Tampa is a great place to move to. Yes, it is the thunderstorm capital of the US, but the weather is perfect ten months of the year so you will enjoy plenty of outdoor activities. From numerous museums to the vibrant nightlife, we can see why you want to become one of Tampa’s 340.000 inhabitants. But relocating can be costly, and there are ways in which you can reduce your expenses when moving to Tampa. One of them is to find the best local movers in Tampa. Worry no more, most great movers are affordable! Of course, relocating to Tampa on a budget is much more than this. Here is how to pull it off!
How to reduce moving costs?
When moving to Florida, you have to make sure that you have everything covered. Even a minor problem can turn into a big one. Here are some things you should have in mind if you want to reduce costs when relocating to Tampa:
- Do the packing on your own
- Get free packing supplies for the move
- Moving companies can be affordable
- The off-season is your chance to go cheap when relocating to Tampa
Do the packing on your own
When trying to pack cheap, you should try to do it yourself as much as you can. It will drastically lower the price of the move because you will not pay the movers for this service. Other than that, there are other things to think about. Everything that you pack, you will have to transport, and everything that you transport you will have to pay to get transported. If you don’t need something or are not sure whether you need it, feel free to throw it away. When you start packing only the things that you know you need, you will soon see how the amount of stuff to pack is reduced. It will lead to a lower price and that is the goal that you want to achieve.
Asking friends to help can be a problem
We understand the urge to get a friend to help you move, but it is important to know the risks. They can help you and do the job well. But, on the other side of the spectrum, they can do more harm than good. They can damage some of your items and it is not something that you want to happen. If you absolutely need friends to help you move, you need to make sure they deal with less sensitive stuff. You should handle everything fragile or expensive!
Get free packing supplies for the move
When packing, you will need boxes, wrapping materials, and safety equipment. There is no other way around it. But, you do not have to call residential movers in Tampa in order to get all those supplies. Go to your local supermarkets, liquor stores, and other places and ask if you can take some of their boxes. They get shipments daily and should have no trouble in giving you their packing boxes. Of course, do not expect all of them to hand you everything just like that. Also, remember to ask some time before you start packing, at least a couple of weeks before, in order for them to save you the good boxes. You don’t need weak ones that will tear open the moment you lift them. Of course, this is also a thing where you should not expect too much.
For wrapping materials, you can go without air-filled plastic wrap. Consider wrapping fragile items in your thick clothing and old newspapers. It’s both green and you save on needlessly buying wrapping materials. For safety equipment, you do not have to buy. You can ask your close ones and borrow. Safety gloves, ropes for lifting heavy things, and protective clothing are all usually used just for moving, so try finding someone that has recently moved. A friend or a neighbor should be more than happy to lend you his/her equipment.
Moving companies can be affordable
Sure you can try and organize the move yourself. That may be possible if you are moving close by, and you have some friends to help you along. But for bigger distances, you will need to hire professional movers that have experience in this area. When looking for one, you will have to be careful. Yes, you want to save money but you do not want to hurry. You can look for a really big moving company or a local one. Really big companies may have different arrangements and price tags for different kinds of moves. This can be both good and bad for you, depending on your moving distance. Some long distance movers in Tampa will offer a discount depending on your moving distance.
Local moving companies tend to be more open to making deals. Agreeing on what you should do and what they should do can lover the price drastically. It is everything about negotiating the best deal. But, you need willing people, like the best movers in Florida for something like this. It is possible sometimes but not always. Have this in mind before you start pressuring people on the other side of the phone.
When choosing an affordable mover for the move, avoid fraudulent movers!
All of us would like low-cost movers that will handle everything with ease. But, bad moving companies can exploit that. If you make the wrong call, it can be too late before you realize that something is off. They can have your items in their possession and they can ask for more money than agreed. It is vital that you recognize and avoid moving fraud beforehand before you go even deeper. You should look out for some red flags like:
- bad communication
- a deal too great to be true
- lack of references
- pressuring you into making a deal
Even though there are more, it does not mean that you need to know them specifically in order to be careful. Your common sense should do this for you once you are aware of fraudulent people. Anything suspicious should be terminated!
The off-season is your chance to go cheap when relocating to Tampa!
If you want to relocate to Tampa on a budget, you have to be strategic. Choosing the date for the move is even more important than you would think. If you think about moving in summer, you should think again. It will cost you more than moving in winter. Winter is the cheapest time to relocate and there are various reasons for this. The most important one is the fact that moving companies do not have a ton of work. They will lower their prices and you can use this to your advantage. Even though you do not want to move in winter, it can be a good decision if you are moving to Tampa on a budget!
Be prepared before you relocate to Tampa!
Moving to another place is not just about the moving process. Especially if you do not have a budget big enough. Make sure you have your necessities squared out. Tampa is not very expensive considering other towns but it isn’t cheap either. The average monthly cost of living without rent is around $900, so you will need to figure out how to come up with the required money. For apartments, you are looking at $900 – $1000 dollars per month.
So around $2000 monthly should be enough. Apartment prices can vary based on their location, so figure out what neighborhood is best for you before moving to Tampa. The best way to do just that is to find a good real estate agent that will show you the way toward your new life. Another way to get information about life in Tampa is to read online about the experiences of people living in those areas. You will have a much better understanding of how much you need every month and where you can save.
Is all of this viable if you are having a commercial move to Tampa?
You can use most of those things when moving commercially too. This is in case you are moving small company. On the other hand, if you are moving a big company to Tampa, you should not look for any shortcuts. You should look only for the best and what better than having commercial movers in Tampa at your side? Be open to negotiation and see all the things you can save some money on. If you have the right people, they should be open to just that!
Moving to Tampa does not have to be a nightmare when moving on a budget!
When the budget is tight, people tend to be more stressed. But, when you have options on how to make the move easier, it tends to be comforting. We are on your side and we offer you a wide specter of things you can do when moving to Tampa. Not all of them will work for you but even if one works, we will be happy. Without saying, all these things can be long processes so make sure you dedicate enough time to each and every one of them!