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My fiance and I are moving from Arizona to Washington in two months, when we graduate from college (for my new job). The company will pay $2,000 in moving costs. For a do-it-yourself move, I had thought this would be plenty. But, once I do a few calculations it looks like we will be over. I can afford a little extra, but hate to do it as I'd rather see the money go to furniture and other things we need. So, is there anywhere I can cut costs?
I did use high estimates, assuming the price of gas will continue to go up, and tacked on an extra 50 miles on top of our planned route. We are adding about 200 miles to the trip by seeing family in CA, which will cut down costs as we won't have to ship stuff we want to leave there, and ship stuff we want to pick up from there. We're planning to drive over the course of three days, leaving the day after we pack, staying a whole day with family, and having an extra day in case be get delayed. The number of days of the rental can't be reduced to save us any money.
Rental of a 16-ft Penske truck, trailer for our SUV, hand truck, and a dozen moving blankets: $1,005
Insurance for move (estimate): $150
Fuel for truck assuming 7 mpg, 1,600 miles, and $3.75/gal: $857
Gas for our car: $200
Hotels: $0, we'll stay with friends and family along the way
Boxes: $0, I've been getting them for free from Craigslist and stores
Tie-down rope and a padlock: $40
Packing tape and bubble wrap (already have some): $30
Mattress bags for our queen bed: $15
So, we may come $300 over budget. Any ways to reduce costs? I've already been shopping around for truck rentals and Penske was by far the cheapest, and has the best reviews. Also tried the tricks with moving dates and the day I booked was lowest for the time of year we need to move. We can't do PODS as they won't come to our area, and shipping a car was $700+.
I moved cross-country and did a massive amount of research beforehand trying to do it the smartest and most cost effective way. It sounds to me like your moving costs are right on target, and you've done your homework well. You're really lucky you do not need hotel rooms - that was the largest cost factor in my move. Good job.
I agree with montanamom that you've done your job well and the costs are well-researched. I can't see where you could possibly carve off any more. Good job!
Use your own blanket's bedspread, towels,sheets,curtains instead of bubble wrap and mattress cover.Get boxes from supermarket produce department like banana,apple,orange boxes[no tape needed].Would a dolly for your car pulled behind the truck be cheaper than $200 gas for the car?
Oh yes! I agree with marita's suggestions! Linens of all kinds to replace packing paper and bubblewrap. And banana boxes are so darn sturdy and big, and have handles so that they're easy to carry AND don't need tape.
Looks like they are already towing the SUV behind the truck and driving the car. Looking over the other numbers I can only see the same $30-45 savings maybe in the bubble wrap, moving pads and mattress cover. Other than that, it looks very close. With the truck and towing a vehicle, don't try to keep up with the flow of traffic or go much faster than 60-65 MPH. The faster you go, the worse the trucks get for mileage. Once you get above 60ish it drops like a rock. I drive a 16' box truck everyday (ex-Penske truck) and never get it above 60 because it goes from 12-13 MPG down to 8-9 MPG. Doesn't sound like a lot, but every bit saved is money in your packet. Towing a vehicle is going to drop it even further.
In 1600 miles you save almost $100 in fuel cost (at $3.75/gallon) if you get the truck to get 8 MPG instead of your estimate of 7 MPG.
I dont understand what the insurance is for. Insurance in case you get in an accident? Wouldnt your regular car insurance cover that? Or is it for your valuables IN the truck? Unless you have alot of antiques, I cant understand the value of it.
I have moved many times and never used extra insurance.
marita: Yes, we're already towing the car that gets the worse mileage, and it's cheaper for me to drive the other car. We'll definitely use towels and stuff for packing, but I have at least a couple boxes of highly breakable stuff that I'll need a little bubble wrap for. I'll look for some banana boxes--they sound ideal! I've also researched that liquor store boxes are small and sturdy, and our local store lets you come pick them up for free. My roommate left us a couple rolls of packing tape so that will help.
Bydand: I definitely want to keep our speed down to decrease fuel costs. Maybe I'll have to drive my car in front of the truck to make sure my fiance isn't being a lead foot (but, I don't have cruise control so it'll be a pain)! Also, having to stop and fill up less could be a time-saver as I know getting the truck in and out of a gas station may be tricky.
stacylee926: I'd like to get two types of insurance from Penske. The first being the limited damage waiver (LDW). The LDW Would protect us from being liable to pay for damages to the truck or towing equipment. This is needed as we won't otherwise have coverage (already checked, and neither our car insurance or credit card would cover rental trucks).
We may also want to get cargo insurance, as we currently don't have renter's insurance or anything that would pay to replace our belongings if they were damaged or stolen. If our renter's insurance we plan to get for our new place will be valid before the move, and would cover us (I'll have to ask as I've read it can vary for belongings outside your home), then I wouldn't pay for it at Penske when we pick up the truck. Because all our possessions will be in the truck, and left unattended while we are sleeping, unloading the truck, etc, I would really regret not having coverage if someone decided to take our belongings. Especially at this stage in our lives, we don't have the money to replace our stuff. We don't have much, but wouldn't be able to pay to replace our belongings enough to maintain our current quality of life.
The round lock in the link below is the way to go.The bad guys cut the loop on a lock.With this type of lock there is no loop to grab. Disc
You might want to load all your not important items last.The bad guys will grab and run and not take a chance of getting caught digging through your stuff.
Long Live Banana Boxes - Packaging-Online (http://www.packaging-online.com/paperboardpackaging/article/articleDetail.jsp?id=197690 - broken link)
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