Daring to brave a long distance move across the country requires thorough planning, organization, and smart budgeting. As carefully as you plan your budget, however, there are hidden costs that you may encounter which could put you over your budget. Below, you will find five of the most common hidden costs to consider when moving across the country.
1. Lodging
A cross-country move can take several days to complete depending on traffic, the route you take, and the load that you’re moving. When night falls, and your exhaustion begins to set in, finding convenient lodging will become a priority.
Hotels and motels located along highways realize that they’re the last resort for many a weary traveler, so their prices tend to be less competitive and more expensive. Overnight lodging costs will become a hidden cost to consider when planning your move across the country. To keep this part of your budget in-check use apps like hotels.com or hoteltonight.com to score last minute deals on hotel rooms.
2. Emergency Storage
Although you meticulously plan every detail of your moving trip, there is always the possibility of an unexpected obstacle occurring or a portion of the plan failing. If you find yourself in a situation where you are unable to move into your new home on time, for example, you’ll be left with a moving truck that needs to be returned to the rental company while still full of boxes and furniture.
This is a situation where obtaining emergency storage may become a necessary cost to provide a temporary place in which to store your possessions while you wait to be able to resolve your unexpected moving dilemma or delay.
3. New Utilities
Once you arrive in your new home, you will need to make phone calls to the local utility companies to open accounts and set up appointments for your utilities to be turned on. This process can be arduous and expensive due to the fact that utility companies will often require a deposit up front on your first month of service and an additional connection fee.
When you begin to calculate deposits and connection fees for each utility, the costs of establishing utilities for your new home can add up to hundreds of dollars. This hidden expense should be accounted for in your moving budget.
4. Replacing Groceries
When you left your old house, you knew there were groceries you couldn’t bring with you. Boxed and bagged items with a long shelf life can make the trip, but not fresh items that need to be frozen or refrigerated. Once you arrive at your new home, you’ll have to make a trip to the local grocery store to replenish your food supplies and replace necessary groceries to feed you and your family.
5. Home Additions
Getting you and your family comfortably settled in your new home may require a few home additions. Perhaps you need new cleaning supplies or a new shower curtain. Maybe your shoe rack was lost or damaged during the move. Always leave room in your moving budget for home additions that you won’t know you need until you start moving in.
