As anyone who has moved can attest, moving is both stressful and expensive. One often amplifies the other. There are tips that lower the stress and tips that lessen the expense. But seldom will one tip do both at once. It becomes a matter of choosing your priorities. Cheap things often create more problems than they solve. And expensive things reduce the number of things you can afford to accomplish.
What is needed is a good balance of priorities to help you form overarching principles for when to splurge and when to save. Setting these priorities before you move will give you the foundation you need to make the best of a whole host of expensive and stressful moving decisions that await you. Here are a few tips you can use to get started:
Take the Stress off of Moving Day
There are many days leading up to the big day when the moving truck arrives. If those days and weeks before the move go just right, moving day will be a breeze. But those days and weeks never go just right. There is always something left undone. There is always a scramble. And that is when stress levels skyrocket, and things go horribly wrong.
The only way to ensure a stress-free moving day is to hire the highest-level moving professionals you can afford. One of the companies in the range of Allied Van Lines can ease the stress with full-service options like:
- Packing, moving, and unpacking
- Handling large or unusually shaped items
- Cars, boats, and other recreational vehicles
These types of services will put more pressure on your budget. But it is worth it to arrive at your new place refreshed, in good spirits, and feeling like you are home. The alternative is to arrive angry, tired, soar, and frustrated about all of the things that were lost or broken that insurance is not going to cover. Moving is not always a DIY project. Leave the big moves to the experts. The savings in stress will be worth it. Another effective method for avoiding stress while moving is to speak with stress reduction experts, such as the licensed therapists available at BetterHelp.
Consider Buying a Foreclosure
A house is a lifelong project that you will never complete. That is true even if you buy brand new and custom built. You will always find something that needs to be done, fixed, enhanced or changed in some way. There is no escaping that fact. Once you come to terms with that, you can save a lot of money up front by purchasing a foreclosure and fixing it up the way you like.
There is always some degree of stress when purchasing a foreclosure. You will never know the full story of what that house has been through. And once you tear down a wall, you could be unpleasantly surprised at what you will find. But there are few things you will find that can’t be fixed. And you will have that money in your budget because of what you saved up front.
Remember, you don’t have to do all the projects at once. You will never be done with all the projects anyway. Do the ones you need to get moved in. And do a little bit at a time over the time you are there. When the time comes to sell, you stand a good chance of getting a lot more out of it than you put into it.
Become a Part of the Community
One of the first things you should do when you move in is to get to know your neighbors. You want to be favorably inclined toward your neighbors, and for them to be favorably inclined toward you. Throw a party, open your home. Join the neighborhood watch. These things cost you more time than money. But they can go a long way toward removing stress down the road.
When you take an interest in your community, you are more likely to keep it safe. And it is more likely to return the favor. It may not take a village to raise a child, but having a strong community doesn’t hurt. With a few guiding principles, moving can be a little less expensive and a lot less stressful. For your next move, take the stress out of moving day by leaving the work to professionals. Because a house is never complete, try saving money up front by purchasing a refurb. And for peace of mind during your stay, become a part of the community.
