Moving can be incredibly expensive. The Dunnaway crew has moved several times in our lives. We’re a pretty frugal family and we’ve figured out some tricks in cutting moving costs.
If you are planning to move to the Kentucky Lake area, I’ve got some ideas on how to help keep your moving costs down.
Purge, purge, purge
Before you even start packing, go through every room and get rid of stuff you don’t use or need. Jennifer would definitely agree that I’m the King of Purging!
The more you purge, the less you have to move. The last time our family moved, we had a massive yard sale and donated a lot of things we didn’t need to Angel’s Attic in Murray. Letting go of clutter was freeing! The fewer boxes you transport, the cheaper your move will be.
Get some free boxes
Skip shelling out money for fancy moving boxes. Get creative by asking grocery stores, fast food restaurants, and businesses like Walmart or Dollar General for their excess boxes. You can also check online buy-nothing groups.
We managed to score all the boxes we needed for free this way.
Move yourself with a rental truck
If you are moving from another state to western Kentucky, hiring full-service movers may be the right option for you. And we got some great recommendations for movers on our Service Providers section.
However, moving yourself can save you a few bucks. We saved a bundle by renting a truck from U-Haul and doing the packing and hauling ourselves. Recruit family and bribe friends with pizza and freebies to help you out.
One year we bought our family passes to Venture River Water Park in Eddyville as a thank-you for helping!
Ship specialty items separately
Some items, like a flatscreen TV, pool table or expensive artwork require special crating and handling for safety. Rather than paying movers to handle those, you could choose to ship these fragile, bulky things separately using third-party shippers.
It may be cheaper than having movers pack them.
Plan for an off-peak move date
If your schedule allows flexibility, move between September and May instead of during summer’s peak season. Specifically in Murray/Calloway County, there’s quite a bit of residential turnover in the summer months with Murray State University students ending their academic year.
A couple other money-saving tips – use up any pantry items instead of moving them, and unhook appliances like washers yourself to avoid appliance fees. Shop around for moving supplies like bubble wrap and tape online rather than buying from truck companies.
Moving to western Kentucky and the Kentucky Lake area can be quite an adjustment, but so worth it to escape the city, high crime, and high costs of living.
If you take steps to reduce moving expenses, more of your budget is freed up to truly enjoy everything this area offers. Let us know if you have any other moving-related cost-saving hacks!
Shawn & Jennifer Dunnaway
