You might be ready for a big change, or you might have found a job in another state. Either way, you could be hoping to move across the country. 

Of course, it’s normal to be concerned about how much a cross-country move will cost. After all, even moving across town can be costly. 

However, it is possible to keep your costs down while moving across the country if you follow these tips.

Start Planning Well in Advance

First of all, you should know that putting things off until the last minute can cause you to spend a lot more on your move. Plus, it can make your move a lot more stressful, too. You are probably going to need to purchase a plane ticket to visit the city that you’re moving to so that you can buy a house or rent an apartment, for example. 

You will probably also need a plane ticket so you can fly to your new home when you get ready to move. Buying your tickets in advance will help you save money. You might find you can save money with the moving company and in other ways by planning ahead, too.

Get Rid of Stuff

The cost of moving is impacted by how much “stuff” you bring along with you. If you have a lot of furniture and other items that have to be moved, then a bigger truck will be needed, or more trucks might be required. Because of this, your costs could be a lot higher. 

You will probably find that you can save a lot of money on your move if you get rid of items that you don’t need. In some cases, it’s worth it to sell or donate low-value items and then replace them when you get to your destination. Basically, doing everything that you can to lighten the load can help a lot with reducing costs. Plus, if you sell some of your unwanted items online or at a garage sale, you can use some of the proceeds to put toward your moving costs.

Have Your Car Shipped

Driving your car across the country can be expensive and time-consuming. Plus, it can put a lot of wear and tear on your vehicle, too. You can make things easier for yourself, protect your vehicle, and save money on gas and other expenses by using a cross-country car transport service. 

Just make sure that you choose a reputable, insured company to move your car for you. This is important to help ensure that your car is transported without being damaged and that any damage that does occur during transport will be covered.

Use the Right Moving Service

You are probably going to want to hire a moving service to help you with your cross-country move. First, you will need to make sure that you’re working with a long-distance moving company since some moving companies only handle local moves. 

Then, you should compare pricing between different long-distance moving companies. You might find that you can save hundreds of dollars or more by shopping around for the right moving company.

Do Some of the Work Yourself

As mentioned above, there is a good chance that you will use a moving service for your cross-country move. You should know that a full-service moving company can make things much easier for you. However, it can also be quite expensive. It’s not a bad idea to do some of the work yourself, like all of the packing of your belongings, if you would like to keep your costs down.

Find Affordable Housing

Lastly, the cost of your move and your monthly living expenses will be heavily impacted by the cost of your housing. Depending on where you are moving, you might have affordable housing options that can help you keep all of these costs down. If you work with a good real estate agent, they should be able to help you find an affordable rental or home to purchase.

Conclusion

As you can see, moving across the country cheaply is not impossible. In fact, you might be able to do it for less than you think if you follow the tips above.