Question

MOVING  We are finally moving out of our 900 sf apartment and into an 1, 800 sf house with a backyard. The cost of moving is more than we anticipated from lack of budgeting properly. It’s not going to put us into debt but it will make things tighter than we’d like for the first 2 months. I haven’t moved into a home that has restricted my budget before.  What did you do when you moved that really helped you save money?  What do you feel you regret purchasing upon moving in to your new home (renting or owning)?  What do you wish you would have done differently?  Decorating a home and making it cozy is my favorite, but it’s expensive. Where’s the best place to shop for home decor?  What are your favorite DIY’s?  

Answer 1

You will find that issues can and will pop up that you didnt expect so make sure you save for those. Take your time decorating-there's no rush! Garage sales, fb sale sites, & thrift shops are great & Pinterest for ideas. My diy was learning to replace old carpeting w/ wood floors all by myself. Saved a lot in labor & you-tube was wonderful w/ help.  

Answer 2

I rented a u-haul truck and hired a former student who brought a friend. Took two trips in truck but they were great. Even set up washer and dryer. This was 10 years ago, so I can’t remember truck, but student and helper were $100 total. I had to buy window coverings. Everything else I had already, and I let the rooms tell me how they wanted to be decorated.  

Answer 3

Wait to buy anything before moving in. I would plan to paint, and do carpet/floors before moving in. Everything else should wait. There are tons of stuff available from free cycle groups, flea markets and thrift stores. Buying new isn't necessary except for linens, towels, etc in my opinion

Answer 4

I wish I knew it was so expensive too. But decorating, do it as you go. It’s so expensive to do it all upfront! I shopped sales at Fred Myers and target and have a lot of cute stuff. Burlington too had some great stuff for cheap. (I’m in Alaska). Make sure you budget out your month, always give a little more room on electric and gas. I was told those both could cost up to 150/mo and I have been able to keep it to 40/mo so far. But be prepared for extreme weather changes that may cause you to bump up the heat or air conditioning (that’s where the budgeting the max for electric and gas come in) turning on or changing utilities can cost you extra! Companies are so sneaky with the extra service fees , if you have furniture, just use what you have now and month 4 or 5 get new stuff if you want, those first few months you are a bit tight.  

Answer 5

I regret not have savings for repairs. Our AC died two months after we moved.  

Answer 6

Call local for boxes. I’ve gotten banana boxes from Wegmans. Lots of boxes from liquor stores and local mom and pop shops are always willing to help out

Answer 7

Honestly we moved, didn’t decorate, we budgeted low on food and did beans and rice meals. We been in our home for 3 years and I’m just now about to start decorating ‍♀️

Answer 8

1) Habitat for humanity store called Restore is a huge help! Go there to get items they even have furniture too, light bulbs and dishes! 2) I used sheets hemmed them for curtains until I could afford curtains 3) blinds at Home Depot they cut them for you that pull down custom are the cheapest and you get them that day! Just measure accurately inside the window and no need for curtains what I have now on the majority of my windows love them! 3) had to replace the heat and air, 2 months after moving into our house so beware ask to make sure the furnace is not too old but shop around I finally found one for 4000 instead of like 8000 4) saved money to redo our bathrooms and kitchens after 13 years of living in our house they finally got a facelift  So don’t rush because something is outdated and put yourself in debt just decorate it the best way you can and move on. Live in it and if it’s user friendly and clean use it until you can save for it that’s my advise  

Answer 9

I got great deals at Lowe’s clearance. You just need to be patient. I got blinds for $1/each on clearance and a gorgeous mirror for my bathroom that was originally $99 for $20. I found furniture on marketplace or yard sales and painted it to match. Don’t buy much at first, give yourself a chance to live in the space and decide what you need. Also, you can find some decent paint colors on the mistint table at Lowe’s/Home Depot which can help save money too.  

Answer 10

I'd buy second hand furniture . you can always sand it and paint it to match your style. With decor. I had stuff from my previous house I used until I found exactly what I wanted like curtains . And it took me 2 years to find the perfect ones. Wait and buy things . If you go cheap you'll probably change your mind and buy again. That's what I did in our last house . Way too much money on buying the same thing. This house I wait to find exactly what I want !  

Answer 11

Dont rush to decorate or fill the space take your time get a feel for your place then go from there when you save some extra cash. Also shop thrift stores and facebook marketplace can find some good deals that way and yardsales. YouTube can be your best friend for diys/fix it yourself see if it's easy to do and go from there. Definitely make sure to start a stinking fund for repairs and maintenance.  

Answer 12

Thrift stores and Facebook Marketplace!  

Answer 13

Buy used furniture except for adult mattresses! When we buy from Craigslist and FB marketplace it is soooooo much cheaper, it's fun to look, it's neat to haggle, and since it isn't as expensive/perfect/new I'm not crazy to keep it perfect looking! The kids and I can enjoy it!  

