Club Thrifty October Budget Breakdown: Moving Edition

Club Thrifty October Budget Breakdown Moving Edition - picture of hands taping box closed

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If there’s one thing I’ve learned from this whole experience, it’s that I hate moving…the entire experience.  I hate packing up all of the home décor that I’ve lovingly selected over the years. I hate sorting through all our stuff and reliving the memories of my children’s lives so far.  I hate moving because it feels like the end of an area, an amazing and awesome era.  Fortunately, endings often bring new beginnings.   And, I know deep down that our move marks the beginning of an entirely new era for our family, for better or for worse.

Thoughts on Moving

Like I mentioned last week, we’re moving into a rental home for the time being.  And, we’re considering it somewhat of an experiment in small house living.  After all, the rental home is less than 1,200 square feet, about half the size of our current home.  And aside from the worry over transitioning into a much smaller space, I’m excited to see if we’ll like small home living.  Maybe we’ll love it.  Or, maybe we’ll be itching for more room and more space.  Regardless, I’m thankful for the opportunity to try a smaller space before we commit to buying one.  And, I’m sure we’ll learn something from the ordeal. In the meantime, I’m super annoyed with all of the tasks involved with selling your home.  I mean, some people move almost every year.  Don’t they get sick of it?  Here are my tasks for the next few weeks:

  • set up high speed internet in our new home (with Verizon)
  • cancel high speed internet in our old home
  • have our mail forwarded to our new address
  • cancel our utilities at our old place
  • set up utilities at our new place
  • cancel our homeowner’s insurance
  • buy renter’s insurance (possibly?)
  • call a bunch of our providers and give them our new address (health insurance, car insurance, etc.)
  • Hire movers to move all of our stuff
  • Buy or rent a refrigerator for our rental home

My blood pressure just shot through the roof.  On top of all of that, we’re trying to eat all of the food in the house so that we don’t have to move it.  Unfortunately, this means heating up lots of freezer meals and side dishes.  Yuck.  We also have to pack which is a giant undertaking when you have two kids. And, although we don’t have to pay a mortgage payment this month because we’re selling, we do have the added expense of paying movers to move our stuff.  And, from the estimates that I’ve gotten, it looks like it’s going to cost between $800 and $1,000.  Ouch.  And, although I could technically ask family members and friends to help, I HATE asking people to help move our shit.  It seems like everyone I know has a back injury or has had one, and I’m not willing to put other people’s health in jeopardy.  I’m greedy, but I’m not that greedy. So, yeah.  Moving.  It’s equal parts expensive and awful. 

So, with that being said, here’s my October budget breakdown.

  • Mortgage: $0 (Yay!)
  • Electric: $200
  • Gas: $25
  • Groceries: $650
  • Daycare: $500
  • Internet: $35
  • College Lydia: $25
  • College Vivian: $25
  • Gas/Misc: $300
  • Cell Phone: $35
  • Health Insurance: $377
  • Rent (due Nov. 1st): $700
  • Moving Expenses: $1200 (a hopefully high estimate)
  • Refrigerator: $500 (a hopefully high estimate)
  • Verizon wifi set-up at new home: $150 (a hopefully high estimate)
  • Furnace Serviced: $79 (since we’re selling our home)

Total: $4801 (ouch) A few things: First of all, this budget could be completely off.  I’m not sure how much a fridge is going to be or the cost for the new wifi set-up.  I’m also not sure how much movers will cost.  I know their hourly rate but I have no idea how long they’ll take so I just had to guess. Second of all, I estimated high on food and miscellaneous because I have a feeling that things will crop up as we move from place to place.  And, I see lots of McDonalds and Subway in our future as we move from place to place.

I’ve Been a Bad Girl

On the retirement saving front, I’ve been a bad, bad girl.  I haven’t saved for retirement since May.  But wait, let me explain!  As you all know, Greg started training to sell investments and insurance this summer and I was waiting for him to get licensed so I could buy my investments from him.  And, as you all know, that didn’t work out so well.  So, it’s back to square one.  Fortunately, I have 10K set aside to start a SEP IRA as well as $5,500 set aside to plop in my Roth IRA.  So, it’s not that I haven’t *saved* for retirement, I just haven’t moved the money into the appropriate account yet.  I’ll do it soon, I promise!  As far as my man is concerned, Greg’s new job offers a nice retirement plan with a 4% match and he’ll be participating in that on top of contributing to his Roth IRA.  So, even though we’re slightly off track this summer, we’ll be back at it again soon.

What are your thoughts on moving?  Do you like it?  Hate it?  And, how is your budget looking for October?

Oh, and do you want to hear me ramble on like an idiot?  If so, make sure to check out my podcast at Dollars and Roses. It’s pretty embarrassing.  I hate hearing myself talk!

