No matter how you look at it, moving is expensive. There’s the money to find a new place to live. You shell out money for new schools and new alarm systems, etc. Of course, there’s the cost of packing and transporting your goods from your old place to the new one. We aren’t experts on how to save money on the new home, or the etcetera, but we can certainly help you save money on your move in pretty surprising ways.

Do — Pack Yourself

If you have the time, you can hundreds of dollars just by packing your own boxes. Your moving company can supply you with packing materials, or you can buy them used or at a store like Home Depot for a savings. Just make sure that the boxes are in good condition. Your moving company can also give you packing tips. Note, don’t use garbage bags. They might be fine to transport in your car, but most movers will not move them because they are prone to breakage.

Don’t — Move the Boxes

It might seem logical to move your boxes on your own, but they’re the easiest thing for a mover to move, and because of their shape, they make very efficient use of space.

Do — Move Weird Items

When we say “weird items,” we aren’t talking about your grandmother’s set of goblin figurines (that’s just my grandmother?). We’re talking about odd-shaped items that either don’t fit well in a box, or that you can easily move in your car. Some examples are lamps, pictures and mirrors, and electronics. In fact, we always advise you move your computers, after backing up your hard drives.

Don’t — Help the Movers Carry Things

A moving team is a little like a dance ensemble, they choreograph who does what and how. We want to save you money, but when you are moving long distance, you are paying for what we are moving for you, not for the time involved. Sit back, relax, or…

Do — Help the Movers Label Items

Invest in some room labels before the move. The movers will wrap each and every piece of furniture. If you know where that furniture goes in your new home, slap a room label on. This might not help you save money on your move, but it will save you time and headaches at delivery.

Don’t — Forget to Arrange Parking for the Moving Truck

The last thing you want is to be hit with a shuttle fee if you don’t need it. If you live on a narrow street, or you live on a steep hill, a semi-truck might not be able to make it, so we will have to move everything to a smaller truck. If, however, your street is wide, but there’s no parking, speak to your city in advance, and arrange to reserve the spaces. Your city will charge for a parking permit, but it’s less than having to shuttle your goods. The same goes for the place you’re moving to.

Do — Reserve the Service Elevator

Talk to your building’s management and find out if you need to reserve the elevator for moving day. Ask your moving coordinator about timing.

Your moving coordinator is an expert. Ask about ways you might be able to save money on your move. For any legitimate company, a happy customer is worth far more than the money you might save.

Featured Image CC 2.0, by 401(k) 2012, via Flickr

If you use a lot of electricity, and as temperatures rise, who can really blame you, you’re going to be hit hard very soon. California utility companies are raising their rates for about 9 million California homes. You can fight back though, and if you do it right, you’ll add value to your home. Solar power is booming. It can be pricey, but it’s an investment — one that pays off in multiple ways. To maximize your payoff, though, you’d better jump soon.

Many Californians pay over $200 a month just on electricity, and even average users are seeing rising bills, often more than 30 percent per year. We can fight back, though, with solar power, and you might reap the benefits when you sell.

When you go to sell your home, solar will add as much as $20,000 to the sale price of your home. That’s sometimes more than the cost of the system.

How to go Solar

Going solar is not that complicated, but there are some options. You can buy or lease. You can purchase a battery backup or simply sell any surplus energy back to your utility company. Either way, you will probably save money in both the short and long-term.

Buy or Lease?

The first question you need to ask yourself is whether to buy or lease. There are advantages and disadvantages to both. Either way you go, you can go solar with no out of pocket cash.

If you buy, you can finance with low-interest loans. You can also take advantage of up to 30 percent tax credits, at least for now. The up to 30% federal tax credits are scheduled to phase out beginning in 2019. Unless you buy a backup battery, which can cost more than $7,000, your solar panels will only provide you electricity during daylight hours, when the sun is shining. That’s not all bad, though. If you don’t have a backup battery, you can sell any surplus daytime energy back to your utility company, meaning you’ll see your electric meter go backwards and you’ll have spare energy to keep your house comfortable even at night.

Leasing is cheaper. There is no initial cash outlay. If you lease, the leasing company is responsible for the upkeep, but they also get to keep the federal tax credits and they’ll be the ones to sell back the surplus energy. If you use electricity to cool or warm your home during the night, you might consider buying instead. Another factor to consider is that leases aren’t fixed. They can increase their rates over the course of the lease.

Another reason to buy instead of lease is that you may run into problems when it’s time to sell your home. If you are under a 20 year lease, and you sell just half-way through, the buyer will have to take over the lease, or you will have to remove the panels and violate your lease. You could buy it out, but you’d be better off buying from the start.

How to Choose a Solar Provider

Get referrals from neighbors or check with reputable referral agencies. You may be surprised to learn that some of the biggest names in solar have some of the worst reputations. Request a minimum of three quotes. If one solar company tells you your roof isn’t compatible, get a second and third opinion. Many companies have fixed size panels. They may not be able to accommodate some roofs, when other companies can.

Featured image via Wikimedia