At some point, nearly everybody needs to move from their apartment or house to a new home. Maybe you have a fantastic job opportunity in a different city, a growing family that needs more space, or a chance to move to a safer neighborhood. Whatever your reason for moving, you already know where you’re going and why it’s worth the effort. The only question left is: When is the best time to move?
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There are pros and cons for moving during different times of the year and days of the week. When you should move ultimately depends on your own work schedule, budget, and personal circumstances. However, you can still save yourself money and hassle on moving day by following one or more of the following tips.
Best Times for Saving Money
As exciting as it is to move somewhere new, you still have to deal with expenses such as renting a moving truck, hiring a moving company to load and unload your items — unless you’re doing it yourself — and purchasing moving supplies like packing boxes and bubble wrap. Thankfully, you can lower some of these moving costs by planning ahead.
Rental trucks and moving companies offer lower rates during certain times of the year, month, and days of the week when they aren’t as busy. To save money, try to schedule your moving day for one of the following times:
- In the middle of the month
- On a weekday (between Monday and Thursday)
- Between mid-September and April
Just remember that there are also downsides:
- Most landlords try to rent properties for the start of the month, leaving you with fewer mid-month rental options.
- Depending on your job, taking a day off work to move may cost you more money than you would save.
- Fall and winter months are cold and unpleasant for moving, especially if you’re doing it yourself.
Do you need to move certain items into storage units? Self-storage companies sometimes offer deals on moving truck rentals to their customers. This means that you can save yourself time and hassle on moving day by dealing with your storage items ahead of time.
Best Months and Times to Move
Whether you’re moving to a house down the street or across the country, you want to make moving day go smoothly. If you have some flexibility with your choice of moving day, put some thought into the best time of year to move. For instance, you may want to consider moving during the summer. You’ll enjoy these benefits:
- Moving during warm weather is easier than lugging your furniture through a snowy driveway.
- If you’re moving to a different climate, you won’t need to deal with extreme temperature fluctuations that could damage your items.
- Homeowners and landlords most often sell or rent in the spring and summer, so you have more places to choose from when hunting for a new apartment or house.
As you probably already guessed, most of the downsides of a summer move involve finances:
- Rental trucks and moving companies charge higher rates in the summer.
- So many other people are searching for a new home that you may have difficulty finding a good deal on a home purchase or apartment rental.
If you have no choice but to move in the fall or winter, you can still save money on the rental truck by moving in the middle of the week. Have antique furniture or other temperature-sensitive items? Consider putting them in storage for a few months. You can move them to your home once the temperature warms up.
When to Move Your School-Age Children
Moving to a new town or city is stressful for everyone, but kids may not understand why the family needs to live closer to grandma or why dad can’t just find a job that’s closer. If possible, put the move on hold until the end of the school year. This choice causes the least amount of disruption to your child’s schoolwork. He or she can also say goodbye to friends at the same time as everyone else when school lets out for the summer.
Another reason that June or July may be the best month to move is that settling into a new home in the summer helps you prepare your children for a new school. Check if there are any meet-the-teacher sessions at your child’s new school. Enroll them in a summer day camp or other local programs so they can start making friends.
If you or your spouse needs to move earlier, consider staggering your move. Depending on your situation, it may be easier for one of you to stay behind with the kids until the end of the school year. Not an option? You can still make moving easier for your child by planning a goodbye party and involving them in some of your decisions.
At the end of the day, the best time to move is when you need to. Whether you want to move for a job, need to downsize, or just feel ready for a change, there is no wrong time to move. However, there are plenty of ways to make your moving day just a bit better.
