Smith 
A few months ago, my wife Mandy and I packed up and moved from Illinois to Nashville, Tennessee—a big change since our last move was only two miles away! This time, we were moving 3.5 hours away with four kids and everything we’d accumulated over 12 years of marriage. Moving is expensive, especially when you don’t have a company paying for it, so we had to find ways to save money. Here are the strategies we used:
Declutter Everything
You don’t realize how much stuff you have until you start packing it all up. To make the move easier and cheaper, we decided to get rid of things we didn’t need, like old clothes, toys, and furniture. We donated a lot, lightening our load and reducing what we’d have to pay movers.
Shop Around for Movers
For this move, we needed professional movers. Instead of just picking the first company we found, we compared quotes from national, local, and regional movers. The price difference was huge! By shopping around, we saved more than $3,000.
Use Rewards Credit Cards
We recently bought a new GMC SUV which comfortably fits the whole family and our gear. A great way to save for big purchases like a new car is through rewards credit cards. The GM BuyPower Card, for example, lets Cardmembers earn 5% on the first $5,000 spent each year and then 2% after that, which can be used towards purchasing or leasing a new GM vehicle.
Pack Yourself
Movers can pack your belongings for you, but it’s costly—around $40 per box. We packed our own things and saved $2,000 to $3,000. When the movers saw that most of the packing was already done, they even gave us an additional $1,200 discount.
Find Free or Cheap Moving Boxes
Boxes can get expensive if you buy them from a store. Instead, we asked our local grocery store for boxes they were planning to throw out. They were happy to let us take as many as we needed for free.
Connect with New Neighbors on Social Media
We discovered that our new neighborhood had a Facebook group. By joining, we got tips on everything from local services to the best places to eat. Some neighbors even brought us meals during our first week! This group also helped us find a rental home that was $1,200 cheaper per month than our initial option.
The Big Move
Moving can be costly, but thinking ahead and using these strategies can help save hundreds or even thousands of dollars. Whether it’s finding the right movers, leveraging credit card rewards, or packing yourself, there are many ways to cut costs and make the transition smoother.
