So finally you have grabbed your favourite course in your favourite university and it is time to move to the dorms. You will be excited at the thought of having the freedom of living your life your way but while independence and freedom sound amazing, they come with a price. Along with all other social and personal changes, finances are the most concerning issues. You will have to manage finances and it starts with planning a moving budget especially if you are moving out for the first time.
Your moving budget depends on many factors that may include the size of your move, distance to be travelled, and rent of your dorm room. It is important to prepare and plan a budget before you start packing your stuff for the move.
Relocation
Though mostly dorm rooms are very big to cater to the needs and accommodate a lot of stuff, every student has to bring his essentials along. So, while creating a budget, it is advisable to consider all the stuff that you want to take along. You can even consider decluttering your wardrobe before you pack everything that you have. If you are moving to another state or to some other country altogether then relocation becomes even more expensive than usual. Ty can always use the moving cost calculator by iMoving to find the right cost of the move. While you can simply use your parents’ car to transport your goods to your dorms for a local or short-distance move, it cannot be the case for a long-distance or inter-country student move. Students generally have no money and paying your airfare and relocating your goods can be quite pricey.
Dorm Room Rent/Food
Dorm room rent and deposit are other major expenses that you will have to make immediately after your move and in some cases even before the move. Many a time students have to rent a room outside the college for a few days before they get their dorm rooms. Paying for your food is also one major expense that you will have to calculate in your moving budget.
It is wise to include all travel-related expenses in your moving budget that may include your travel tickets, fuel and road taxes in case of a local move, and cost of extra luggage in case of an international move, temporary hotel stays, and things that you will have to buy after moving. You may need a study desk and/or a laptop once your classes will start. Make sure you add all the expenses in your budget to get a realistic idea of your final moving expenses.
Now that we have discusses what all expenses should be included in your moving budget, it makes sense to discuss some tips to reduce your expenses.
Following are some tips and tricks that can make your student move much easier and cheaper.
Though a student move has not had much leverage of cutting costs, there are some tricks that can be followed to save some money.
Plan Your Move Ahead of Time
Make sure you know everything related to your move well in advance. Research about relocation expenses and work upon them well to see where you can save money. A well-planned and self-organized move can cost you much less than an unplanned and quick move.
Plan your budget well as being a student your budget might be very low. First of all, know your budget and how much money you have. Make sure you buy only limited packing material and do not waste money on extra packing supplies. You can even consider getting some used moving boxes to save some money and can use towels and linens as alternatives to bubble wrap and packing paper. Use your socks to fill in the gaps in packed moving boxes
Downsize Your Move
Taking less stuff along is another right way to save some money. Consider decluttering your wardrobe before you dump and pack everything that you own. Go through your stuff and remove everything and anything that you didn’t use in the past year. A minimalist move is the best move especially if you are a college student and do not have much space to store all the stuff that you have gathered in years.
Make Some Money
Moving is expensive and you may feel it little awkward if I say that you can make money while moving. Don’t get confused, it is easy as moving is the right time to get rid of all your unwanted and unused stuff. It is wise to sort all your goods and sell that you no longer use or have in doubles. Many college students have multiple electronic devices like PlayStations, mobile phone sets, and other peripherals and it is a good idea to sell all these extra electronics and make some money. You can either sell them at a local store or online.
A student move may sound difficult and pricey, but a little extra precaution and timely planning can save you the day.
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