On Moving, Finance and Scarcity
We are moving next week and I have spent the last week trying to prepare. I’ve made a lot of progress, but if you were to look around my house; you’d never know I had even started. I am not sure when I accumulated all the treasures I have and not sure what to do with half of them. I have been so busy with the move, work and “life” in general, I haven’t had a whole lot of time to reflect on our finances and the effects this move will have on that aspect of our lives.
Today, I took a few moments to really look at our finances and got a nice surprise. Although the move will cost us about $550 in total-that includes a moving truck and all the packing supplies, plus fuel and all those little deposits for things like trash cans and recycling bins. I made $450 at my recent yard sale that will take a huge bite out of those costs. I made another $30 selling a stack of unwanted books at Cash4Books that will come in handy and I also discovered that by doing a lot of the work to the new house ourselves(rather than pay a professional) we are saving around $2500. I will be painting the inside of the house this weekend, I’ll also pressure wash the exterior and driveway/patios and re-seal all the concrete. I also plan on hooking all the electronics up myself, with the help of my super tech savvy brother, we should have the TV and surround sound, wireless networks and all the other fancy gizmos working in no time.
I know that by doing a lot of the work myself I’m taking on a lot of extra work and headaches, but the savings is great and I’d rather use any extra money we have towards anything we may need in our new house. I also know that the sense of accomplishment from doing everything myself will make me feel wonderful and I like the feeling of stepping back and seeing a project completed.
While I will be scarce around here the next week, the daily freebies will still be posted and I will try to pop in whenever I have a chance to respond to your comments and emails. I appreciate you bearing with me while I take on this move and hopefully(if I have my way) I won’t be moving again for a very long time!
I’d appreciate any frugal moving ideas you have for me and any tips on making this an easier transition. Do you have any do-it-yourself ideas for me to make this new house feel like brand new? How do you handle moving with your children and make them feel at home in a new house? I’d love to hear from everyone!
Topics: Life & Family |
April 25th, 2008
When I moved the first rooms we set up were the kids rooms. I made sure I knew where their bed linens were so they could sleep in their own beds in a clean room the first night.
April 25th, 2008
Well, first of all congrats on the move and yay for all the DIY stuff you are taking on. It’ll feel so great to accomplish those things and save the money too.
Check your local freecycle if you have one for free moving boxes - maybe even the free section on Craigslist.
What’s your new house like? I hope you’ll show some pics when you’re getting settled and I can try to give some ideas for making it all fresh and shiny new. Putting up family photos and personalizing it right off the bat will help it feel like home to everyone right away.
Good luck!!
April 25th, 2008
we just moved 2 months ago–4 blocks fr where we were living…i promised my 2 kids (8 & 3) that their rooms wd be taken down last and set up first…and they were. i farmed them out to g-parents for the night and day of move and so when they came back, they were good to go–and they never truly knew what hit them. i live in a fairly mobile community, and so all of my moving supplies were recycles and then we recycled them on to other friends. my mom and i set up our kitchen b4 the move also. and now, all boxes are gone!! yea! if you put your nose to it, it will be tough for about 2 weeks, and then, normalcy will return. and we love our house! good luck to you all~
April 25th, 2008
Best wishes with the move! I’m sure everything will go smoothly.
One idea I’ll suggest for the immediate transition is to keep your toiletries, shower curtain (if you’ll need one) cups for drinks, and bed linens in an easy-to-find box. Oh, and toilet paper, too!
You might not feel like cooking in your new home on that first day, but if you do, it’s helpful to have a meal idea in mind, and those relevant utensils. Then again, moving day is always a great time to just order a pizza
April 25th, 2008
We have moved many times. I keep the kids bedroom stuff all together. Other than Kitchen and bathroom, their rooms get done. We have totes to put special things in and boxes that we mark. Really special things get put in car first and taken over the day before the moving truck gets packed.
Good Luck with move!
April 25th, 2008
I moved twice last year. One was long distance, the other across town. The shorter move was only a ten minute drive away, so I took it on myself to move as many mini-van loads of stuff as I was able in the week before the movers came. This saved us money on the movers by saving a couple of hours of labor costs. The cost of moving came out to less than what they quoted - how often can you say that about movers?!?
April 25th, 2008
Brian-That sounds great-a below quoted price mover! That NEVER happens!
April 25th, 2008
Connie-
That is a good idea to keep totes and boxes marked for the kids’ special “stuff”. I have already decided we’ll take all of their favorite treasures with us in the car on moving day so they feel they have their own things right from the start; it just seems like a good way to get them settled in.
April 25th, 2008
Kacie-good ideas-and pizza will be orderd
Mommy is so tired these days, I wish we could order pizza every night!
I hadn’t thought about cups for drinks! That is an excellent idea! I did take over a box of toiletry essentials like toilet paper, soap, etc. but never thought to take cups or even plates! Yikes-I’ll add that to my to-do list, thanks!
April 25th, 2008
Cindi-that is a good idea-Grandma may have to take the little ones for the night so I can get their rooms set up. A big problem I am having is all the little things the kids will miss like the bunny that dug a hole to live in, in our front yard and the neighbors puppy. They don’t seem to listen when I tell them there will be even more wonderful adventures and things/people/animals to see in our new neighborhood…*sigh* I hope it gets better…
April 25th, 2008
Emily-I hadn’t even thought to look on freecylce or craigslist! I have been taking donations from friends and family who have found boxes in their garages and attics. So far I haven’t bought any boxes, but did have to buy packing tape and a new sharpie (the darn dog got ahold of my last one!)
They new house is great, actually it is technically my “old” house. We have been renting it out. I love the house, I brought my first baby home to that house, so it holds a special spot in my heart. It is perfect for family-great open spaces so I can keep my eyes on the kids and a big grassy backyard. I will share pics, especially when I get the painting done-I must say I am already impressed with myself. I did a fancy stripe decorative finish on the big wall in our master bedroom. Look out Martha!
That is a great idea to put photos up. I wonder if I should plaster the fridge with finger paintings and paper plate art too?
April 26th, 2008
When we moved to our house, built 50 years ago, everything was still original, so slowly but surly, as I am doing all the work myself, with my hubby, we are making changes. Paint colors, taking out the carpet, puting in hardwood, etc.
We did not have our foster son when we moved into our home, but when he came to stay with us, and we found out it would be for an extended period of time, to make him feel at him I let him choose the color of his room, and he helped paint it, he knows it is his room, I also went on craigs list and got him the bed he said he wanted. It was a new home for him, and I wanted him to feel safe and comfortable with it.
April 29th, 2008
[...] to everyone who left me some great ideas about moving, making the transition easier for the kids and frugal tips to keep our moving budget in check. I [...]
April 29th, 2008
Don’t throw away any of your receipts for your moving expenses. You can use them as a tax deduction next year! WAHOO!