Budgeting for moving is a great way to avoid spending more than you should or running out of money halfway through the process. Naturally, certain expenditures are evident, even if this is the first time you are relocating your possessions to a new rental or owned home. On the other hand, a handful of hidden and apparently insignificant costs are not.

When they pile up, you might be forced to max out your credit card just to cover them, and that means starting off your new life with a damaged credit score and a large burden of debt. To make sure that doesn’t happen, we’ve compiled a list of aspects to be mindful before and during the move.

Moving out to college is an emotionally challenging experience for most, and in an attempt to cling on to the old way of life, we try to bring as much of our home to campus. The lack of experience regarding life on campus grounds also leaves students confused about the belongings they should transport with them, and ‘just to be on the safe side’ they often pack a lot more stuff than they actually require.

Let’s remember that a dorm room provides considerably smaller space than your house or apartment. At the same time, shipping costs increase based on the dimensions and weight of your belongings, and you will end up overpaying for the transportation of things that aren’t exactly useful. To help you avoid this, we have compiled a student’s guide to packing for college.

Top 5 Fragile Items You Should Protect While Moving

In spite of your best efforts, a few overlooked safety tips, careless packing and overconfidence are sometimes all it takes to transform a stress-free move into a genuine fiasco. Perhaps the most challenging aspect of relocating is learning how to avoid damage to your belongings. While some of your possession are made of sturdy materials and can take a beating, others are fragile and prone to breaking. Then again, simply because some items are brittle and frail, it doesn’t mean that they should end up broken during the relocation. Following are 5 tips on how to avoid these issues.

1. Glassware and Chinaware

Your glassware and Chinaware are considered the most easily broken items during a move. Therefore, if you want yours to survive the transportation, you have to make sure they are properly packed and that they have plenty of protection. First off, you will have to acquire a suitable box for the task, meaning one that that is relatively small and that doesn’t exceed 8 pounds. Incorporate each piece individually in bubble wrap and add plenty of padding before placing them in the box. Don’t forget to test the boxes for movement and add extra padding if they’re jostling around.

Relocating your household to a nearby part of your hometown might seem to be a straightforward and relatively simple process. After all, it’s not like you’re moving across country and you have to say goodbye to friends and neighbors whom you’ve known for years, right? Just pack your bags, hire a company to transport your belongings and you’re off to your new home!

However, let’s not underestimate the specific challenges associated with relocation, irrespective of how far the new residence is located from your current one. Failing to prepare for it properly may hold negative consequences, both in the long and the short run. Let’s elaborate.

Irrespective of whether you’re relocating across the country or down the street, moving is demanding and overwhelming. Nonetheless, with a bit of planning and organizing, rest assured that you can get a handle of things. In case this is your first time moving, then keep in mind that you can rely on the relocation coordinator to help you plan the process to the very detail. Since this is a big step in a person’s life, following are some of the basic things you need to know about planning your relocation.

Decide on how you want to move

Even though the decision on how to move may seem simple, the truth is that it will ultimately depend on your budget and available time. For instance, if you need to be at the new location relatively fast due to career considerations, then you might need to work with a company that provides airline overnight shipping. Although costly, relocating your belongings in this manner is time efficient. On the other hand, if you’re on a tight budget and have some spare time, then working with a standard moving company is a better choice.

Because moving is incredibly stressful, it is best to keep a checklist featuring all the details of your relocation. In addition to proper packing and other aspects associated with the move, you will also have to account for the little things. This is essentially why you should plan your relocation with the help of the coordinator provided by moving service.

Don’t forget about your floors

Safeguarding your floors is one of those often overlooked aspects of relocation. Given the amount of traffic your flooring will see during packaging and the moving day, including carrying large items, chances are your floors will sustain some damage. While damaging your carpets or hardwood floors may seem inevitable, the truth is that there are some things you can do to shield your flooring from heavy traffic and possible damage due to dragging or dropping things on its surface. Let’s elaborate.

Granted, having professionals pack your fragile items is preferable and easier, at least from the liability aspect’s point of view. Having your movers pack those easy-to-break items is ideal. However, you might think that it is easy to pack them yourself so here’s what you should know about packing fragile and delicate items by yourself.

Prepare for packaging your fragile items

Securely packing porcelain, crystal or other breakable or fragile items requires paying extra attention. Therefore, make sure to start packing such items well in advance of the established moving day. In case you haven’t packed fragile items before, then here is a quick guide on how to do this with the most common items: