How To Move Out When You Have No Money

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Moving without much money can be tough, but it's not impossible. There are ways you can cut your moving costs and make a little extra money to help with your transition. Before you move, it's important to come up with a plan and ask your friends and family for help. If you consider all the details and try to cut costs, there are ways you can move even if you're lacking money.

1

Get free moving boxes instead of paying for them. You can get free boxes at places like grocery stores, liquor stores, and sometimes where you work. Ask friends or family if they have any spare boxes that you can use. Sites like Craigslist and Freecycle may also have people looking to get rid of their boxes.^[1]
2

Find other free packing materials in your house. If you don't have enough moving boxes, you can always use garbage bags, backpacks, or luggage that you already own. Store your belongings in shelves or things that can act as storage space. You can also wrap items in blankets or linens instead of using a bag or box.^[2]
3
Use your vehicle instead of renting a moving truck. Using your own car or truck will eliminate the expense of hiring movers or a moving truck. If you have a smaller car, your move may require multiple trips.^[3]
- This is more viable if you're moving to a new home in the same town or city.
4
Save your money and try to cut your cost of living. Save wherever you can. Try to cut back on how much you spend on things like food, clothing, and entertainment. Look for sales and cancel subscriptions that you don't need. Find other unnecessary expenses and eliminate them so that you can save as much as possible.^[4]
- Other ways to save include quitting smoking, cooking at home, and limiting the use of your credit card.
- Turn off lights and appliances to decrease your monthly bills. You can also avoid late fees by paying bills on time.^[5]

1
Sell your stuff online. Sites like eBay, Amazon, and Craigslist allow you to sell your items online. Selling your belongings will give you money that you can use to cover moving expenses. Take a photo of the stuff that you want to sell, set a price, and make a listing on either website.^[6]
- Other popular online marketplaces include Facebook Marketplace, Letgo, and Bonanza.^[7]
2
Get a temporary job. Look on job boards like Craigslist for temporary jobs or gigs. Sites like Freelancer.com, Elance, and Fiverr have short-term gigs that can help you earn extra cash.^[8]
- Popular side gigs include tutoring, babysitting, writing, customer support, consulting, and social media management.^[9]
- Apply to the gigs that you have experience in.
3

Have a garage sale to sell stuff you don't need. If you're moving a good distance away, you'll likely only want to make one trip. Therefore, you should sell larger items that you won't be able to take with you like dressers, beds, and pieces of furniture. A garage or yard sale is a great way to minimize what you have to take with you and make some extra last-minute cash.^[10]

1

Ask your family or friends for help with the move. Recruiting people to help you will save a lot of time and money. Your friends could help you move furniture, and you might pay them back in pizza or a movie night. Some may be able to use their vehicles to help you move which will save you from having to make multiple trips. Call people that you know and ask them if they can help you move.^[11]
2

Borrow a vehicle from friends or family if you don't have one. Ask people you know if they can lend you their vehicle. Keep in mind that if you do this you may have to be added onto their insurance, and you'll likely have to return the vehicle once you're done moving.^[12]
3
Borrow money from friends or family. Call or meet up with close friends or family and explain your situation to them as honestly as you can. Determine how much you'd need to move and ask them if they can afford to lend you that amount. If they can't give you the full amount, ask them if they could give anything and find someone else to lend the balance.^[13]
- You can say something like, "Hey Jen, I'm really broke right now, and I just got evicted. I need some help moving. Do you think you could lend me $200?"
- Ask friends or family members who have steady jobs and savings.
- Family members or friends may also be willing to support you by cooking meals, buying toiletries, or even helping you pay the initial down payment on a new apartment.

1
Research the cost of living in your new residence. The cost of living may be more or less than what you're used to. You can use online tools to determine the average cost of living in the new city or town that you're moving to. Visit one of these sites and input your current address and income. It will perform a calculation and tell you how much you'll have to make when you move.^[14]
- You can also look at local businesses and restaurants to get a feeling for how much everything costs.
2
Create a budget for after you move. If you're moving, you should plan and budget money so that you can survive for a couple of months with limited funds. Consider things like cost of transportation, cost of food, and bills.^[15]
- If you've secured a job, you can factor in the money that you'll make from working.
- If you don't have a job, you'll need to have some money saved so that you can survive in your new town or city.
- If you don't have any money saved, you can use credit cards to buy essential items.
3

Make a plan if the move doesn't work. If everything doesn't work out and you can't afford the new place that you're moving to, you should have a backup plan. Talk to family and friends and see if you can move in with them if things don't work out. Having a backup plan will ensure that you won't end up homeless if you can't get situated in your new city or town.
4
Look for jobs before you move. Set the location for your job search to where you're moving to. Make sure to adjust your resume to include the address your moving to so that employers think that you're local. Try to set up as many interviews as you can before you move.^[16]
- If you're moving somewhere close to where you are, you can even go on the interviews before you move and secure the job.
5
Find a free place to stay wherever you're going. If you haven't secured a place to stay where you want to move, you'll have to figure out free living arrangements. Ask anyone you know if you can stay with them for free for a limited time. Websites like Couchsurfing may also have listings of free couches available in your new city or town. This may serve as a short-term solution.^[17]
- It will probably help to explain that it's only a temporary situation until you get enough money to get your own place.
- You can also try couch surfing if you know multiple people in your new town or city.
- You can say something like, "Hey, I'm in your city and have nowhere to stay. Do you think I could crash on your couch for a couple of days?"

Add New Question

Question

How do I start saving to move out?

Marty Stevens-Heebner was the first Certified Senior Move Manager (SMM-C) in the United States and is Founder and CEO of Clear Home Solutions, a move management and professional organizing company based in southern California. Marty is also a Certified Professional Organizer and a Certified Aging in Place Specialist (CAPS) through the National Association of Home Builders. She is the President-Elect and is on the board of directors of the National Association for Senior Move Managers, a member of the National Association of Professional Organizers, and has been acknowledged as a Hoarding Specialist and ADHD Specialist through the Institute for Challenging Disorganization.

Professional Move Manager

Expert Answer

Give yourself plenty of time if you plan on saving money by doing the packing yourself. If you try to do it all the day before, you may not get everything done in time. Then, as you're scrambling to get finished packing, things might not get packed as carefully, so there could end up being a lot of breakage.
Question

How do I prepare myself to move out for the first time?

Marty Stevens-Heebner was the first Certified Senior Move Manager (SMM-C) in the United States and is Founder and CEO of Clear Home Solutions, a move management and professional organizing company based in southern California. Marty is also a Certified Professional Organizer and a Certified Aging in Place Specialist (CAPS) through the National Association of Home Builders. She is the President-Elect and is on the board of directors of the National Association for Senior Move Managers, a member of the National Association of Professional Organizers, and has been acknowledged as a Hoarding Specialist and ADHD Specialist through the Institute for Challenging Disorganization.

Professional Move Manager

Expert Answer

If you're going to be moving, go to liquor stores, restaurants, and supermarkets, and ask if they have any boxes you can have. Also, save any boxes you get from ordering things online. This can save you money on storage for all of your thnigs.