If you’re planning a move, it’s important to take the time to budget for everything. This can be especially difficult for long-distance moves, where unexpected expenses can crop up due to traffic or weather delays.

Whether you’re DIY-ing your move or hiring professional movers, there are many ways to save money on moving costs. Here are a few to consider.

Transportation

The costliest aspect of logistics is transportation. These expenses, which can total more than 10 percent of your sales, can be incurred whether you carry workers, finished products, or raw materials.

Creating and utilizing a transportation management system is the first step in reducing transportation expenditures. This will enable you to instantly find the best carrier offers for your personnel and freight shipments. In the long term, this can save you a ton of money.

For instance, if you have employees that travel to job sites in vans, use a transportation management system to identify the best rates from different carriers. This can save your company tens of thousands of dollars each year.

Another way to save on transportation costs is to leave behind heavy items like furniture. These can often be replaced for less than you pay to ship to your new home.

You can also rent a truck or trailer to load your items, but it will be more stressful and intense than hiring movers. The cost of a truck rental will depend on the distance you’re moving and how much stuff you need to move. A small move can be relatively inexpensive within a 50-mile radius.

Packing

Decluttering your home and donating or selling unwanted items can save you time, money, and a lot of stress during your move. Start a few weeks or a month before your moving date to get a head start on packing and decluttering.

First, list your possessions and determine how much space each area has. This will enable you to decide what to pack and how many boxes you’ll need.

Next, go through all your furniture and belongings and decide what you want to keep and don’t. You can then donate or sell these items to reduce your moving costs and keep more room for the heavy boxes on the truck.

Once you’ve decided, purchase the items you need to pack, such as boxes, packing paper, and bubble wrap. These items are often sold at home improvement stores and moving companies.

Use a mix of large and small boxes to make the process easier. Each box should be about 50 pounds or less, so you can stack them in the moving truck without worrying about a large box crushing a smaller one.

You can also buy box dividers, which are handy for keeping fragile items safe from damage. Label your boxes by room so you can identify them during the move.

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One of the most expensive aspects of a move is moving your belongings. While you can’t avoid the expense entirely, there are ways to reduce your out-of-pocket expenses. Planning far before the move is the greatest approach to making significant savings. Examining your current living environment and long-term storage choices is a smart place to start. You must also decide how much time and effort you can devote to your move.