How to Save Hundreds (or Even Thousands) When Making a Big Life Change
Moving, starting over, or building a business? Here are some tips to help spare your bank account while getting re-established.
The recent pandemic caused many people to reconsider working full-time in a job they hate. Making the decision like starting an online business or moving across the country (or both!) can be expensive. Below are some useful and cost-effective tips for your big change of life… and scenery.
Moving Across the Ocean
Recently, I moved from beautiful Hawaiʻi to a small town in the Pacific Northwest. Though I loved my island home, I knew there was more out there for me. Quitting my full-time job, I started my own business, and I moved to a place that I could better afford.
Before moving across the ocean this second time, I’d moved to Hawaiʻi from Germany just two years prior with only three-and-a-half weeks’ notice before starting my newest teaching job.
A person can gain a lot of experience when moving often. Going across an ocean, you can’t take your stuff — your furniture or your washing machine, — unless you’re a gazillionaire, or the military pays for transport. I’m not in the service; I’m a teacher, so I didn’t have the benefit of a cost-free moving service.
Surprisingly, there was more to move this time. I’d accumulated almost as much in two years in Hawaiʻi as eight years in Germany! Now I was going the other direction, across another large ocean. To get my things to my new home, I received quotes from movers for upwards of $5,000. However, with a bit of my own ingenuity, elbow grease, and some packing tape, I did it all myself.
Sell the Stuff You Don’t Want or Need
Unless you’re only moving across town, the first thing you should do when moving far away is list your unwanted items on Facebook Marketplace. This is the best forum for making a bit of cash while liquidating your home, before the big move. There are always people — especially in remote locations like Hawaiʻi — that are in need of furniture, appliances, etc. Not on Facebook? Marketplace is just one free buy-and-sell site online. Check out Craig’s List and other trade sites in your local area by googling your city name and “buy and sell.”
Boxing It Up
Before you start packing, decide what’s going with you. Though you don’t have to set them aside while you’re still living your daily existence, you can sort through your personal items room by room, and begin filling boxes.
In a central area out of your footpath, gather boxes, and tape, seal and label them when they’re full. Use clothing as padding with fragile items. Start an “inventory list” with numbers for each box, and what items you’ve placed in that box. Then you know which is what when you’re unpacking, and you can make sure everything arrived.
I decided to pack and move all important items myself, shipping them with the US Postal Service. Many of the things I had accumulated in Hawaiʻi were very special to me. I didn’t want to give up all the “necessities” I’d gathered during my stay, and I didn’t want to (over)pay someone else to handle them.
Most items were squeezed carefully into medium and large flat rate boxes. (These run between $16 and $22 at the time of this writing.) I sent 53 boxes, plus one or two larger boxes at regular rates. One box of pillows cost $110. Ouch! But I’m so glad I shipped them — they were vital to my rest the first night in my new home.
Doing the math, I spent no more than $1,100 to ship my favorite coffee cups, mixing bowls and chocolate-making equipment, kitchen goods, shoes, trinkets, important papers, spices, and other unique items I didn’t want to give up with the U.S. mail. Only one box didn’t make it — but rightfully so: it contained a box of fine Hawaiian sugarcane rum. Perhaps that box will turn up one day.
Car-Clothing-Dog
Much of what I’d accumulated in Hawaii were warm-weather clothes. They just didn’t “go” with the climate in my new home.
I started a box to give most of my lighter clothing away, adding to that box all the things I could part with. I stacked up piles and piles of clothes and other things I didn’t want anymore and took five large boxfuls to the Goodwill nearby.
A lot of my heavier clothing, like jeans, jackets and boots, was packed — and I mean packed — into my carry-on suitcase. This allowed me to fill my larger suitcases with lighter items and a few things — like my favorite lamp — that wouldn’t fit into flat rate boxes. I purchased a plane ticket that allowed me two checked bags at no extra cost.
Jack, my very large dog, was coming with me, of course. The commercial shipper that brought him over agreed to tape his heavy backpack full of dog brushes, bowls and a few bagfuls of dog chow to the shipping crate. Phew! That saved me the cost and exhaustion of hauling around another bag as I traversed the airports. All I had to do was ask.
