Moving long distance is especially challenging when you don’t have a lot of money to spend. It requires you to do a lot of the work yourself and to cut corners where you can. The good news is that plenty of people have done it and you can learn from their journeys. Let’s look at how you need to prep for a long-distance move on a budget.

Make a Schedule

You know when you need to be in your new location. The end is where you begin in setting up your schedule. You may have months or just a few weeks to get it all done. Here are a few things to put on the schedule:

• Moving day
• When packing needs to be complete
• When to hire the movers or get a rental truck schedule
• Scheduling yard sales or donation drop-offs
• Consider the other details

Get Your Costs Under Control

With a budget, you need to be aware of costs constantly. Track every cent you spend. While those brand-new packing boxes look great, can you get the job done with boxes you get at the grocery store?

Decide if you are going to use movers or hire a moving van yourself. If you are using movers, get multiple quotes to get the best deal. And remember the lowest price doesn’t always mean a great deal.

Keep It, Trash It, Donate It, Sell It

You don’t want to pay to move items you do not need. There are four things you can do with every item you own:

• Keep it. If you can use it or want it, pack it up.
• Trash it. If it’s broken, stained, or unusable, throw it away.
• Donate it. If you don’t want it anymore, give it away.
• Sell it. If you can make some money off of selling it, go ahead and put it towards your moving costs.

Prioritize What Stays with You

As you go through things, make sure you set aside things you want to keep in your possession during the move. These essentials include things like important papers, medicines, items of value, moving documents, basic toiletries, small tool kit, clothing, pet items, kids’ items, and personal electronics.

Pack Carefully

Your belongings are going to be rattling around the inside of a truck for many, many miles on a long distance move. That means you need to pack carefully. Each breakable item needs to be wrapped in bubble wrap to keep it safe. Use packing peanuts to isolate large breakable items in a box. Use high-quality tape to keep boxes secure.

Organize and Label as You Go

Try to keep like items together when packing. This organization makes it easier to pack a box since you are dealing with items of around the same size and weight. It also makes it easier to label the box efficiently. And every box must be labeled with the room it’s destined for, its contents, and your last name.

The moment you learn you are moving is the time to get started with preparation. A long-distance move requires more work and attention to detail. But you can do it.