What Should I Factor Into My Moving Budget?

There are some expenses to moving that most people don’t realize and tend to forget to put into their moving budget. These expenses can create quite a hassle if you don’t have the extra funds to pay for them. If you plan well in advance, you can still cover most of these costs in your budget.

Food, Because Everyone Has to Eat

Moving is a strenuous task, both mentally and physically. If you aren’t stopping to eat while you move, you will run out of gas. Because your fridge is probably already on the moving truck or it’s empty and staying behind, you will need to order food on the go. Plan to budget at least $50 to feed yourself and your family on moving day. If your movers need to eat, they may stop on their own, but it’s also nice to buy them lunch if you can afford to offer it to them.

Gas

Your own vehicles can only be moved by you. Gas is included in the cost of a moving truck and/or moving company services, but you have to put gas in your own vehicles. If you are traveling long distances to move, make sure you have at least $100 in your gas budget for your vehicles. Gas doesn’t cost the same in every state, and sometimes the price varies wildly in your own state. Plan ahead.

Price Per Mile

One thing moving companies don’t typically do when you initially hire them is charge you for the miles you will use to move. That cost is calculated at the end of the move. Make sure you run the company’s price-per-mile calculation to see how much extra you may need to pay them when the move is complete.

More Packing Supplies

You might have boxes and packing supplies stacked to the ceiling, but what if you need more? People tend to think that they won’t need more boxes when the opposite is actually true. Whatever you spent on packing supplies and moving now you should double that and save it just in case.