Your Guide to the Cheapest Way To Move Out of State

Moving to a new house is often a stressful experience, regardless of whether you work with a reputable moving company or tackle a DIY move with your pickup truck. Long-distance moves are especially challenging, as they are usually significantly more expensive than moving locally. If you’re on a budget, finding the cheapest way to move out of state is essential to your peace of mind and ensuring that you can settle in quickly once you arrive.

Factors That Influence Your Moving Costs

Preparing well in advance is key to a streamlined, hassle-free move out of state. By taking the time to calculate your costs, you’ll be able to find the cheapest option that works for you.

While you may expect that hiring professionals will cost more than a DIY trip, movers are only one factor influencing the cost of moving. Make sure to consider all of the elements of the moving process to get an accurate picture of what your cross-country move will cost.

Moving Supplies

Moving supplies include everything you need to keep your items safe during the move. These include:

• Boxes
• Bubble wrap
• Moving tape
• Packing paper
• Specialized packaging for fragile items

Packing supplies can make up a large portion of your moving budget, especially if you have many items you want to take along.

Transportation

Not only do you need to consider how you’ll move your stuff to a new home, but you also need to think about how you’ll get there. If you have your own vehicle, it may be cheaper to drive than to use a shipping container. If you don’t have a car and don’t plan on making a DIY move, flying is one of the cheapest ways to get across the country in terms of convenience, fuel costs, and time.

Storage

If you’re downsizing or don’t have the time to organize professional movers, another option is to rent a storage container for a month or two. Be sure to visit several storage facilities to ensure that your storage unit is safe, secure, and worth the price.

Movers

Hiring professional movers can be a significant part of your total moving costs, so it’s worthwhile to find a professional moving company that is reliable and affordable. You also don’t need to hire full-service moving companies — you can save money by packing and transporting small items yourself and only hiring movers to handle the heavier items.

All reputable long-distance movers will provide quotes for a long-distance move that consider the number of items, how much they weigh, and the distance of the move. Contact several companies and compare pricing and customer reviews to ensure that you get the most trustworthy and affordable option.

Cleaning and Repairs

Houses and apartments accumulate dust and imperfections that need cleaning before you leave. While in some cases, elbow grease and a bucket and mop are enough, most homes will need deep cleaning and repairs to get the place ready for the next owner or tenant.

You’ll need to factor in the cost of a professional cleaning service. If you decide to clean the place yourself, remember to consider equipment rentals, materials, and the time you spend cleaning.

Registration and Licenses

When you move out of state, you’ll need to get a new driver’s license and car registration. Many professions will also require new state-level certifications, which can add to your expenses when you arrive at your new home.

Deposits

Ideally, you should be able to use the safety deposit from your previous rental to pay the deposit for your new home, but this often isn’t the case. Be sure to budget for your deposit and the fees required to connect all the necessary utilities at your new location.

Ways To Save Money When Moving Out of State

DIY moving is often the cheapest way to move out of state, especially if you have a car or van to drive to your new home.

However, your situation will change which option is the cheapest way to move, so be sure to consider all of your choices and use our tips to get the best value for your money.

Renting a Cargo Van or Large Moving Truck

Van rentals are often much cheaper than moving companies and are a great option if you have many heavy or bulky items to transport. However, for longer moves, van rental doesn’t include travel-related expenses such as gas, food, and accommodation.

Another complication with hiring a rental truck is that you still need to transport your own car to your new home. Some trucks allow you to hitch your car to the back or form a convoy with family members — you drive the truck while they drive your car.

Using a Moving Container Service

If you don’t need your stuff immediately, you can ship it via container instead of relying on a moving truck. Moving containers are an excellent way of saving money, especially if you’ve downsized or need a space to store items for a few months. That way, you can pack the container and, once ready, request it’s delivery to your new location.

The main drawback of using a moving pod is that it’s slow. Most container services only have a few trips per week, and depending on their schedule, you may have to wait a relatively long time before getting your stuff.

Car and Trailer Combo

If you have a car, a cargo trailer is an excellent way to move your car and your stuff simultaneously. Most vehicles have enough power to tow a small trailer, and it’s the ideal moving option if you don’t have a lot of furniture or heavy items.

Tips for Moving Out of State Cheaply

Hiring a freight trailer, moving container, or moving truck is only one way to save money on your out-of-state move. We also have a few tips on how to save on other aspects of the move, allowing you to get the most out of your moving budget.

Declutter and Organize Your Items

Moving companies base their quotes on the number and weight of items you have as well as the distance to travel. Moving is the ideal time to get rid of things you don’t use and don’t really need.

A common way of decluttering is to have several categories, including:

• Need
• Fix
• Sell
• Trash

Most people hold onto useless items, expecting they’ll need them at some point. If you haven’t used something within the past year or two, is it really worth keeping?

