As soon as your landlord comes back with your rental background check and you have been approved for a rental, it’s time to hire a moving company. Similarly, as soon as you close on a house and know the move-in date, you should call your local movers. While it might sound strange that hiring a moving company can save you money versus moving everything yourself, a moving company has insurance that you don’t.

That means if an expensive piece of furniture, your television, or anything else you paid a pretty penny on gets broken in the process, the moving company will pay to fix or replace it. If you’re moving your stuff yourself, then you have no coverage for items you break in the process.

Make sure you don’t hire a moving company too late. The sooner you schedule the movers, the cheaper your move will be. If you schedule at the last minute, you can expect higher fees because it means they might have to schedule more movers that day or put together a last-minute team to help you move.

Eliminating items you won’t be taking to your next home can help you immediately save money on your move. First, you should organize your home so you can get a clear picture of what you want to keep and get rid of. Moving with clutter costs more money because it requires more time and space from the moving company. Additionally, if you choose to donate items, you can save money by taking the tax deduction for donations on your next tax return.

You can also choose to have a garage sale to begin recouping the money you’ll be spending on your move before the process begins. The more money you can make on the items you don’t want, the less you’ll need to be worried about your finances.

While you might have to buy a few boxes due to a miscalculation, there are ways to avoid paying for new boxes. As soon as you know you’re moving, start stocking up on boxes. You can use boxes from your Amazon deliveries and ask family and friends to start collecting their boxes as well. You can also let everyone at work know you need boxes, and you may even be able to grab a few from deliveries that come into work.

Additionally, you can visit some of your local businesses and ask if they have any spare boxes. Many businesses will happily give you their boxes because they either intended to throw them in the trash or don’t want to match an extra trip to the recycling center.

You should also check Facebook groups or even Craigslist, as many people give away their moving boxes for free so they don’t have to deal with getting rid of them on their own.

Many moving companies provide packing services that tack on additional fees to your move. If you want to avoid additional, unnecessary fees, make sure you pack everything yourself. While packing can be time-consuming, it’s also worth it to pack your belongings yourself so you can label boxes using a method you’ll be able to understand once you’ve moved into your new home.

To plan for your move, start saving old newspapers for fragile items. Additionally, you can ask family and friends for help packing and moving to help save time and money. Even if you work with a moving company, your family and friends can help the movers. Helping the movers move your stuff as quickly as possible can help you save money because moving companies typically charge by the hour. The longer a moving company has to help you, the more you’ll pay.

Going out for food or ordering online delivery can quickly become expensive if you plan to do it every night in the days or weeks leading up to your move. While it will be tempting to pack away all of your pots, pans, plates, and utensils, try to keep a few of the necessities unpacked until the day you’re scheduled to move. By keeping your cooking and eating utensils unpacked, you’ll be more likely to cook at home in the days leading up to your move, which means avoiding unnecessary expensive food delivery.

If you have children and pets and want them away from the moving process, plan their care ahead of time so you can ensure you get a free babysitter in the form of a friend or family member. If you wait too long to find care for your child or pet, you might have to pay to put them in daycare for one day or hire a babysitter who can keep them occupied while you move. Babysitters can be expensive, and pet daycare may not be ideal for all types of pets, so you should have a plan for them the day of the move.

The movers charge based on how long they think your move will take them, so you must be ready for them as soon as they arrive. If you aren’t ready for the movers, they will wait with you and can potentially charge you fees for making them late to another appointment. In some cases, you can even lose your deposit if you’re not prepared ahead of time.