How to Save Up for a Move
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It's 2016 and we're rocking and rolling! We're in move mode as we're scheduled to close on both houses in about a month.
Making Our Moving Budget
While we've budgeting for the down payment and closing. We still want to buffer up our savings for some upcoming expenses.
- Moving Truck/Food: We're grateful friends have volunteered to help load and unload the truck. We can use a portion of the money saved to make sure our buddies are well fed and hydrated during the move. (I'm frugal, not cheap!)
- Appliances: We're going to need a washer and dryer for the new place. Since we will have an actual yard we'll also need a lawn mower. Considering both new and used for out stuff.
- Paint/House Stuff: Nothing too major (paint, motion sensor lights) which one reason why we like this place. We'll update later as our budget allows.
While our emergency fund is alright, we'd like to have little more in there since we're getting an older home.
The maintenance may not be as bad as we're estimating, but we'd rather err on the conservative side.
Simplifying our budget and removing the excess this month will be key to reaching our goal.
Spending Only on the Essentials
Besides the necessary bills, we'll have to scrutinize every purchase. No fat this month with our expenses.
Now will be a good time to call up our cable and insurance companies and see if we can get some better rates.
Sell Stuff
I've been tackling this room by room. Last month I sold some old books to Amazon and a local used bookstore for some extra cash.
Not making much, but it's something and we are removing clutter before the move. Win-win!
Plan Ahead for Your Move
If you're planning on buying or selling a house, knowing what to expect up front (and saving for it!) can make the big transition much smoother.
Besides chatting with friends who done the same, I've found Zillow to be quite helpful. You can easily get a ballpark figure on expenses to look out for.
I've used them to figure out our down payment, get an idea of how much house we can afford, and estimate our mortgage payments.
One of favorite places to save is with Capital One 360. It's quick and easy plus we're earning a competitive rate.
We've been using them for years and love their service. If you're looking to switch you can read my review right here or go ahead and open an account today.
Thoughts on Moving to a New Place
How many of you are preparing to make a move this year? How much are you saving up?