Once you’ve decluttered, you can dispose of your old things in several ways, including through donations or garage sales. Many charities use services that pick up your donations, so you don’t need to worry about delivering your items. Holding a garage sale allows you to give back to the community, lessen your packing and moving load, and has the added bonus of creating some extra moving funds.

Recruit Your Friends and Family for a DIY Move

Friends and family can be a great resource, if only for helping pack the moving truck on the first leg of your journey. A dedicated moving day can be a great send-off where you enjoy spending time with your friends before you move out of state.

Move During the Off-Season

Moving services tend to adjust their prices based on demand, so peak periods are often more expensive than off-season rates. Even if you don’t want to hire movers, you’ll find it cheaper to hire a moving truck during less popular times.

The main disadvantage of moving long distances during off-peak periods is that they’re usually unpopular for a reason — kids may need to be in school, you may have to take time off from work, or you may have to drive in cold, miserable weather. It’s up to you to decide whether the savings are worth the inconvenience.

Create a Moving Checklist

Having a plan makes it possible to find cheap ways of paying for your move. A moving checklist will help you identify hidden costs, such as utility deposits, fuel costs, and other factors influencing moving costs.

Preparation also means that you don’t need to pay extra for emergency services, making it the cheapest way to move out of state, no matter if you decide to work with professional movers or are planning a DIY move.

Find Free Packing Materials

One of the most effective moving tips is to look for free packing materials. There’s no need to spend money on moving boxes when most retail stores have hundreds of crates and cardboard boxes they throw away daily. These are usually robust enough to safely store your items, and a trip to the mall is often enough to provide enough packaging for the entire movie.

You can also save by using alternatives, such as replacing bubble wrap with newspapers, pillows, or blankets. If you order a lot online, you can keep all your delivery packages, which often contain protective materials and robust moving boxes.

Ask for a Relocation Package

The cheapest way to move out of state is to not pay for the move at all. Many companies offer relocation packages as an incentive for attracting talent. They may cover all or a portion of your moving expenses. Don’t hesitate to ask if your employer doesn’t offer the package. Some may even have a preferred moving service, which saves you the trouble of researching moving companies and packing services.

Estimating Moving Costs

The three main factors that affect moving costs are:

• Distance: The farther you move, the higher the cost due to fuel and travel time.
• Number of items: More items cost more to transport, especially if you’ve also opted for packing services.
• Labor: Heavier items are more difficult to move, and some may require specialized equipment, which adds to labor and increases cost.

How Much Does an Out-of-State Move Cost?

As mentioned in the previous section, moving costs differ based on your unique situation. You can expect to pay $5,000 to move an average three-bedroom home a distance of 1,000 miles. If you have fewer items or are traveling a shorter distance, this price may be less.

Are Moving Expenses Tax Deductible?

Unfortunately, since 2017, moving costs are not tax-deductible. The only people who may qualify for a deduction are military personnel or people who moved before 2017 and meet certain specific criteria.

If you’re unsure about whether you qualify, speak to an accountant, who should be able to determine if you meet the required criteria.

Is a DIY Move Cheaper than Hiring Movers?

On the surface, DIY moves appear much cheaper than working with movers. However, if you have a large house or are moving a long distance away, the hassle of packing, loading a truck, and repeating the process on the other side may not be worth the savings. You’ll also need to factor in hidden fees, such as the cost of filling your moving van’s gas tank, accommodation, and lost income due to travel time.

Everyone’s situation is unique, and the best option is to get quotes from movers while calculating how much it would cost to do it yourself.

How To Find a Professional Long-Distance Moving Company

If you opt for professional movers, you must do your due diligence to find the best one. This includes the following steps:

• Get quotes from several movers: Be sure to keep all the details consistent between quotes, such as your inventory, location, and any location difficulties that can impact the cost of the move. Be skeptical of quotes that are too high or too low — cheap movers tend to cut corners, and you may lose some of your items, while expensive movers are likely not worth the extra cost.
• Interview your candidates: Once you’ve narrowed down your options, schedule an interview to review the move’s details. Use this time to ask about any concerns you have and also about the company itself. Find out if they do background checks on their employees, whether they stop at interstate weigh stations, and even how drivers handle difficult weather and traffic delays. The more questions you ask, the more accurate a picture you’ll have about the moving process.
• Look for red flags: Browse customer review sites to see what others think about the company. Also, look for warning signs such as the company changing names often or ones that ask for the full price upfront.

Should You Hire a Moving Company?

The decision to hire a moving company is not a simple one. A small move with few items and almost no furniture is easy enough for you and your friends to handle, and you may not even have to rent a truck. However, the difficulties will keep adding up as your move becomes larger and more complex.

Consider whether you really want to spend several days packing and loading a truck, driving in an unfamiliar vehicle, and then having to unpack on the other side. For some, the savings are worth the additional hassle, while for others, the appeal of a stress-free move is worth the added cost.

Happy moving! As you clean out your clutter, contact our team at Easy Donation PickUp to take away your unwanted items in the Los Angeles and Orange County, CA areas.