Moving home can be physically and emotionally draining, and when you factor in the moving company cost, it can become a financial strain too. But before you get overwhelmed, there are different techniques you can employ to alleviate the challenges of moving.

Planning, preparation, and a defined budget are the first steps in preventing chaos and unnecessary expenses.

List What You’re Moving

If you’re wondering how much do movers cost for a local move, you’ll first need to determine what you’re moving. Don’t assume everything in your house needs to relocate with you.

Moving is a great way to spring clean and get rid of broken or unused items. Go from room to room listing everything that needs to be packed up or discarded so you have a clearer picture of the size of your moving load.

Self-move or Professional move?

If you’re only moving a couple of boxes, it probably makes economic sense for you to move yourself. However, if you’re moving a family household, then you should weigh up what you spend in money for professional movers versus what you will spend in time, hassle, and physical effort to do a self-move.

Setting The Budget

Having a list of what’s being moved, you can now estimate the moving truck cost and compare it to your budget. Anticipate that the actual cost of local movers may be more than your estimation so don’t be too conservative with your figures.

With your cost estimations in place and details of your movable items, you can start phoning around to get quotations from professional companies. Alternatively, use the online tools available on most moving companies’ websites to calculate the cost.

Inclusive Moving Expenses

Remember when creating your budget, you need to include other moving costs other than getting your belongings from A to B. There’s added costs in personal travel and living expenses for you, your family and pets.

Moving Calculations

Whether you’re calculating a truck rental cost to self-move or the cost to move a 1-bedroom apartment, there are several factors to consider. The weight of the load and distance to transport primarily determine price. There’s also insurance and factoring in cost for moving complexities such as having to use elevators and stairs.

Formula for Professional Move

To do a rough estimation, try the following formulas to calculate your moving cost:

• (Hourly rate) X (Number of movers) X (Number of hours to complete the move) + (Travel fee) + (Charges for additional services requested).

You may need to investigate the hourly rate for movers in your area.

Formula for Load Weight and Transport

It may be a bit trickier to calculate the size and weight of your move but if you can figure it out, then you’ll find this formula useful:

• Load weight) X (Rate per pound per mile) X (Relocation distance) + (Charges for accessorial services) + (Additional moving insurance)

Relocation Reflection

There are countless things to think of when moving your family to a new home. It’s an unsettling period but the move prepared you are, the more in control you can be to avoid a disorganized and stressful relocation. So, once you know what’s moving with you, you can start establishing the cost of movers for local move or for your long-haul transfer.