Also, please check out my latest staff post at Frugal Travel Guy.  My weekly post goes up every Friday and I absolutely LOVE writing about travel!

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63 Comments

  1. Moving is definitely a hassle – good luck! As for movers, we’re in the same boat as you guys – too cheap to feel good about paying a ton for movers, but not really wanting to ask friends to lug our stuff around all the time. So what we’ve done is packed everything into boxes ourselves and then rented a truck. Then we hired movers to meet us at the house, put all of our boxes and furniture in the truck we rented, then follow us to the new place and take it all out and bring it inside. I think we ended up paying about $75/hour for two guys, but it only took them a couple hours when it would have taken us all day.

    1. We moving all of the boxes ourselves, for the most part. We’ve got the key to our new place already and Greg took the first load of boxes over yesterday. We just use fairly small ones so that they’re not overly heavy.

      The rental house has a small basement, not nice enough for living space but fine for boxes and a few large pieces of furniture. So, we hope to have the majority of our stuff over there by move day (November 2nd). Then the movers can move the big stuff. Unfortunately, I think it will take a while since we have four bedrooms of furniture, washer, dryer, and all of the other furniture in the house. But, moving most of our stuff ourselves will definitely help.

  2. Ben @ The Wealth Gospel says:

    I just had de ja vu. Man, I hope I never have to move again…as for some of the expenses, I’d suggest getting a fridge on Craigslist. We were looking at some for less than $300 that looked pretty solid. And it only cost us $65 to set up our new internet (including the first month’s bill), so hopefully it’s not that much more expensive in Indiana!

    1. The house where we’re moving is too rural to get regular internet. The only way to get coverage is to get a mobile wifi hotspot temporarily (We only plan on living there a few months). The wifi hotspot itself is only $49 but it’s almost $100 per month for enough wifi for our needs (streaming TV plus the fact that I work from home on the internet). Fortunately, it’s just a temporary situation.

      As far as a craigslist fridge goes, I would love to but I don’t have anyone to move it. And, I won’t let Greg move heavy things like that anymore. We need delivery. There is a place nearby that supposedly sell refurbished fridges and delivers, but I looked at their website and it seemed expensive to me. Anyway, Im still looking!

      1. Ben @ The Wealth Gospel says:

        Ahh I thought that was a little high! We’re almost too rural, but there was one provider we were able to connect with. Good luck with the fridge! There’s always the alternate choice of going Amish 🙂

  3. Ugh! Moving is a huge part of the home-buying expense that not many people factor in. Hope it goes smoothly!

  4. Yup, nothing fun about moving itself but exploring a new city/town can be a lot of fun. Finding those little secrete places in town like parks, shops, hiking trails, restaurants etc. Hopefully the move goes well and you can start exploring!

    1. YES!

      The new town where we’re moving is actually quite adorable. Lots of trees and parks and a beautiful downtown area.

  5. Moving is definitely a stressful time. When I was in college and just after college it really wasn’t that bad at all. I moved quite a bit but could move everything in a couple car or van-loads. Now that I’m married we have accumulated furniture and quite a bit of stuff. I can only imagine what it will be like 5-10 years down the road when we have kids to move as well!

    I hope the moving process goes smoothly for you guys and the expenses stay low!

    1. Yep, totally. This is the first time we’ve moved since we had kids. We are pretty simplistic but we still have so much stuff. Furniture, plus the kids bikes and outdoor toys, etc.

  6. Moving is a huge pain in the ass and I can’t even imagine doing it with kids. I moved every year for the first 5 years after school and that was enough of a pain. We’ve been in our current place for over 2 years now and we’ve accumulated so much stuff from having a baby. I never hired movers but if we moved now I think we definitely would. Luckily you guys are (hopefully) looking at just 2 moves and then settling down, so the end is near.

    1. We have a few pieces of furniture that are incredibly heavy. I would never let Greg try to move them again.

  7. Sorry to hear it’s so stressful right now, but your meal situation made me chuckle. It reminded me of being a kid, when my family would come back to the States for summer home leave and for the week leading up my mom stopped grocery shopping so we didn’t waste money of produce we’d have to toss. There would be stray veggies and some baking soda in the fridge when I came down for breakfast. It was the cause of a lot of teen angst!

    Hope the next few phases go well and I’m interested to hear about the rental and how you feel about the smaller space.

  8. I hate moving! Whoever thought “moving day” was like a national holiday is not right in the head. It’s a pain and there is always the missing box.
    However, moving in the fall/winter as long as there is no snow on actual moving day is better than the summer because it’s not so sticking hot while you are trying to move.
    Good luck!

