This question can frighten lots of prospective movers. It’s a valid question. The average American moves about 11 times in their lifetime. Safebound Moving & Storage can help you get to wherever you want to go.
DIY Move or Professional Movers
One of the most significant factors in determining how much you need to save is the distance of the move. Are you moving across the street, across the town, or across the country? In terms of hiring a moving company, the farther you move, the higher the cost of the move. Typically, the cheaper alternative is to move without the help of professional movers.
However, a residential and commercial moving company can make your experience far less stressful than moving by yourself. Moving by yourself means days of heavy lifting, dragging, and packing. It means things will get broken, and you might injure yourself. For small moves, this isn’t as big of a problem. For example, a college student moving from dorm room to apartment typically won’t need to hire a moving company to move the few belongings they’ve acquired. For a family of five, though, it’s certainly worth the investment to get some professional help.
Exact Figures
So, how much exactly should you try to save? Well, you also have to consider the rent of the place you’re trying to move to and the security deposit. You also have to think about various household items you’ll need, like a washer, dryer, vacuum, furniture, and more if the apartment or home doesn’t come with them. In short, it’s expensive to move.
The average rent for a one-bedroom apartment in the United States is $1,100 per month. A two-bedroom can easily cost you $1,500 monthly. A three-bedroom spot can run $2,000 monthly. Living isn’t so cheap! Also, keep in mind that almost all apartment and rental homes will charge you a security deposit to move in. So, if you’re looking to move into a one-bedroom that asks $1,200 monthly, to move in, you’ll have to fork over $2,400. If you have a pet, expect to pay a few hundred for the pet deposit.
Monthly Expenses
Let’s not forget about the general cost of living for things such as food, water, electricity, gas, and the internet. Food will easily cost you upwards of $200 monthly. You might be able to make $150 stretch over the course of a month if you’re smart about those shopping trips. Keep in mind that you eat three meals a day, for seven days, for four weeks. That’s approximately 84 meals in a month. That’s for only 28 days – almost all months are 30 or 31 days. If you’re trying to budget for $150 in food monthly, that’s less than $2 per meal. It’s possible, but only with a highly disciplined attitude.
Together, electricity and gas will cost between $200 and $400 each month. That’s a given and rarely with an exception. Water, which absolutely isn’t optional, is another $50-$100 per month. Garbage can range anywhere from $50 to $150 a month. Internet and cable are other animals, with prices ranging from $100 to $300 together.
So How Much Do You Need?
To be blunt, you need at least $3,000 to $5,000 in savings. You really want to have as much as possible, to be safe. Keep in mind that the figures used in this article are merely the average. There are cities that cost far more to live in. Think of places like San Francisco and New York City, which require astronomical figures to even think about living in. Then, on the flip side, there are far more rural areas that might not be as accessible or easy to live in but can offer you a lot more bang for your buck. These are areas like rural Arkansas or even Texas.
However, to keep it simple, you need a fair amount of money to move out and even more to have some peace of mind that if something did go wrong, you wouldn’t go broke. Moving out is scary, but it’s something everyone has to come to terms with someday. You might as well get ahead of the curb while you can!
