10 Tips to Save Money When Moving to Temecula
Over the past six or seven years, my wife and I have moved at least five times. We made many mistakes, but we have definitely learned how to save time and money when moving. We thought it would be a great idea to write a blog post about 10 Tips to Save Money When Moving to Temecula. Should you rent a U-Haul? Where do I get movers? When should I start packing? Where do I buy boxes? These are all things that I will go over in this blog post. Not only will you save a lot of money, but I promise you I will save your sanity as well.
Moving Truck
The first thing that you have to decide is whether or not you are going to hire a professional moving company. Of course, there are many people that will not feel comfortable renting a U-Haul, nor will the U-Haul be big enough for their home, but for those of you that are moving short distances or have a three-bedroom home or less, a U-Haul is a great way to save money. I have priced professional movers and U-Hauls, and the numbers are really not even close. If you are able to swing it, the U-Haul will save you thousands of dollars.
Movers
This is going to be a personal preference, but I have always hired movers from either Craigslist or Facebook. Now that Facebook has groups in almost every city for jobs, all you need to do is join that group and ask if people would be willing to help you move on that certain date. You will get many responses, and I have personally never had any issues with the movers. For people who have large, expensive furniture, I would personally hire a professional moving company. You can find professional movers on both Facebook and Craigslist with insurance. Yes, you are going to pay a little more, but if your furniture is very expensive and heavy, you need someone who understands and has experience in the process of moving.
Hire a couple more men than you think.
The moving companies on Facebook and Craigslist usually have a minimum number of hours you need to hire them for. For a few of the moves, I hired only two guys. Problem? It took six or seven hours, and they started to slow down by the end of the day. We learned that it’s better to hire one or two extra guys and get the job done in four hours rather than hire two and get it done in ten.
Pack Early
This is for your sanity, not necessarily to save money. If you know you’re going to move within two or three months, start packing early. What we started doing was packing one room every Sunday. By the time moving day arrives, the whole house is packed, and you’re not dead tired because you just worked 70 hours the previous week trying to pack your whole house. Packing early also allows you to go through things and figure out what you don’t want. Because you started early, you can have a yard sale and make some money on a Sunday or Saturday.
Where do I get boxes?
The best place to get boxes is on Facebook Marketplace or Craigslist. This will require you to start packing a little early because you don’t want to be driving all over the country for boxes, but if you do get them for free, you’re going to save anywhere from $50 to $100. The one thing I can tell you not to do is wait until the last minute and buy your boxes from U-Haul. They are very expensive. If you have to wait until the last minute and need to purchase boxes, Walmart has the best-priced moving boxes. If you are moving to Temecula and want to watch a video on the ultimate low-tax community, Click Here
Save Newspapers
Start saving your Sunday newspaper, because you’re going to need it. Particularly if you have fine china or dishes. You will use a lot more paper than you think. Again, I can’t stress this enough: start the moving process the moment you find out you’re moving.
Keep a Cooler on Hand for Moving Day
There is nothing worse than getting to your destination and realizing you’re very thirsty without water or snacks around. Before you leave the house, make sure you have a small cooler filled with cold water and snacks and put it in the back of the U-Haul.
Timing Your Fill-Ups
Okay, guys, we’ve learned this over the years, coming from Arizona to California. If you are moving from out of state and coming into California, make sure you fill up your U-Haul before you hit the California border. Most states have gas that is much less expensive than California. In a state like Arizona, the size of the U-Haul tank will save you $30 to $40 just on gas.
Check Insurance
Before you go rent your U-Haul, it’s a good idea to call your insurance company and figure out what they cover when renting a moving truck. When you arrive at U-Haul, they will try to sell you everything except their children in terms of the insurance. It’s useful to understand what your insurance covers so you don’t pay twice or for something you don’t require.
Get Rid of Your Stuff
We learned this lesson from our last move. It was sort of an accident, actually. Before we left the beach and moved, I threw out or sold everything I possibly could. My wife was furious at first, but once you realize that Facebook Marketplace has amazing things for sale at half the price of new, it’s not such a bad idea. Get rid of your things! Instead of making two trips with a 26-foot U-Haul, get rid of that dining table and just buy a new one. Sell that $40 TV stand and buy a nicer one for $40 when you actually get to your new home. There are also tons of garage sales in this area. Spend a Saturday morning shopping for a few items that are one-third the price of new. Temecula is a community that has a lot of nice homes, and people are always selling really nice things.
Thank you for reading our blog. We are a local husband-and-wife real estate brokerage (Greenleaf Real Estate) and appraisal company. If you have any questions regarding real estate in or around the Temecula area, please don’t hesitate to call us. We have some great VIP programs for both buyers and sellers.
We have attached a local home search below showing all active homes in the area. You can narrow the search down by size, beds, baths, price, or even draw an area on the map, and everything listed will come up for you.
