How To Move To A New City With No Money

Step 2: Look For A Job Before The Move

How to move with no money or job? Once you're certain that there are no better options for you but to go ahead with the house move, your next step is to assess your current financial situation objectively – maybe the situation is not as bad as you think.

moving out with no money — What did your thinking cap advise you to do?

In reality, the term "no money" can mean different things for different people, so it's important to clarify what exactly you mean by thinking about moving without money. Do you mean you currently have absolutely no money at all? Or do you mean you have little money and you think it won't be enough to cover the relocation costs?

Regardless of whether you intend to move away from home with no money or not enough money, your Relocation Survival Guide /the one you're reading right now/ says that first you need to find yourself a job in your destination city or state. In case you don't have time to deal with that super important task before the move, you must take care of the urgent matter right after the relocation. And unless you get really lucky, job hunting is a slow process and it may take months before you are even contacted and invited for an interview.

To minimize the physiological strain of being money-less and unemployed at the same time, as well as to shorten the time you will have to survive on fumes, it's highly advisable that you research whether your area of expertise is a valued commodity in the city you're moving to. If it isn't, then you should be at least mentally ready to be very flexible and do whatever it takes to make it there, even if that means working absolutely anywhere until you find a job that suits you better.

How to relocate with no job? Consult our Job Relocation Guide to learn practical advice on how to move to a new city and how to find a new job there.

Step 3: Don't Be Afraid To Ask For Timely Help

How to move with little money or no money at all? It's very unfortunate to find yourself with no financial resources of any kind at the moment and to have to execute a house move in the meantime. Either of these two transitional periods is bad enough, but their mistimed combination presents a real challenge for your resourcefulness, as well as a genuine test for your fortitude.

Understandably, it may be hard for you to see the silver lining if you're facing a residential move with no money in your wallet and worse – with no money in your savings account, but the optimistic light at the end of the tunnel is tight there, cleverly hidden in the word "transitional". To phrase it differently, the good news for you is that you don't have any money now, but your situation will inevitably improve once you move to a new city and find yourself a decent job.

In this line of thought, your best course of action when you're about to move away with no money is to ask your parents or friends for help.

Your caring parents

move without any money — "It's especially hard to admit that you made a mistake to your parents, because, of course, you know so much more than they do." Sean Covey

Provided that your parents are not the reason you are moving out of home with no money, you can as well:

Option 1: Ask them for a loan which you can repay them as soon as you get back on your feet.

Option 2: In the best case scenario, your folks will save you the uneasy awkwardness that comes with asking such a big favor and be the ones to suggest lending you some money to execute the move.

Option 3: If getting a loan is out of the question, then talk to your mom and dad and see if they will be willing to cover your relocation expenses, which, undoubtedly, is a huge help as well.

Option 4: If your folks are unable to assist you financially, then they must surely be glad to give you a helping hand with the moving preparations /packing, loading, arranging a moving vehicle, etc./, including providing you with some essential things you will need for your new home.

Your good friends

If you can't secure a temporary loan from your parents, then it's time to see if any of your good friends can help you survive this tough period. After all, a friend in relocation need is a friend indeed. Right?

Option 1: Ask your friends if they have any packing supplies you can use for free. Maybe a pal of yours just moved house and has loads of moving boxes they no longer need?

Option 2: It's also probable that one of your buddies has a pickup truck you can borrow to transport your stuff to your new address, especially if you're moving short distance. Hiring a moving vehicle from a truck rental company costs money, and the latter is something you're kind of lacking at the moment.

Option 3: Maybe your good friends have furniture or other items they have no practical use for and which you might need – pieces stored in their attics, garages, and basements. However, be mindful that transporting heavy furniture pieces to another part of the country is expensive, so you must be very careful about what you choose to take with you.

Option 4: Close friends are great for helping another friend organize their move /sorting, packing, loading, etc./, so at least you'll have that relocation stage covered. Instead of buying them lunch or small gifts as thank you tokens of appreciation, promise to be there for them whenever they might need help moving, and be sure to keep that promise at all costs.

Option 5: You might even have a very good friend who's doing well moneywise and who wouldn't mind helping you out in this extremely transitional phase you're going through.

Option 6: Moving with little or no money is never fun. In the best case scenario, you will have a good buddy in the new city you're relocating to and they will agree to shelter you until you (re)gain your financial stability and move into your own place.

Step 4: Don't Spend Money You Don't Really Have

Planning to move to a new city with no money can be truly disheartening and a bit frightening even for the bravest of home movers. If your parents or a friend of yours have agreed to lend you some money to pay for the move, it's your duty to make sure the relocation costs are kept to their absolute minimum. Moving on a budget is one thing, but moving on a VERY tight budget or even on a non-existing one is a horse of a different color. That's right – you need to use every presented opportunity to lower your moving costs, no matter how insignificant that cost-saving opportunity may initially look.

To make the move as cheap as possible, take advantage of our top money-saving tips when moving house so that you can have a very reasonably priced relocation.

Take only what you really need

moving out with your lucky coin — All you need to take with you is your lucky coin and things will be just fine.

