After living in the same apartment for 7.5 years, I am finally moving to a new apartment and I am over the moon excited about it. We are greatly upgrading from our current place and will now have the luxuries of central air, washer & dryer in unit, a garage parking spot, and a dishwasher! Maybe after this, we’ll finally feel like adults 🙂

My husband and I have been meticulous about the moving plan and are trying to do everything as efficiently and cost effective as possible. Along the way, I’ve been keeping track of everything we’ve done so I can write this post about moving tips.

Start Collecting Boxes Early

Sure you can buy boxes (at a store, online or through your moving company) and save yourself a ton of time & sweat. But I personally have lots of access to free boxes at my job so that seemed like a silly thing to spend money on. I started collecting as soon as we started touring apartments seriously and was able to quickly build up a stash. We also found that people who had just moved were needing to get rid of their boxes and found a few listings for free boxes locally on sites like Craigslist and Nextdoor.

I did a lot of research for the few moving supplies we did need to buy and ended up just getting a few things from Amazon like this furniture wrap, these colored stickers (to label which room the boxes needed to go to) and off-brand magic erasers (for all those wall scuff marks I didn’t want to be charged for!).

Bring a Tape Measure to Your New Place

It’s way better to find out that something won’t fit before you take it all the way to the new place. Plus you can earn a little money by selling old furniture online that will help offset the cost of getting something new to replace it.

Throw Things Away!

There is no point in spending time or money moving things that you don’t need. Make a pile for Goodwill, sell the furniture that won’t fit and turn your closet into a side hustle by selling things on Poshmark and eBay.

Be Frugal When Buying New Things

It’s so important to feel at home in your new place and especially when your old stuff doesn’t quite fit, you can rack up quite a bill buying new things that do. My biggest tip for avoiding this is to take your time and price things out. You can start before you move and watch for deals. And be sure to check out used furniture online (Craigslist, Offer Up, Next Door, etc) and see if anything sparks your fancy.

Read Your Leases

This is a cost-saving tip for your future self as much as it is for current you. It’s important to know what you’ve agreed to when you talk to landlords about security deposit refunds.

Schedule a Walk Through with Your Landlord

I am always shocked when I hear of people turning down the opportunity to walk through the apartment with your landlord. It’s good to take a lot of pictures when you move in of anything you don’t want to be “blamed for” when you move out. And as far as the old place goes, you’ll want to be super clear in person about what you might get charged for and what costs will be taken out of your security deposit.

Ask for Interest on Your Security Deposit

Especially if you’ve been living somewhere for several years, interest on your security deposit can really add up! This is something that seems to be a normal request in Los Angeles, but might be different depending on where you live. Google it!

Has anyone else moved recently? What are your tips for saving money while you move? Let us know in the comments!