Answer 14

I am in the same boat as you, we close at the end of the month! I'm so excited! Don't forget about trash cans and things like that, stuff you will need right away that you don't have now. My biggest expense I think will be a washer and dryer, our house doesn't have one. I'm looking for suggestions on where to buy those if anyone can help?  

Comments

@lucky TRASH CANS. CRAP. I DIDNT EVEN THINK OF THIS? Wow i really was not prepared and YES we have to buy appliances as well! We’ve been looking at discount stores and they seem to have great prices!  

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@conscript59 this is my second house, I rented one for a few years. I forgot them the first time and felt so silly. I have been seeing some good President's day sales as well at our hardware stores but appliances overwhelm me a little because they are so important and so expensive.  

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Good luck! I'm excited for us!  

Answer 15

Sold a bunch of stuff Stuffed my car and made a few trips. Bought new furniture piece by piece with free delivery.  

Answer 16

What did you do when you moved that really helped you save money? We rented a uhaul and took a day off work. My husband and i loaded, transported and unloaded the whole home in 1 day. Was worth taking a vacay day to get that big step done. Our realtor also helped us pick a closing date that was the second half of the month so it put us without a payment the next month too!  What do you feel you regret purchasing upon moving in to your new home (renting or owning)? We went and bought a new furniture set $1k and I wish i would’ve shopped around longer for something I loved more!  What do you wish you would have done differently? Used the month we got with no payment after we moved in and threw the funds into savings!  Decorating a home and making it cozy is my favorite, but it’s expensive. Where’s the best place to shop for home decor? HOBBY LOBBY!  their clearance/sales are awesome! We also love the at home store! Our seller also left us cans for all the paint they used! They picked amazing colors so we could have them remade and matched if needed.  What are your favorite DIY’s? We also did some FB marketplace revamps! We redid our pantry with all around shelving and revamped our lore into our office with built ins all along each wall! It was a blast!  

Answer 17

We moved from an apartment to a house 5 years ago but we were moving about 45 mins away from our apartment. We took loads when we could and then on “moving day” we rented a uhaul and had family help us load and unload. We had bought furniture and had it delivered to the house directly. I was newly pregnant at the time so i wasn’t able to help as much as I wanted but it worked. Congrats and good luck!  

Answer 18

I personally would wait on home decor until you get pass the tight budget phase for the first 2 months.  

Answer 19

Lots of great advise here! Curtains— I used the small tension rods inside the window frames until I decided what I wanted in each room. Didn’t want unnecessary holes. I used my existing curtains and sheets. Good luck!  

Answer 20

The one thing I wish I had done from the beginning was taking my time to decorate and buy quality (whether that was secondhand or new). So using Pinterest for inspiration and making a list of what you want/like can help!  

Answer 21

You don't need to upgrade and decorate right away. Focus on unpacking and catching back up on your finances. We kept our same used furniture for the first 4ish years after we bought our home. My husband and I rented a uhaul and moved everything ourselves. Find free boxes.  

Answer 22

Are you renting or buying from a real estate company? A lot of the time they have a moving truck you can rent free of charge just for using their company. I work for BHHS as an office manager and MLS assistant and I got to use it when I moved.  

Comments

@gasworks135 oh nice! We’re renting a house

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@conscript59 Is it through a property management company or a sole land lord?  

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@gasworks135 property management company!  

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@conscript59 I would check with them to see if they offer that! It's a big help. Those trucks are expensive to rent.  

Answer 23

Also, buy good furniture. I really wish we would have actually put good money into having a nice couch, coffee table, tv console, and knives rather than just buying a bunch of "stuff" you think you'll need.  

Answer 24

I wish I bought the appliance insurance when we bought ours. We plan to the next house.  

Answer 25

Moving boxes go to Walmart at night when they unloading truck and see if you can get boxes and same with dollar general catch them before they break them down

Answer 26

Just don’t feel like you need to decorate all at once. Take it one space/room at a time over time.  

Answer 27

Slow down when buying big things like furniture. You’ll likely change your mind as you settle in. I completely reconfigured our living room from when I first moved in to now. And would’ve regretted any other furniture purchase You don’t have to do everything at once. Budget a room at a time. Or less if needed. It’ll all get done.  

Answer 28

I waited almost a year before I made changes to our house. What I thought would be first on my list to change, actually made its way to the bottom. I shop Wayfair, Home Goods. Use Ebates for cash back.  

Answer 29

Just take your time decorating and/or changing anything. We moved in October and haven't really done anything major except paint the kids rooms. We've found some decor items through FB Marketplace and Hobby Lobby! If you are buying a place, you likely won't need to pay your first mortgage right away. i. e. we didn't have our first payment until dec 1 when we moved in october. That helped to cover moving costs.  

Answer 30

Check local thrift stores! I made sure every piece of furniture was being used before anymore was bought. Kitchen storage was the only issue. I found a huge hutch for $60 from a thrift store and I’m getting dollar tree baskets to organize! Total cost will be less than $70. Try to sell decor or furniture you don’t need to use as your budget for redecorating.  

