Expenses To Budget For When Moving

Expenses To Budget For  When Moving

According to statistics, an average person will move approximately 11 times in their lifetime. Whether you are moving from one state to another or just one neighborhood over. The process will always be costly. From the obvious things like hiring movers to paying rent. Moving always involves a lot of expenses. Often, however, there are small things that are often overlooked that will take up part of your moving budget. Listed below are expenses you need to take into account so you don’t end up getting short on cash.

Packing materials

You could either hire movers to pack your belongings for you or do it yourself. Either way, it will cost you money. If you’re DIY-ing it. You’ll need to buy materials like cardboard boxes, packing tape, bubble wrap, etc, and these expenses tend to pile up.

Broken things

Sometimes, getting things broken while in the process of moving in or out is totally unavoidable. Some of your furniture or appliances could get scuffed or destroyed, and depending on the damage, you’re going to be forced to replace them or have them fixed. Things like electronics are not cheap and it could blow your budget completely. 

Security deposit

Many people assume that they will be getting their security deposit back. But sometimes, landlords are not willing to fork over security deposits. If you’ve lived in a place for a long time, you may not notice the damage you have done to your place and a landlord’s discerning eye can pick out these damages and cite them as reasons not to give you your security deposit back. And there goes the money you were expecting.

Start-up costs

Whether you are buying or renting, there are miscellaneous fees that need to be factored into your budget. These are things like down payment and closing fees if you are buying the property, security deposits, application fees, and even pet deposits. 

Stair fees

Movers actually charge stair fees if you are moving to or from a building that has no elevators, or if the elevator happens to be busted on the day of your move. Lugging heavy things up and down the stairs is not easy. Expect to get charged extra if your building doesn’t offer the convenience of an elevator. 

Unforeseen circumstances

Things don’t always go according to plan. You might find yourself needing to check in to a hotel for the night because of unexpected circumstances. A number of things could happen, and these cost money as well.

It’s important that you do your research and set a more inclusive and comprehensive budget for moving, and plan for unplanned situations. And if you don’t want to get stuck or end up using part of your savings which is for something else (maybe for travel or for retirement), you need to prepare well for your move. It’s always a good idea to have a bit of extra cash left over than to be left on a deficit.

This article originally appeared on Payment1.com

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