes. The color coded packing tapes helps you to find out which box placed to be where. The packing tape dispenser is also very useful in reducing your packing efforts. When your fingers are accidentally stuck with the packing tape this dispenser enables to get rid of it.

Medicines:

It is very important to keep the medicines handy. Do your best to avoid injuries and accidents.

First –aid kit:

When you rush things only for the sake of speed, there are possibilities of meeting with unfortunate situations. Always be prepared for anything because mishaps are not rare occurrences on stressful moments. Your first aid box should contain all the essentials things that can be used to medicate the person as soon as he meets with an injury.

Regular medicines:

Be aware of taking your regular prescribed medicines on the day of travel, so that you can enjoy your trip without any health issues. Don’t forget to take allergy medicines with you because you may come across allergic symptoms while travelling because of consuming unsuitable food items. The regular pain killers should also be given some space in your medicine box because it is equally important while travelling.

Toiletries:

Personal cleanliness is the first and foremost thing. You will never start a day without brushing or bathing. Personal care items makes you feel fresh for the entire day, so paramount importance should be given in accessing these things. Last minute preparation has the possibilities of missing your regular toilet soap, tooth brush, tooth paste etc. We may feel uncomfortable using different brand which we are not used to, so ensure to fit these things in your bag.

Essential electronics:

To stay connected with the movers; carrying laptops, mobile phones and tablets with internet access is very essential. When the power supply is not handy, batteries are the suitable alternative replacement. Capturing the memorable moments is invaluable; camera lends the helping hand for this. Just don’t forget to carry chargers of the essential electronics since you feel frustrated when the battery is down, while you are searching for any important information.

Basic tools:

Swiss army knife:

A multi functional tool always ranks first on the day of travel. The Swiss army knife is a very compact tool and can be carried even in the shirt pocket. It serves you for different purposes.

Scissors:

Many tasks are very difficult without this simple tool. Cutting and wrapping are unavoidable in any type of travel, it is always recommended to carry a pair of scissors.

A flashlight:

Traveling during daytime is not an issue as you have enough amount of brightness which helps you to get clear vision. But if it is a humid day or night, your vision may not be so clear. Therefore, for such situations, a flash light fulfills its sole purpose of providing light.

Can opener and bottle opener:

It is advisable to carry a can opener and a bottle opener as we always opt for soft drinks and energy drinks during travel.

Money:

A travel without money is highly impossible. Don’t rely completely on credit cards since you cannot use it for all the cases. The habit of using liquid cash helps you to grab a quick meal, to pay movers and the transportation company which you are using while your journey.

Documents:

While moving to a different place carrying the personal ID proof documents is very crucial. The other relevant papers to be carried are:

  • Driving License
  • Vehicle registration papers
  • Medical records
  • Passports and tickets

Kid’s items:

If you are going to accompany your children, their safety and well being should be given great concern and regards. Assign separate person to have keen look at them as you always cannot go behind them. To keep your little ones engaged and to relieve them from stress, carry their favorite pastime items such as comic books, play boards, rhymes CD’S etc. Great care should be taken while accompanying them in order to avoid the probability of getting lost.

Pet’s item:

If you are a pet lover then definitely you will not leave them alone when you’re moving to some other location. Carrying pets along with you is not an easy job they require more care and affection than your children. Things that are mandatory while carrying pets are:

  • Pet food and bowl
  • Their cleaning materials
  • Towel and medicines

Food and drinks:

Usually we feel exhaust and tired during travel. Healthy snacks and energy bars act as the refreshment factor. Be cautious while taking outside foods. To stay healthy, avoid street food and drinks. Bottled water should be taken during summer travel. A homemade sandwich with leafy vegetables helps you to feel energized so that you can carry your work efficiently.

Cleaning equipment:

It is always a good habit to keep the place neat and tidy where ever we go. Throwing things on the floor or road after using, is something that is against the civic sense. Equip yourselves with the cleaning supplies. Trash bags are supplied to fill the garbage and make the place as a litter free zone. The unwanted stains in clothes and other materials must be removed as soon as possible. All purpose cleaning solution serves well for this purpose. A clean surface could be obtained by a simple wipe with this solution. Never forget to take Shoe polish; it plays a dominant role in giving a shining appearance to your shoe.

Check list:

Prepare a self check list that makes you reliable of all your belongings without forgetting it. Double check the required essential things to ensure nothing is left accidentally.

A resolution for hassle free relocation

 

Everyone looks for easy relocation but the possibilities of goods getting damaged are hazardous. Of course relocation is a challenging task which includes series of activities like packing, loading, unloading, rearranging etc. Hence, it is always recommended to hand over the task to a professional relocation service provider. There are wide ranges of vivid professionals readily available to handle the entire relocation process, but only an experienced professional team can do it in an efficient manner.

Since majority of the population are immigrating to metropolitan region, the demand for packers and movers companies has increased to greater extent. Arrival of Packers and movers really keeps the consumers away from the stress of relocation. The resolution comes here to meet your requirements.

Things to ensure before hiring a service provider:

Check for long term service provider

It is crucial to find a reliable service provider for assets guarantee and standardized service. Professional movers must apply innovative packing ideas to avoid breakage while loading and unloading. A good packers and movers should take care of all customer requirements.

Hire affordable service

Even though the service is awesome it must be affordable in terms of cost. Perhaps you want to move to a distant location, check whether it contains any additional or hidden price rather than scheduled cost.

Beware of fraudulent

There are plenty of fraudulent service providers in the market that claim high end services without having any previous experience. One might get deceived by them and also there is no guarantee for your valuable belongings. Hence a separate research is required in prior to ignore hazards.