    1. Good point. At least it shouldn’t be hot out. Hopefully its not wet out!

  9. I want to move so bad. We are in a 1200ish foot home (that I have lived in for 15 years) and we have 3 kids (3 and under) so I am ready for something else. I am just not looking forward to selling out home, buying a new one and all the moving stuff that goes into it. I like that you are considering a smaller place as that may save you in the long run on utilities and other expenses that come with a larger home.

    1. Selling sucks! It is so awful. I wouldn’t wish it on my worst enemy.

      I really do hope that we enjoy living in a smaller space. It will be a lot easier to clean. Our first home was around 1,200 s.f. and I could clean it in an hour!

  10. Wow all that is lots to soak up lol. I’m like you and I hate asking for help, for anything to be honest. It’s probably a trait of mine that I need to work on because there are so many kind people in my life. I am one who is always willing to help others so why wouldn’t someone want to help me. I hope you have a lovely month and keep it all going.. well done. Mr.CBB

    1. Thanks!

      I don’t mind asking for help with some things…but I don’t want to ask anyone to help us move heavy stuff anymore. We’re not getting any younger. Ha! It seems like everyone we know has had a back injury at some point as well. Plus, I have HEAVY STUFF!

  11. Moving is never fun. Your list of things to do sounds horrible!

  12. I’m going to guess that your estimate is low on the cost of a refrigerator and high on the cost of wifi. All you should need is a modem and a simple wireless router. This should come in under $80. Good luck coordinating the move. There’s bnothing like unpacking in a new home.

    1. NO!!!!

      Does nobody read my blog? LOL

      The place we’re moving is too rural to get regular internet. I can either a) get satellite internet or b) get a mobile wifi hotspot. Since I don’t want to put a satellite on the roof of a home we’re probably nly renting for a fewmonths, I’m stuck with a mobile hotspot. Verizon is the only provider with coverage in the area we’re moving and its about $100 per month for the amount of wifi that I use!

      As far as a fridge goes, if I buy a new one (not sure about that), I found one at Home Depot for $438 with free delivery!

  13. I hate moving! I moved every 6 months in college, and it took me ten minutes and two trash bags to get everything packed. Now, it takes forever and costs a ton. How did that happen?!

  14. Moving sucks. The last time I moved I didn’t really have much stuff to take with me. So, it wasn’t necessarily moving things that sucked it was buying new things and looking for free things. Glad that is over.

    1. I’ll be glad when it’s over for me as well!

  15. Sorry to be a downer, but I hate moving too…and we haven’t done it since having kids. We’ve got so much freaking junk that it just stresses me to think about it, Lol! We hate asking people to help move us move as well, but since the closest family is really about 1,000 miles away – hiring it out is really the only option. We’re doing good for October – just signed a pretty big client so we’re pretty happy! 🙂

  16. I hate moving…and I’ve only really moved once in my life (college doesn’t count). My wife used to move pretty often…one benefit was that she got rid of a lot of clutter…now that she hasn’t moved in a while, things are piling up again. I don’t like asking people to help move either, especially heavy furniture. I’m not even sure I’d be able to do that. And I also don’t like the sound of my voice when I hear it recorded, I think we’re just not used to it because it sounds different from what we think it sounds like.

    1. Yes, exactly. My voice sounds like nails on a chalk board to me!

  17. Alicia @ Financial Diffraction says:

    Good luck with the move! I moved six-months ago, and we had professional movers. Thankfully it was covered by my employer because otherwise it would cost just under 3k, and it was only 5 hours away! I have moved too often I think – four times in six years (I was in grad school so I moved essentially every year unfortunately), and twice as a child living with my parents. Hopefully we stay put at this play for a while.

    1. We’re only moving about 45 minutes away so that cuts down on the cost a little!

  18. I’ve always joked that moving is punishment for our materialism, as you are forced to pick up every possession you own several times as penance. It sucks. That’s nice of you to use a company instead of friends and family…we end up helping others so we usually feel fine asking them to return the favor.

    Good luck with the move and hopefully it’s not too stressful. Remember that good enough really is good enough the next few months.

  19. Wow, that’s a lot of stuff to do! It must be very nice not to have to pay the mortgage, but I guess you have the rent expense coming up in lieu of that.

    Moving is very stressful. Try to relax and take some time for yourself and with your family during the process.

    1. Yes, we do have rent coming up but its only $700 vs. our mortgage which was $1446!

  20. I think moving ranks right up there with a root canal! I hope you feel settled soon. BTW I had no idea you started your blog the same year and month as me (listening to the podcast). I thought yours has been around forever because it’s so successful!

    1. Oh, well, it’s not that successful. At least I don’t feel like it is. But, maybe I have low blog self-esteem.

      I can’t believe you listened to that podcast! I am mortified!