Southern California Pet Transport and the amazing William got my dog from Phoenix to the islands. When it was time to fly back across the pond, I got in touch with William once again. His rates are fair, and he’s professional and caring. I saved thousands getting in touch with him for both of my dog’s domestic moves.
Shipping your car? You can receive higher quotes for this as well, but I used Matson Container, and the total cost was just under $1000. My silver Jeep (another souvenir from Hawaiʻi I didn’t want to give up) was waiting for me at the port a few days after I arrived on the mainland, as expected.
Settling In
Once I arrived and unpacked, there were many items I still needed.
Fortunately, the landlord owners of my new home provided some comfortable furniture, such as a bed and couch. They purchased a piecemeal living room set from the Goodwill store — all clean, in good shape and all very comfortable — for under $100! Before I flew over, I had ordered a few pieces of furniture from Overstock.com, and the landlord kindly assembled those before my arrival. I also ordered kitchen appliances, a dog bed, and a vacuum cleaner using my Kohl’s charge and some valuable coupons. A move on the continent might involve a rental such as U-Haul, but coming from across the ocean, one cannot transport all their goods at a reasonable cost. The big things I needed were waiting for me when I arrived.
My first shopping trip took me to the Dollar General located in our town, where I found many inexpensive and basic needs, such as kitchen utensils, toilet paper, laundry soap, outdoor decor and planters, etc. However, because many items are of poor quality and still have prices comparable to other stores, I hesitated to spend too much there.
Discovering the Dollar Tree in a nearby town, I found that I could stock up on many little things, such as ornamental flowers to brighten up my rooms, cans of soup (Healthy Choice, to be exact), chocolate bars, paper plates, and so much more. I did not walk out with buyer’s remorse. Why pay $5.00 for a package of napkins when you can pay $1.25? Or $3.00 for a box of tissues when there are the same brand for a third that much?
When You’re a Bit Particular
As someone who cares for the environment, I try to keep the buying of plastic and wasteful items to a minimum as much as possible and recycle what I can. I also buy and eat organic. You won’t find much of that at the dollar store, so when grocery shopping, I look for deals.
If I can’t find what I want, I shop on Smile.Amazon.com, looking for the best prices. There you can support a charity of your choosing with each purchase, and locate unique items, such as bamboo toilet paper and organic fudge sauce, natural dog treats and water filtering supplies. Be sure to subscribe to Amazon Prime so you don’t ever have to pay for shipping.
Rummage Sales, Flea Markets & Thrift Stores (Rock!)
The best deals you’re going to find on beautiful and unique furniture and other necessities for your new residence will be at a local flea market, rummage sale or thrift store.
Though the prices at Goodwill near where I live seem to be much higher than I ever remember ($6.99 seems a standard price for everything), you can get so many pieces of clothing or furniture at much lower than regular retail. Most thrift stores have half-price days, where one of their tag colors is featured. Anything with that tag is 50% off the price shown. I needed winter clothing. Buying used is also good for the environment, because you’re recycling.
You won’t just find used — oftentimes donors deliver their brand new items to thrift store doors! A friend of mine recently found two pairs of new Birkenstock sandals for less than $15.00 per pair, saving herself at least $200.
At a recent church rummage sale, I found a beautiful, unscathed, hand-blown glass vase — almost two feet tall and in my favorite color — for only $7.00. It was the most expensive thing I bought that day. My grand total for pots, slippers, an antique chest, the vase and lots of little items was $24.00! And I hadn’t even scratched the surface. If only there were rummage sales every day…
Down the road from my new home, there is a flea market that runs all summer long. There, like at Goodwill and the Salvation Army, you not only can find great deals for decorating your new home, but you support the lesser fortunate. And that’s always a good thing.
As you can see, you don’t have to shoot the wad to get established in a new place. Yes, moving across an ocean or cross-country will be more costly than the day-to-day expenses in your life, but with some forethought, insight and buying tips like those above, you can start over and not break the bank!