Salient features of services:

Only a professional service provider can make your transit ease and safe. But the question is ‘how to find a genuine service provider?’ There are innumerable service providers in packing and moving industry around the world. You will come to know about their services only if you are really in need of transit.

  • Professional focus towards goods

Packing materials and styles depends on the size of an asset and the value it carries. Packing team should be wise enough to come up with new and secure packing techniques in order to avoid accidental breakages.

Packing materials and techniques

A good service provider uses modernized equipments for safe loading and unloading of weighted belongings to avoid damage. Moreover, special attention has to be given while packaging fragile goods. Options like bubble wrapping and air-tight containers can be considered for easy and break free transit. Likewise, different packing techniques can be incorporated for different category of goods.

Considering all the above mentioned factors while selecting a professional packing and moving company will lead to a safe and comfortable shift.

$15,000 Vehicle Stolen by Moving Company

History involves thousands of dollars, hearley Davidson and a notorious moving company.

A bill amount of $675 was paid to J & J Moving of Brampton, Ontario, in order to move a $15,000 2010 Harley Davidson FLH Police model from Ontario to Alberta. Having settled the entire bill amount in spring, David Strapp is yet to see his motorcycle. It was then known that the job was subcontracted to Nexzen Transport who in turn subcontracted the job to STI Transport of Delta, B.C.

$15000 Vehicle Stolen by Moving Company
STI transport, having picked up the motorbike, holding it as hostage in Delta B.C. warehouse seeing that J & J Moving owes an amount of $10,000 for earlier shipments.

Inspite of filing a complaint with the Royal Canadian Mounted police-RCMP, he was left unrequited saying that nothing could be done for the reason that, as far as they were concerned, it was a civil case.

Surely taking someone else’s personal belongings with no intention of returning them is called theft?
Despite that, Global News Toronto has made an effort to resolve the issue; no solution has been obtained so far.

J & J Moving, Nexzen Transport or STI Transport, having failed to stand up to their terms especially in terms of Customer service, it is good to keep away from their services.

$5,000 Fine for Nine Illegal Moving Companies

Utilities and Transportation Commission (UTC), Washington
Severe action has been taken against nine illegitimate residential moving companies by the state. Companies that have been operating without permits in Washington have faced a severe action by the state regulators.

$5,000 fine for nine illegal moving companies

UTC Washington, administrative law judge has passed a strict order stating that the nine moving companies should stop providing residential moving services until they obtain a specific permit that is legitimate.

Following are the six companies that received a penalty of $5,000; others were suspended for two years on provided condition that the company must meet the terms of the commission order.

  • Cope Quality Services, owned by Carrie Creech of Poulsbo.
  • Queen City Movers LLC, owned by Johnathan Jorde of Seattle;
  • Eastside & All City Movers, owned by Lyle and Darcy Allen of Everett;
  • Fast Affordable Movers, owned by Steven Ronald Erickson of Kennewick;
  • Pro Moving Delivery, owned by Alexander Satir of Tacoma; and
  • Sea-Tac Movers LLC, owned by Doyin Adekanmbi of Lake Stevens;

Having said that, there are other three companies that have been fined a penalty of $5,000

  • Sequim-based Movers Plus, owned by Joshua Washburn
  • Ellensburg-based Man of Steel Movers, owned by Michael Pandolfi
  • Everett-based Precision Moving, owned by Christoper Dems

The aforementioned companies, having failed to appear, they were fined an amount of $5,000.

Administering and inflicting consumer protection and safety regulations, UTC- Utilities and Transportation Commission is the state’s watchdog agency operating within the state. Having no control over interstate moving companies, it ensures that the movers are charging appropriate rates while maintaining their vehicles upto the safety standards and carrying proper insurance.

Moving Company Fined for Breaching Consumer Protection Laws

Having received growing number of grievances in opposition to moving companies, the office of consumer protection director “Eric Friedman” has stated that “Holding someone’s personal goods and memories hostage in exchange for payment of exorbitant fees is inexcusable.”

With that said, a Gaithersburg moving company has also been fined for breaching Montgomery County’s consumer protection law, sources say that the company is operated by Adam Shaikh.

Shaikh has been fined an amount of $3,000 covering six civil citations, stemming from three consumer complaints.

Shaikh, who did business as Big Brothers Moving in Gaithersburg has found breaching some of the laws; the violations included holding goods hostage, failing to say whether a moving estimate was binding or non-binding, perverting services including in estimates and charging extra and misrepresenting online that the company was licensed and insured.

How to Find a Moving Company with Moving Reviews

Moving from one place to another can be a preferred thing for many but, not along with the possessions. In view of the fact that, it is one of the stressful acts, not many will have an idea of how to get by. When done with proper planning your move can be breezy. Professional and personal assistance is indispensable here!

Moving-Review-moverrankings

To cope up with the stress of moving there are certain things that you should be following. One of the foremost things is to read moving reviews. This will help you to make your move breezy.

Surprisingly, helping you to take the correct decision, probably this is one of the most complex parts. Majorities of the population in US tend to move from one state to another due to various reasons; however, how many have you seen reading through moving reviews in order to select a moving company. Besides, all moving company assures you finest service, however, not all of them in reality can offer you with such quality service. Therefore, prior to your move, plan it and read through several moving company reviews to select a good US mover. Here are a few reasons.

Before hiring a moving company, going through the moving reviews will help you make the right choice. With that said, you will get an insight of the moving services offered by the respective moving company before appointing them through mover reviews.

Finding genuine reviews about a company can give you the assurance that the moving company you select will work as how you expect. Once you are done with reading reviews, even if it is a bad moving company review, you may decide to research over them more in order to find out the fact. On the whole, this will help you protect your safety during relocation.