Some Budget Tips When Moving Into a New Rental

In this move, we are currently, and basically, starting from scratch. We only have a fridge, 2 beds, a couch, 2 futons, 2 bookshelves, and our things. That's not much, and that's what's making this so exciting! Moving can be quite stressful, but I also find it to be one of the best ways to jumpstart a new life and perspective.

So here are some things that I've come around to learning.

1. Save Money and Time by Procrastinating!
That's right. It pays to procrastinate. If you're looking to move not next month, but the month after, don't start looking just yet. If you find something you really like and you're too far out from your intended move date, you may end up having to pay more to get the place you like really early, and still having to eat the last month at your current place. Just wait it out.

That's one of the mistakes I made this time around. I started looking for places too early and found one that I really liked. We locked in the place, but I'm out quite a bit of money. Worth it, but still out a bit of money.

2. Use Apps! 
To find the right place, I was going back and forth through 3 different apps but the one that gave me the most luck was Trulia. The places we contacted through there responded the fastest. As for finding furniture for the new rental, I've been using 4 apps for this process; Pinterest and Wayfair for ideas, and CSmart and Close5 to find used things to buy. I also tried LetGo but didn't like the fact that I couldn't see the prices.

Pinterest is obviously great for ideas, but Wayfair educates about different styles of interior design. Craigslist is great but the format hasn't been updated. I think we can all agree that it works so there's no complaining to be had. However with CSmart, posts are laid out in a visually appealing way. You can have it with a large photo, 2 posts side-by-side, or even in a Pinterest style waterfall grid layout. What's great about Close5 is that they've made it so simple to post and sell things, that it seems like there is quite a big turnout as far as people actually getting on the app and selling things. I also like that it's within a specific radius of the area you're looking in. You can choose a mile within your radius, or even as far out as 50 miles.

Today I picked up 3 things I found on Close5, one from CSmart, and one from a good ole garage sale. Which leads me to the next important thing.

3. Garage Sales!
My mom and dad love garage sales. I always loved going with them on Saturdays to go garage sale hopping, but I didn't realize how much I learned by tagging along with them. When you walk into a garage sale, you have to know and understand this principle: PEOPLE WANT YOUR CASH MORE THAN YOU (OR THEY) WANT THE ITEM. If you don't believe me, try this trick... In your wallet, keep a lot of ones. Find something you like and inquire the price on it. Look through your pocket and pull out a significantly less amount (but still within reason) and offer it by showing them the cash in your hand. For example, if you see a lamp you like and they're asking $20 for it, pull out $10 and say, "I have $10." Nine times out of 10, they'll say okay.

I'll keep adding to this as the move progresses. I'm sure I'll come up with more tips. :)