How I Saved $1,000 on My Move to Dallas

I’ve moved a lot in my career. I’ve lived in five different states and two countries, all by the age of twenty-five. But that doesn’t mean I don’t like to save money when it comes to moving! This time around, I took some extra care to make sure I got the best value for my move from Chicago to Dallas; here are three ways how this relocation cost me less than $1,000:

I used Pods.

It’s no secret that moving is expensive, and when you add in the costs of renting a truck and gas to both drives it out there and unload everything at your destination, you’re quickly looking at over $500 just in the physical move itself. That’s why this time around, I chose to use Pods. It’s an online service that gets you access to climate-controlled storage containers that can store your stuff at their warehouse until you’re ready to move into your new apartment (or house).

I packed light and bought used.

I decided to only pack what I could fit in two suitcases, plus a couple cardboard boxes that were already at my apartment (which I then discarded when everything was delivered). As for acquiring used items that were still in good condition, I came up with a list of things that I knew our apartment didn’t currently have and started asking family and friends for anything I could take off their hands. Plus, I was able to get rid of some furniture that we no longer needed (we’re moving into a new apartment with literally 1/2 the size of our current home).

One person moved everything.

This is one of those cases where the old adage about not mixing business with pleasure certainly holds true! I could have easily had my husband help me with the actual move out-of-town, but it would have been a financially poor decision. With his current career in IT and my new job leading a team at a digital marketing agency, we’ll be able to save a lot of money by living apart while I establish myself in Dallas before he joins me there.

Summary

So, there you have it. I saved a lot of money using Pods and packing light, and knowing what I do now, I would have been smart to avoid the costs associated with hiring movers by moving myself! If you’ve ever considered moving but didn’t think it was worth the cost, reevaluate things with me; relocating with Pods is ultimately more cost-effective than doing it the old-fashioned way.

It was definitely a lot of work on my part to coordinate all this. Between browsing listings, connecting with people who were selling their things or giving me access to empty storage pods, and being able to fit everything into two suitcases without running around measuring and weighing things, it took a good amount of time and personal investment. But that investment ended up paying off: I was able to move internationally for $1,000 less than expected!