  21. I can’t imaging moving with kids. You know you’re going to misplace some very special doll or piece of crap that one of them just can’t sleep without. I’m not sure if they do it everywhere, and I’d never heard of it, but my sister just moved and hired some off duty fire fighters to move her stuff. I guess they do it to raise extra money for the firehouse. Much cheaper than movers. Might be something to check out.

    1. Oh, trust me, I know. My kids freak when they can’t find one of their belongings!
      My daughter literally cried last night because I was washing her sheets and had a different sheet on her bed temporarily. You would’ve thought the world ended.

  22. Permanent change of station moves are easy because the movers come and pack up your stuff. This year was a bad year for moving around, trying to find the right apartment for us. We actually had our belongings in 4 different places just from January to April! Luckily, at the time, the largest piece of furniture we had was our bed and everything else was plastic or fold-able. Now we have a couch and a large desk, but we finally found an apartment that we can stay in until the next PCS.

    1. Good! I’m glad you don’t have to move any time soon!

  23. We’ve lived in our current home long enough that our previous moves are just distant memories. Moving is never fun but the one good thing is that I did always get rid of some clutter and junk. 🙂 There does come a point where you can no longer bribe friends and family with beer and pizza to help you move, so you are smart to hire movers. They actually move pretty fast so hopefully that will help lower your cost there. Good luck!

    1. Yes, I definitely couldn’t bribe family members or friends anymore. People I know can afford their own beer and pizza!

  24. I hate moving and have moved way too many times over the years as my dad was military! You weren’t bad and did save for retirement, just get it in the account before the deadline.

  25. Stopping over from the Dollars & Roses podcast – you did great! Very inspiring story, especially for someone like me who is looking to “up” my freelance writing game. It was also fun to hear them read my iTunes review at the end of the podcast. 🙂

    And I hear ya on moving! Before my husband and I got married we each moved a bazillion times and so we’ve committed to staying put for a long, long while. Good luck!

  26. HATE moving. Does anyone like it really? We’re going through our things now to get ready for the move back to the States. Then we’ll have to move again a few months after that once we know where hubs will be for clinical rotations. 2 moves in 6 months + 2 new kiddos. Should be fun!! However, I’m excited for yalls new journey!!!

    1. You guys will have so much fun! Moving baby stuff will be a breeze. All of their tiny clothes will fit in a few boxes and they won’t have any of the “big kid” boxes yet.

  27. I can’t believe you only have like $15k to invest this year. That’s way worse than my like $0. GEEZ! 🙂

    Moving sucks. I moved 12 times in 8 years, so I know the pain :\

    1. Well, I haven’t invested it yet. I’ve just saved it.

      So, now that you mention it, I think I’ll go just buy a used Hummer instead.

  28. Hi Holly, I just listened to your podcast over at dollars and roses. Thanks for sharing your insights on blogging with new bloggers like me.

    I have to say I do not enjoy moving either. I just did it last year when I bought my house and I would not want to go through that every year. Good Luck with your move.

  29. You seem organized and on top of it. Renter’s insurance is cheap and well worth it.

  30. I remember the last 10 years when we moved from the big City in the province. It was kinda “argghhh” tired but it was fun, to live in a new place and meet new people. Just look at the positive sides. 🙂

  31. I know that I’ve always loved moving, loved the idea of a new beginning and all that chaos. :)) On the other hand, I was of college age when I kept moving relatively often (every couple of years) so I didn’t have much possession. Now it would be a bit more difficult to move, but I am sure I’d still love it. So, once again, good luck with everything!

  32. I hate the process of moving, with all the packing and unpacking, finding a place, and all the stress that goes with it. I do think it’s exciting though, and view it as a new and different opportunity. I also think, for me, it’s marked the end of eras and the beginning of new ones. When we first moved, that was the end of living with my cousins family, and the last move saw me leaving the nest. Then our hopefully next move will see us leaving this sucky place once and for all! I hope your estimates are high and that it doesn’t end up costing too much. My parents paid a hefty fee to get a moving truck as it was quite far. Not looking forward to that.

  33. Moving is definitely stressful. Especially if you have to do it twice. But once you settle and all the unpacking and setting up is done, you start enjoying what your new place has to offer.

  34. We move last month and I made a giant list off all the to-dos and address changes. 🙂 My husband has not gotten through his half of the list yet!

  35. There’s pretty much nothing in the world I hate more than moving. I told boyfriend we’d be in this condo forever because I never want to move again. Poor bf had a horrible asthma attack that hospitalized him for 4 days when we moved it. I was convinced out house was cursed and cried for a good part of the night (I didn’t think I’d be sleeping alone in our first home) it was a pretty traumatic experience.

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