Bible Money Matters

Christian personal finance

Menu
    • About
    • Archives
    • Contact
    • Close
  • Making Money
      • Popular Articles

        • 50 Ways To Make Money: Maximizing, Creating And Increasing Your Income
        • 10 Weird And Unconventional Ways To Make Money
        • Making Money With A Blog (e-Book)
        • 10 Places To Sell Or Trade Your Unused (Or Broken) Electronics
        • Ways To Make Extra Money Series: 20 More Income Generating Ideas From Our Readers
        • Making Side Income Can Help Blunt The Impact Of Becoming A One Income Family
        • Earn Cash Back With Discover it® Credit Card
      • Recent Articles – Making Money

        • Best Sites Like Fiverr To Make Money As A Freelancer
        • 13 Of The Best Independent Contractor Jobs
        • 25 Of The Best Gig Economy Jobs
        • How To Make Money Blogging: Turn A Blog Into A Business
      • Categories

        • Making Money
        • Investing
        • Retirement
        • Jobs & Work LIfe
        • Money
        • Income
    • Close
  • Saving Money
      • Popular Articles

        • 50 Easy Ways To Save Money Every Month
        • 10 Weird And Unconventional Ways To Save Money
        • 10 Practical Ways To Save Money And Increase Your Net Worth
        • How To Save Money On Just About All Of Your Regular Monthly Bills
        • Ways To Watch TV Without Paying An Arm And A Leg For Cable TV
        • Save Money On Your Hospital Bill - Just By Asking
      • Recent Articles – Saving Money

        • How To Save $100k In 7 Practical Steps
        • Stairs App Review: Save And Invest To Earn 4-6% Interest
        • Honey Review: Save Money Automatically When You Shop Online
        • 9 Convincing Reasons Why You Need An Emergency Fund
      • Categories

        • Saving Money
        • Frugality
        • Planning
        • Finance
        • Saving For Retirement
        • Savings Accounts
    • Close
  • Banking
      • Best Rates For 2019

        • Best Credit Cards
        • Best Savings Accounts
        • Best Mortgage Rates
        • Best CD Rates
        • Best Brokerages
        • Free Credit Scores
      • Recent Reviews

        • TradeStation Review: Commission Free Stock And ETF Trades
        • Firstrade Review: Commission Free Trades on Stocks, Crypto, And Options
        • Cadre Real Estate Investing Review: Commercial Real Estate Investing
        • Axos Self Directed Trading Review: Invest, Trade Stocks For Free
      • