Getting ready to move is always, always a stressful time.  Even if you’re the most prepared person on the face of the planet, something is bound to go wrong.  That said, though… there is a lot to be said about actually being prepared to move, and it really cuts down on the amount of things that can go wrong.  Here’s seven tips to help you save not only money, but time and frustration on your first (or next) apartment move.

Never, Ever Pay for Boxes

Here’s the deal… you should never have to buy a cardboard box.  They’re everywhere!  You simply just need to know where to look, and suddenly you’ll have all the boxes you’ll ever need.  So, for starters, if you have a job, chances are you can get plenty of boxes there.  Retail or food?  Ask for some empty boxes from the inventory deliveries.  Office life?  Printer paper and other goods often comes in boxes.  Also, certain places like liquor stores are well known for stacking their empty boxes near the store entrances for anyone to take.  If you look, you’ll find more than enough boxes to pack up your stuff–just make sure to grab more than you think you’ll need, as you always need more than you think.

Pay Attention to Your Area, and How That Affects Rental Prices

It may not be immediately obvious, but the rental industry goes through high points and low points, much like any service industry.  During certain points of the year, a bunch of rental companies will offer movie in deals to get their apartments filled, but what time of the year depends on the area you live in.  For example, I live in a town with multiple universities–as such, a lot of rental places offer deals during the summer, at first to get people in place of the students that graduated and left in the spring, and then to rope into new students coming to the town in the fall.  If you pay attention to the trends, and have the time to wait until rental companies bring out the deals, you can save a lot of money on your move in costs… which is important as it’s usually the most costly part of the moving process!

Always Try and Find Ways to Save on Transportation

You don’t need a car in every city in the U S of A.  If you’re moving to a new city, or even staying in the same town, do some research on the transportation options available to you.  How are the bus and/or subway systems?  Are there a lot of bike friendly roads or trails?  Is the weather fair enough to consider the possibility of a scooter or moped?  If you are a student living on or near a college campus, for example, you probably won’t need much transportation for what you need other than your own two feet.  Even if you’re in an area with poor public transportation support, there are still other options available like carpooling that will help you save money on pricey transportation costs.

Think about Apartment Size and Figure Out What Sizes are Right for You

While it’s always great to have a huge, spacious apartment, it’s not always a financially viable option.  Especially for your first apartment, it’s important to know what size is both right for you, and appropriately priced.  For example, if this is your first apartment and you’re living alone, maybe a studio apartment is best–they are the cheapest option available, and if it’s your first place, you probably don’t have as much furniture.  On the flip side, if you’re moving in with a roommate, it’s important to have enough space for each person living there to be comfortable.

What do You Actually Need?

Cluttered living spaces are never great, but they can be an absolute nightmare when trying to move.  If you have a lot of stuff, there’s never a better time than when packing to ask yourself “do I need this?”  Something like tools and basic cooking utensils?  Yes, you are probably going to need those.  But that rice cooker you used one time, or the inflatable Pepsi man?  Maybe not so much.  It’s important to be able to distinguish things you need, things that maybe you don’t need but like, and just stuff you don’t need.  None of that “oh I might need it in the future!” stuff either… oftentimes you either never need it, or you’ve lost it when you do need it.

If you need help decluttering your space (while you’re moving or anytime), it might be worth it to check out The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up: The Japanese Art of Decluttering and Organizing, as it has a bunch of good stuff.  As for what to do with your clutter… you can sell a lot of it on sites like Craigslist, earning you a bit extra moving money, and saving a bunch of time on packing stuff you really don’t need!

Roommates Are a Possibility

No matter where you live, it will always be cheaper if you live with at least one other person.  Sure, a two bedroom apartment will cost more than a one bedroom or studio, but once you cut your rent and all apartment expenses in half (or more!), it’s easy to see how much you’ll save.  Of course, there’s a lot of consider about roommates other than the cost–you have to make sure you and your roommate get along!  As for finding a roommate, if you don’t have a friend or a friend of a friend to ask, you can always check Craigslist–just make sure to meet up with them a few times to make sure you two match in terms of living philosophies.

Keep An Eye Out for Furniture Deals

The biggest expense for an apartment, aside from the rent and move in fees, has to be furniture.  While it would be great to have matching living rooms and kitchen sets, getting brand new full sets of furniture is extremely expensive, and not viable for most people moving.  Instead, it’s best to piece together your furniture collection via other means.  There are a lot of options available to the bargain hunter, provided you keep a regular eye out.  Some great examples include Craigslist, local Goodwill locations, and garage sales.  You can even pick up furniture off the side of the road if you want, but be careful if you do… make sure it hasn’t been rained on or have any kind of bugs in it!

What tips have helped you save money on moving?  Let us know in the comments!

7 Ways to Save When Moving into an Apartment

While some Americans are downsizing their lifestyle from expensive homes to cheaper apartments, what about upsizing? As the housing market rebounds, more people are thinking about buying their first home and saving up that 20 percent down payment.

