The Ultimate Guide to Organizing a Low-budget Move in Florida

Wonderful climate conditions and interesting tax “conditions” are some of the main reasons why people are moving to Florida. From retirees and “snowbirds” to “millennials” and ex-pats, the Sunshine State attracts various profiles of people. Meanwhile, different housing and rental markets offer a variety of attractive and less attractive options. Including some not so budget-friendly luxury locations as well. While many of us would look forward to moving there, the question about the affordability of such endeavors remains. Fortunately, there are few practical solutions and advice you can follow, if you are organizing a low-budget move in Florida. Eventually, gathering enough useful information can help you handle the situation with minimal pressure on your wallet.

Organizing a low-budget move in Florida

Overall, preparing to move is always followed by several necessary expenses. Depending on the distance and the number of items, those costs can be high or small. In reality, you can’t exactly eliminate the costs, but you can potentially reduce them to an acceptable level. For example, storage doesn’t have to cost a fortune if you take a bit of time to explore all viable solutions. You can check purpleheartmovinggroup.com and similar available options. Sometimes, it’s better to pay for additional storage than wasting money on higher housing rents. Paying more for a few squares only to use them to pile up unnecessary belongings is not really productive.

Either way, these rules apply to other things as well. Be strategic, be tactical, and adjust the next few advice about organizing a low-budget move in Florida at your will:

• Carefully consider available options
• Think about the general location
• Choose the appropriate time
• Develop your plans with checklists
• Completely reduce the number of belongings
• Gather some free packing supplies

Carefully consider available options

When planning to move to or within Florida on a budget, or anywhere for that matter, carefully weigh all your options. Complete a preliminary budget calculation to see your available resources. With that, you will be more confident when looking for other available solutions. Then, you can assess the situation and see what type, or service, will be the most appropriate.

• You can try to organize DIY moving if you don’t have a lot of belongings. And, if the moving distance is really short.
• There is a full-service moving – the most expensive option but the easiest one. Good if you have some priceless possessions that require careful handling.
• Partial moving service – overall, the best option. While the movers will deal with transportation, you can pack by yourself to save money.
• Various pods, trailers, and moving containers – an option where you can even load your belongings on your own without paying others to do so. Just, make sure you know how to do it properly to avoid damaging your items.

Anyway, to save not only money but energy as well, you should always ask your friends or family members to help you. One way or another, they can be very resourceful when you need them to.

Think about the general location

This is not about the exact city or location. The interesting thing about Florida is that you need to think in advance. Mostly, it’s because of the hurricane seasons and similar potentially dangerous events. In general, you should carefully consider the pros and cons of moving to a particular location in Florida.

Pros:

• No state income tax
• Low housing costs
• Wonderful living environment
• Great climate condition with mostly sunny days
• Local attractions with discounts for residents
• Quite many places great for raising kids

Cons:

• Hurricane seasons
• Heat and humidity that goes to extremes
• Insects and dangerous wildlife
• Tourists can be annoying in Florida, they are everywhere

If you can handle everything Florida has to offer, both financially and personally, then proceed to the next step.

Choose the appropriate time

To move on a budget, you should avoid scheduling your move in peak and holiday season at all costs. During the off-season, in general, movers don’t have a lot of work. You might be, and probably will be, able to get a discount. So, it’s better to schedule it a few months ahead, just in case. Also, try to avoid weekends and the start and the end of the month. Besides the increased demand for movers, you will evade all that annoying traffic.

Develop your plans with checklists

Take enough time and slowly plan everything. This way, in case you are missing something, you will have the space to react. No one can absolutely predict every situation and potential issues, so having a bit of extra time can prove beneficial. Also, whatever you do, make a list. Whether it is a list of items or a checklist of tasks, just write it down. Forgetting some important parts can cause unexpected expenses. Additionally, make a list of actions in connection to every step of the moving process. It is easier to stay organized when you break it on smaller tasks.

Completely reduce the number of belongings

Whether you hire movers or move by yourself, the cost will rise in proportion to the number of belongings. So, reduce them as much as possible. Throw away all the stuff you don’t use. If you know someone who can make use of it, give it away. Eventually, donate some to charity. Even consider making a garage sale, you might even earn something. At least, it can come in handy to cover some moving costs.

Gather some free packing supplies

Before you start packing, think about how your items must be packed. For mirrors, weak boxes won’t do, so you will have to find quality sturdy boxes. Sometimes, repairing will cost you more than supplies, especially if you have expensive delicate items. For everything else, you can use regular boxes and materials. Which, in some locations, can be found for free. Ask around and see if some local stores throw away card boxes. Ask to take them and use them for packing. Also, in a sea of belongings, you probably have a lot of bins, luggage, bags, and similar items. Use them for packing, they are free space. The same goes for wrapping and filling materials. You can, literally, use 90% of them for packing. Unless, of course, we are talking again about valuable items like Egon Schiele artwork, instruments, and similar items.

Organizing a low-budget move in Florida is not an easy task. Obviously, you can pay to acquire other easier solutions, but that’s far from budget-friendly. All you need to do, on the other side, is some creative thinking and you will be able to save more than you think.