10 Hidden Expenses to Include in Your Moving Budget

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Even if you DIY, you can’t expect moving house to be cheap. Read on to learn some costs you should definitely budget for when you move. 

There are a few things I have expert-level knowledge of, and moving is one of them. I’ve moved 35 times in my life, and moving always costs more than you expect. It’s impossible to anticipate all of your expenses, but let’s take a look at some of the major ones you don’t want to overlook when you’re making a moving budget.

1. That first grocery run

This cost may not be applicable if you’re making a local move — you’ll likely be able to just load up a cooler or a few grocery bags and drive the contents of your refrigerator, freezer, and pantry to your new digs. But if you’re moving long distance, chances are you don’t want to worry about bringing a bunch of food with you (okay, perhaps your spice cabinet, as those items are generally small and non-perishable). So it’s worth considering how much it might cost to restock everything you normally keep in your kitchen.

2. Takeout meals

I have yet to have a move where I didn’t eat a single takeout meal during the process. Moving day (and perhaps also the day after) food doesn’t have to be expensive, as there are ways to save on takeout, and you can often find a deal on pizza (a moving day classic). But don’t forget to account for this cost.

3. Packing supplies

If you’re paying for a full-service move, you might not have to account for this individual cost, but if you’re packing your own stuff, you’ll need to foot the bill for the packing tape, boxes, bubble wrap, and any other supplies to ensure your belongings are safe for the journey. My favorite hack for packing is relying on plastic totes. They’re reusable, water proof, and can be easily labeled (and relabeled) by way of masking tape and a Sharpie marker.

4. Cash tips for your moving crew

I do recommend hiring movers, even if you pack your own belongings, because doing so will save you so much stress (if not necessarily money — Angi reports that the average cost of hiring movers is $1,709). But don’t forget to hit up an ATM to take some cash out of your checking account to give your moving crew a tip for a job well done.

5. Replacements for anything that breaks

There’s really no sure way to anticipate this cost, but you should at least be considering it. It’s likely that some item or other won’t survive the move. If you have something truly precious to you, it pays to move it yourself, in a car (if it fits), rather than having it go into a moving truck. Otherwise, be ready to replace something or other — my 2018 move (which wasn’t far; it was only from one side of a city to the other) saw the loss of all three of my six-foot bookshelves.

6. Gas for your moving truck

Whether you DIY your move or hire professionals, you’ll have to shell out for gas. Many truck rental businesses will charge you a premium if you forget to return their vehicles with at least the same amount of gas as you started with, so don’t forget to hit a gas station before you return the truck.

7. Hiring a babysitter or a pet sitter

As stressful as moving day is for you, it’s worse for your pets and small children, because it’s a loud and confusing day and they won’t be able to understand what’s happening. If you don’t have a family member or friend who can be the point person for the pets or little kids on moving day, you might want to hire someone to keep them calm and as happy as possible.

8. A surprise hotel stay

Ideally, you won’t need to pay for a hotel stay in the course of moving, but if you have a long-distance move comprising a few days, you probably will incur this cost. Or if you arrive in your new town and find that your new home can’t be occupied right away, for whatever reason, get ready to hand over your credit card to pay for a hotel room. This happened to me when I first moved to my current state in 2016 and showed up after two days on the road to a filthy apartment with many broken components.

9. Large item moving fees

Some moving companies might charge you extra for moving especially cumbersome items (grand piano, anybody?). Ideally, a representative from the company will be able to give you a solid binding estimate of how much your move will cost, but in case they can’t, remember this expense.

10. A storage unit

If you’re moving in stages, or are in some other kind of transition (such as downsizing from a larger home to a smaller one), you might need to rent a storage unit. When I moved from the East Coast to the middle of the country almost a decade ago, I had to pay for a storage unit in my home state for several months until I could get a freight moving service to bring the items in it to me.

Moving is never cheap, and almost always ends up costing more than you expect. Do yourself a favor and consider these hidden expenses when you’re making a moving budget.

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