How to manage moving costs when relocating cross-country

If you want to correctly manage your moving costs when relocating cross-country, you have to understand them. First, every move is different. However, they all have some factors in common. Those factors are the distance, size of your home, moving date, type of relocation, and the services that you will need. All of them will influence your overall moving cost. In case you are not sure how to calculate the costs, discuss them with Best Cross Country Movers. They will explain to you how to make a proper calculation of your moving budget. And how to manage it. Such a step-by-step introduction will help you to complete the relocation successfully. 

Close up of man hand using a calculator - manage moving costs when relocating cross-country.
To manage moving costs when relocating cross-country correctly, you need to make a good moving budget.

Moving cross-country can be very costly

Before discussing the costs, let us first explain what the cross-county relocation is. Any relocations that involve going from the south to north, from state to state, coast to coast, or from one country to another, is falling into that category. On average, the professional movers will charge you from $5,000 to $7,000 for such a move. However, if you hire the best cross country movers California to move you from NYC to San Francisco, you will have logistic support during the entire relocation. In case of any moving issue, they can contact the closest movers to help them. Also, as a part of a nationwide moving net, they will easily provide you with storage in transit.  

Even if you opt for a DIY relocation, expect it to be costly. In this case, you will have to get the track rental. And only this can cost you about $3,000. Additionally, you will have to hire the daily manpower to help you load and unload the truck. And, moving a really long distance without professional help is rather risky. Not to mention that you will have to organize stops along the route. And that you will have to secure the truck rental during the night stops. Finally, you can easily end up paying the same amount of expenses as if you had hired reliable best cross country movers New York

To manage moving costs when relocating cross-country, learn what they consist of

The main factors that influence the relocation costs are: 

  • Moving distance (the cost will be different if you move just across the border, or from coast to coast)
  • Size of your home (for example, moving a 5-bedroom home, you may pay between  $8,000 and $13,500. Moving a 1-bedroom home will cost you between $2,250 and $4,500)
  • Moving date (the relocation will be much more costly in case you move during the peak season. Also, it is more expensive to move at the beginning and end of the month. Additionally, you can count on higher prices in case you move during the weekends)
  • Costs of additional services (such services are the fuel, highway toll, overnight storage, food, overnight hotel costs, etc.)

The similar cost breakdown you have to include in your moving budget in case of a DIY relocation. The only difference will actually be renting a moving truck, instead of hiring the best long-distance movers Washington. And you will also need to rent the equipment such as dollies, loading ramps, furniture pads, moving blankets, etc. 

Motel sign and building during the night time.
When moving cross-country, you will need to consider the overnight costs.

The additional costs that you have to account for when planning the cross-country relocation

Besides the already mentioned costs, it would be good to include in your moving budget some other costs. Such are:

  • Costs of parking
  • Highway tolls
  • Temporary housing (if you plan to stay in a rental apartment before purchasing your home)
  • Costs of transporting your personal car
  • Additional insurance (the moving companies are usually paying 60 cents/pound. To have full coverage it is advisable to purchase the additional insurance)
  • Packing services (if you don’t have time to pack yourself)
  • Storage services in your new hometown (in case you need them)
  • Children and pets care during preparation time (in case you have them)

When relocating cross-country, consider if it is better to move all the furniture, or get rid of some pieces

You might have furniture that will not match your new home. Such pieces are better to sell and keep the money. Once in your new place, you will easily find the piece that will match your new home. 

Or, maybe you have some pieces which are already old. In such a case, check the prices for new, similar pieces. Add up the transportation costs to that price. So, it will show you clearly if it is worthwhile moving the old furniture cross-country. 

A woman analyzing the design business progress reports.
Consider carefully all kinds of costs that you can expect during the cross-country relocation.

Why it is good to set a reliable moving budget?

The experience of moving companies shows that many people are avoiding making the moving budget. They consider calculating the moving cost as necessary spending of precious time. So, they usually rely on approximate estimations. Unfortunately, in many cases, they end up short of moving funds. According to their statistics, about 50% of cross-country movers are facing such an unpleasant situation. And they have to quickly call around to borrow the missing amount and complete relocation. So, this shows how important it is to manage moving costs when relocating cross-country. 

Once you set the moving budget, avoid taking funds from it

Additionally, once you set the moving budget and collect the needed funds, spend them only for moving purposes. Avoid taking funds to buy things that you don’t need at the moment. Also, it is always good to collect some more funds than your calculation shows. That money will go into the contingency fund. So, once you set it, keep it separately from the moving fund. The contingency fund is foreseen for covering some unexpected costs that might occur during relocation.    

To manage moving costs properly, it is important to create an accurate moving budget

How to manage moving costs when relocating cross-country will depend on your moving budget. You have to foresee all types of costs that may occur. To do so, you have to take into consideration if you are hiring movers or doing relocation yourself. The type of relocation will define the type of the costs that you have to account for. Also, you have to allocate an accurate amount to each expected expenditure category. The problem is that creating a budget, you have to rely on estimates. Namely, most costs you are using to create your budget will be mostly estimates. So, to be on the safe side, it is a good practice to multiply the subtotal of the costs by 5% at least. 

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