Whether you move across a country or across a street, moving is always a daunting task. Even, the Employee Relocation Council reported that relocation is considered to be the third most stressful life event. Lack of proper planning is the prime cause of moving stress. Here are few tips to save money and time when you’re moving locally.
Plan ahead :
Start the moving preparation as far in advance as you can, since it is time consuming and detailed process. In order to make your move ultimately simple and less hectic, activities such as, changing over your utilities, acquiring packing supplies must be done beforehand. Reserve the professional movers as soon as possible because last minute booking will result in unavailability of the movers and also you should pay a pretty steep price.
Concentrate on wise packing :
Spent ample of time in carefully packing your items, keep in mind that it is overwhelming to pack up the entire things in your home or apartment in one or two days, so pack well in advance. Before you start packing quickly sort through your belonging and unload the seldom or never used stuffs. The garage sale will fetch you some instant cash and eliminate the hassle of packing unwanted items. Ask for pre-used boxes from your movers and in case if you are doing the packing by yourself rent the plastic crates and moving supplies, instead of buying new one, this way, the money can be saved to greater extent. The safety of your breakables is ensured by padding it with bubble wraps.
Rental truck :
If you are relocating by DIY approach then you need a rental truck to shift your belongings. The rental truck companies charge you based on the mileage, if your move is short, you may save money by booking trucks that offer you cheaper rental rate. Be aware of the company’s insurance policies and what it actually covers, since, most of the companies offer you reimbursement with high deductibility and only covers certain types of damage. For instance, roof damage is quite common but it is often left out. By reserving the truck far in advance, you can ensure the truck availability and you can also choose your own convenient pick up and drop dates. While loading the items, first load the furniture and then heaviest boxes, thirdly load the breakable items so that during unloading process the breakables are unloaded first without getting damaged. Hire the truck based on the volume of the goods, renting smaller truck and making multiple trips makes you to end up with additional charges.

Label the belongings :
Labeling the boxes informatively helps you to keep track of your stuff. The hassle after the move can be eliminated by simply writing the room names on the boxes with marker so that it is easy for you to unpack the items and place it in appropriate place. Instead of manual labeling, the boxes can be labeled electronically by using mobile inventory software. The home inventory tools mobile app helps you to maintain a detailed database of your stuff. The encoded labeling with QR codes is another useful method. Since, it is annoying to fit the entire inventory on the label and you may also feel discomfort able to expose the content of your box, if it contains expensive items, in such cases the QR code labeling is a decent solution.

Look for helpers :
The moving can be miserable experience if you do it alone. Getting help from friends and neighbors makes the move much easier and faster. If you have enough friends, schedule your friends in shifts and get your work done, do not commit your friends to a full day of physical labor. For a local move, instead of hiring movers, getting help from friends and neighbors is a wise choice. Taking photos of the connections of your home appliances helps you to easily install it in your new home since these photos give you a detailed description about how the wires are connected.

Keep your essentials handy :
During peak season move, you may arrive quickly than your belongings, so keep your essentials such as spare dress, toiletries etc within easy access. In order to ensure the safety of your laptop, it is always advisable to transport it along with you, this way you can minimize the risk of getting it damaged or stolen during the move.

Cut down the boxes :
Trashing the unwanted items makes the packing process easy and it also reduce the number of card board boxes. The professional movers charge by volume of your goods, purging your possessions helps you to save money. Moving is the great time to unload the unneeded furniture, sell it on Craigslist. Do not forget to make a prior visit to your new residence before the move to ensure that the furniture properly fits into your new home to avoid unnecessary frustrations.

Prepare moving checklists :
A stress free moving can be experienced by preparing a checklist that covers every aspect of your move. Check list helps you to carry out the moving process in a well organized manner and the risk of missing things is greatly minimized.

Hire professional movers :
DIY approach or involving friends in moving process may save your money but the safe move is provided only by the professional movers. The unfortunate injuries during the moving process can be eliminated by hiring professional movers because they have undergone rigorous training on moving process and they stick to moving ethics. Do online research and find out the suitable movers, who fits into your budget. The selection process can be made much easier by getting referrals. Before choosing the moving company, get quotes at least from five companies, in this way you can hire a cost effective movers. Once you select your moving company sign a contract with them and the agreement should list all the needed supplies, number of trucks, total cost and the total number of boxes you are loading inside the truck etc. While signing the contract ensure that you sign a filled agreement without any blanks, to avoid the moving scams.