One essential thing you should understand clearly is that the more furniture pieces and personal belongings you decide to move to your new home, the more money you will need to pay for their transportation simply because the relocation price is directly connected to the weight of your shipment. In reality, the trick to having a fairly successful move with no money and possibly no job is to reduce the items you're taking with you to their absolute minimum. It's best to forget about taking any bulky and heavyweight furniture pieces with you at all. Also, forget about moving any books as they are heavier than you probably suspect. In general, it's a good idea to leave behind any items you haven't used for over a year.

A great way to figure out what to take with you is to make a detailed list of all the belongings you view as essentials, and then revise that essentials list a few more times. Take only the things can't live without even for a few days! The good news here is that once you find a decent job in the new city and settle in your new home, you can always buy more furniture, more clothes, more books and so on, or even get hold of some of the stuff you were forced to leave behind, especially if you have moved out of your parents' house.

Do not purchase any packing materials

The last thing you need when moving out with no money is to pay for packing supplies which, by the way, will quickly add up to your super stretched moving budget as it as. As mentioned above, one good way to get moving boxes for free is to ask friends who have recently moved if they are willing to spare some of their moving containers. Alternatively, there are surely local businesses that will be forced to recycle cardboard boxes in good condition simply because they have too many of them. Why don't you go on a box hunting tour around your neighborhood?

Also, to save even more money which you don't currently have, use free newsprint paper as packing paper, repurpose old bed sheets and thin blankets as bubble wrap, and utilize bath towels, rags and even clean think socks as filling and cushioning materials.

Be creative and don't spend a single cent for packing supplies!

Pocket some much needed cash

An excellent idea that can effectively redirect the cash flow in your direction is to sell some of the household items you own but decided to leave behind. Turn your attention to the items which are in good overall condition and still possess certain market value. How you attempt to sell them depends on a number of factors, such as how much time you have until your moving date and how much effort you are willing to devote to the sale in general.

Organize a profitable moving sale – this is always a good way to get rid of your unwanted items and make a profit in the process as well. The only big disadvantage of having a yard sale before the move is that you will need plenty of time to properly prepare your goods for sale and to organize a garage sale the right way.

Sell no longer needed possessions online – another great way to pocket some cash but only a viable option if you have enough time to prepare the goods for sale AND wait until a purchase is made so that you can ship the sold item to its new owner.

Sell household items to friends – have in mind that this option can be a bit tricky because of the unwritten rule that material things are not supposed to be sold among friends /especially close friends!/, but rather, they should be given away. Still, provided that both parties feel okay with that sale thing, make sure you give your pals a huge friendly discount.

Related : 8 tips for moving on a tight budget

Step 5: Switch Into An Ultra-Economical Mode After The Move

If you have somehow achieved the astonishing feat of moving house with no money or very little money, then it would probably dampen your mood just a tiny bit to learn that the toughest leg of your ordeal is yet to come. Moving with no money or job is a monumental challenge in itself, but there are a few urgent tasks to take care of before you can properly congratulate yourself for your bravery.

relocate without money — After your miraculous relocation, make sure you never again anger your faithful wallet by keeping it empty for prolonged periods of time.

Take a closer look at the following practical tips on how to save money after moving to a new city:

Money-saving tip 1: Secure a job first

If you haven't secured a job yet, start the job hunting process as soon as humanly possible. Be extra flexible and lower your initial expectations as you might be pressed to accept an offer that is far from ideal. Do your best to stay positive and once you have made sure you have a regular income to cover your living expenses, just don't give up on your dreams and continue to look for the job you've always wanted to have.

Money-saving tip 2: Alter your spending habits

Finding yourself in a strange new place with much fewer possessions around you than you are accustomed to having, you may be tempted to purchase new stuff with your very first paycheck. However, that is not the survival formula that will let you cross the finish line considering your poor start – you still have a lot of catching up to do, remember?

Post relocation periods are notorious for being tough on any mover's budget, so you need to change your spending habits drastically . In reality, you should seriously consider becoming a minimalist and a very smart shopper, at least until you reach the point where you won't have to constantly visualize dollar bills in your head. Go only one tiny step at a time and don't even think about buying a household item or purchasing a service until you absolutely need them.

Money-saving tip 3: Use valuable information to your advantage

After moving to a new city with no money /or moving to a different state with no money/, the unfamiliarity and strangeness of the new place will inevitably cause you to spend more on almost anything than most local residents. The reason? You don't have the required insider information and the new-city experience to fine-tune your budget accordingly. At least not yet.

Having moved with little or no money, your best chance for survival is to keep your ears open and use any presented opportunity to save money. Seasonal sales, store clearances, weekly or daily promotions, discount coupons and bundled services are only some of the obvious ways to spend less for the same products or services. The thing is, you can always go a step further and receive invaluable pieces of cost-saving advice from coworkers, neighbors or new friends. Yes, struggling to stay on the cheap side of your post relocation life probably won't be too exciting to begin with, but simply view the struggle as a temporary stepping stone to a better life with a brighter future in it.

Were you ever forced to move with no money? And if yes, how did you pull it off? Maybe you have a secret moving-without-any-money tip you are willing to share with us?