Of course, there are a number of things that you may not be aware of when moving from an apartment to a full-sized home, much of which was likely taken care of by the management at your apartment complex. Whether you are buying or renting your first full-size home, here’s exactly what you should be ready for:

The NeverEnding Story (minus Falcor, plus lots of grass)

See all that grass growing in the font yard? It needs to be cut. Every week, without fail. There’s no landlord to take care of it anymore and you may have a HOA breathing down your neck making sure your home is maintained. While you can certainly hire a gardener to take care of your lawn each week after moving in, you can also pick up some lawn care equipment and grab some outdoor time during the weekend to cut the grass, pulls the weeds and trim the shrubs.

To start, you will probably need gas powered tools such as a push mower and a weedwacker as well as a batch of hand tools that include hedge clippers, a rake, a shovel, a water hose, a sprinkler and a spreader to fertilize your lawn. For cold climates, you should also consider a snow shovel. For hot, desert climates, you may have to invest in multiple sprinklers or a sprinkler system to keep that grass green all year long.

Look for deals during April and November at Home Depot and other retailers like Lowes and Sears that also sell lawn equipment. Home Depot likes to treat April as the Black Friday of the Spring, thus you will see significant discounts on lawn care gear.

Check Ben’s for Home & Garden Deals

You Don’t Want to Become Bane (So Buy Some Lights)

Most apartments have built-in lights at the center of the room, typically attached to ceiling fans. That’s not always going to be the case within a home, especially older homes that were built fifteen years ago or more. Some homes may only have light fixtures in the kitchen and bathrooms while ignoring the rooms that people spend the majority of their time in, like the living room, family room or bedrooms.

If you are handy and the wiring already exists, peruse through the lighting fixtures at Home Depot or Lowes to find something that works with your taste. If electrical work scares you, consider outfitting your home with floor lamps after moving in. Many homes have outlets connected to electrical switches, thus you can leave the light on all the time and simply use the switch to turn it off and on.

If you are looking for some inexpensive floor lamps, check out the collections below:

Target  Walmart  Amazon

Without Fail, Things are Going to Break

It’s an inevitability of owning or renting a home. Something will happen that require more than that starter tool kit that you got in college. You know, the one in the plastic case that’s missing all the screwdrivers. And the hammer. And the tape measure. The one that’s been buried in the back of your closet for the last 4 months and only makes an appearance when you need a penny nail to hang up a picture (using your shoe as the hammer, of course).

It’s time to invest in a real tool set. There are tons of deals on full hand tool sets, but if you want to buy the tools separately after moving, here are the essentials: a toolbox, a hammer, vice grips, needle-nose plyers, screwdriver set, a metal pry bar, wire cutters, a utility knife, a hand saw, a steel chisel, a drill bit set (assuming you have a power drill), a tape measure, a torpedo level and safety glasses. That’s going to take care of the vast majority of household fixes.

You are also going to want storage and organization when it comes to your tools. Assuming your new home has a garage, invest in some cheap pegboard, metal hooks and a stud finder at a hardware store. Mount that pegboard an inch or two off the wall and you can easily hang up all of your large garden tools. Looks for deals on storage chests for your small hand tools as well.

Check Ben’s for Deals on Tools

You Will Be Invaded By an Army of Millions

You know what else that your apartment management company did on a regular basis? They sprayed for all sorts of bugs, basically whatever type of insect is predominant in your area. Now the job of protecting your family from scary bugs falls to you, both on the inside and outside of your new home.

Depending on the size of your property and the nastiness of bugs in the area, you may want to consider paying for monthly spraying around the exterior of your home. The quality of pesticide that an exterminator will use if much more deadly to bugs that the can of Raid that you purchased at Walmart. For those of you with pets, be sure to ask for the pet-friendly version. It may not be as strong, but it’s specifically formulated to be safe for your dog or cat.

On the inside of your home, consider spraying for bugs before you moving in. It’s definitely easier to get to all the nooks and crannies before the furniture is moved in. Your local hardware store will likely have the best selection and provide some helpful assistance on the best spray for your area.

Check Home Depot for Pest Control Gear

Fear Not! That’s Just the Music of Burning Toast

While many homes will come with smoke detectors, it’s going to be up to you to purchase carbon monoxide detectors and fire extinguishers. Smoke and carbon monoxide detectors should be on all floors of your home and near the sleeping areas. You should be testing the alarms monthly, replacing the batteries annually and removing dust from the grilles of the detectors every few months.

Regarding fire extinguishers, you need one in the kitchen and one for each floor. You also need to check them annually to make sure they are charged. If you have a second or third story on your home, consider purchasing a roll-up ladder to escape the home if needed. Don’t overload your electrical outlets (particularly in older homes) as it could cause a fire. You should also keep rechargeable flashlights near beds in case of a fire.

When it comes to home security, make sure you have a deadbolt on all doors that go outside. Install motion-sensing lights in the backyard and along the sides of the home. Insert a metal bar or wooden dowel to lock access to a sliding glass door. Prune all bushes that hide windows (and would hide a burglar) as well as tree limbs leading to windows.

Of course, if you really want to get high-tech with security, you should invest in home monitoring solutions. There are plenty of cheap solutions that will use motion sensors to monitor the interior and exterior of your home as well as record video of any intruders.

Check Bens for Deals on Surveillance Gear

Five Things You’ll Need When Moving from an Apartment to a House