Answer 31

We just moved and didn’t spend a dime. We got a team of good friends together, one of them had a truck, one had a trailer, and we did it. My home decor is very intentional. I have a very specific style and I stick to it. I know exactly what I want to do and do it. I just ordered a lamp today because we need another one. We rent and I hated one of my light fixtures so I crafted something from a dollar tree wreath and some yarn and it’s super cute. I wanted a basket wall so I went to goodwill and Salvation Army. Peel and stick wallpaper is cheaper on amazon. And I wait until I have the money to do things, I don’t even have a credit card to charge anything. We downsized so I sold a lot of our belongings to fund the few things I did buy. I’m super happy with what I’ve done and I think my little apartment is adorable.  

Answer 32

When we moved to our current house we bought a little more house than we could afford. But I prayed and asked God what am I supposed to do now, and within an hour I received an “ALL CALL” from the school saying they needed someone to help with the afterschool program for a couple hours everyday after school and that made up the difference perfectly. Pray, look for “as needed” positions or something very part-time, or some sort of side gig I guess  

Answer 33

Don’t be in a hurry to decorate. We have been in our current house which is about 2 times the square footage as our last for 3 years and I still have no furniture in our “formal dining room” because A) a formal dining room isn’t practical in our family style, and B ) i think I want to turn it into more of a sitting or conversation room but can’t justify the cost until we get one of our vehicles paid off.  

Answer 34

Dont buy your furniture all at once

Answer 35

We moved from Orange County to Fresno County and it definitely cost more than we anticipated, so I totally understand your situation. I agree with what someone mentioned about decorating, do not hurry to do it! Take your time finding things and furniture you really love, not just whats on sale at Target. When you're ready to decorate and have some money saved for it, I find the best deals at Homegoods/TJ Maxx/Marshalls, Hobby Lobby, and Target. In terms of actually moving your stuff: there are so many hacks on pinterest! Mainly, utilize what you already have, do not go out and buy boxes or storage boxes unless it's absolutely necessary. Pack your suitcases, use reusable bags (since we're in CA, I have a ton), put things inside other things. The one thing we did buy that was inexpensive that works like a dream are the shopping bags from IKEA (the big blue ones). They hold sooooo much. So we would load up several IKEA bags, drop stuff off at our new place, and then take them back and reload them. If you have several days to move (as opposed to some people only have 1 day to do everything), take your time. Doing it little by little is more tedious but you can reuse boxes or bags on every trip to the new place. I have moved many times in my short 27 years, so if you want more tips, feel free to PM me!  

Comments

Another one I thought of, and it's on pinterest if it sounds confusing, use trash bags to transport hanging clothes. Get a grouping of hanging clothes together. While they're still hung up, put the trash bag around the clothes and then put the ties over the hanger hooks to keep them together. This protects your clothes from getting damaged and keeps them all together.  

Answer 36

I've moved homes more times than I can count due to the military. but due to finances, I have never been able to justify decorating my house lol. I LOVE a beautifully decorated house but I have no design sense, so I literally just don't decorate anything. I've never even hung a picture on a wall! I figure one day when I am in my forever house. I will splurge and decorate hahah

Answer 37

I find home decor everywhere! Facebook marketplace, Hobby Lobby always has wall decor 50% off, TJ Maxx/Marshall’s/Home Goods, Target, Walmart! I’ve also found a lot of cute stuff on amazon, and recently made my own framed prints for over my bed!  

Answer 38

Live with your space for the first month and begin by listing out items you feel you need for each room. Address what you already own and really evaluate whether that piece serves its purpose and makes you happy aesthetically, can be updated to meet those two requirements, or if something should be purchased to fill that need. After you have that list, prioritize the rooms from where you spend the most time to the least and budget for those things. Facebook market place is AMAZING, being patient and looking at thrift stores, finding great deals from returns at bigger box stores. Having a design plan really saves you money and you can fit in what you already own to achieve what you're looking for.  

Answer 39

It was a year before I hung any decor. Went to hobby lobby when everything was half off was able to do my whole livingroom for $120. Doing one room at a time also incorporating things I already have into my decor. Truth is move in with only what you need. If you rush and not take your time you may not be happy then want to change it all. I've also used old windows and stuff to decorate I have found for free.  

Answer 40

I learned how to Chalk Paint. and find free or cheap items to repurpose. Pinterest. I sew slip covers for pillows. an envelope fold is simple. just 2 straight seams/ no zippers. I save old jeans, etc and will sometimes repurpose them. favorite old sweatshirts make comfy pillow covers too.  

Answer 41

Holy wow. You guys are AWESOME  I can’t wait to read all of this when I get home!  

Answer 42

I wish I really spent the time to look at Pinterest and find my home decor “style” before I purchased random items that didn’t necessarily work well together or in the space we had. Also measure before purchasing furniture ! Looking back we purchased a couch that was too big, an ottoman that never gets used, and teo dressers that didnt fit our space. I think living without that stuff for longer would help envision what you really need for that space and could saved us some money!  

Answer 43

Facebook market and garage sales for decorating! I have found some amazing things for cheap for my home!