Money saving tips when moving to a new city

Congratulations on your new job! Wait, does it require you to move to a new city? This is something completely relatable, and we understand how difficult it is to uproot your life. This just gets a lot more complicated if you are on a tight budget. Will you be able to live off the income you are earning? What kind of hidden expenses would you have to bear? How will you manage the cost of moving in general? These are just a few concerns that blindside you a few days before the d-day and can be cause for much anxiety.

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Moving to a new city is an expensive endeavour. But it can be done without blowing a ton of cash from your pocket. Here are a few tricks and strategies to keep in mind when relocating to a new place:

Get quotes from different movers

A lot of people try to save money by moving themselves. While renting a truck seems like an affordable deal, too many people often later realise that hiring professional movers would have been a cost-effective and time-effective deal. Compare quotes from different moving companies. Agarwal Movers & Packers, EzMove, PM Relocation and DTDC Packers and Movers are household names. Also, if possible, plan your move during off-season (yes, even moving companies have off-season). Most moving companies lower their rates as much as 30 percent during Fall and Winter seasons, which is often a slack period for them.

Plan your move during off-peak hours

Even if you decide to stick to DIY moving, it is highly advised to drive at off-peak hours to save fuel and time. Whether you choose to use your own vehicle or rent out a truck, your weighed down ride will give you poor mileage. This can get worse if you get stuck in long traffic jams, which is a common site in most Indian cities.

Ditch some of the old stuff

Since you are moving to a new place, you might not even require half of the stuff that you had in your current home. While it is always better to rent a fully furnished home, if you haven’t been able to get a good deal, be sure to take only basic furniture and necessary items, such as utensils, refrigerator, geyser, water purifier and so on. In short, make a list of things that you cannot buy or afford to buy again. Prioritise your requirements and let go of the items that you don’t need anymore. You can also sell a few unnecessary items online to get some extra cash. Gozefo, Olx, Quikr, Craigslist are some of the websites you can use to sell your old stuff.

Cut down on utilities

Since you already know that you will be moving out in a week or two, how about spending some time in optimising your utility shut downs? Even if your billing cycle is not in line with your moving date, consider cutting off services that do not have any major impact on your routine. You can survive without the cable and wi-fi for a couple of weeks! Save as much as you can. There is no better way to save than to cut on bills.

Unless you are a fan of minimalist living, moving can prove to be a daunting task. But you can save a lot of money and time with proper planning and some cheap tricks, such as, wrapping your glassware in layers of clothes, using borrowed empty moving boxes from your current office, or using coffee filters to protect dishes. When evaluating the new city, assume it to be slightly expensive in comparison to the previous location. Add about five to ten percent more in your monthly expenses and you’d be surprised to save a few pennies at the end of the month.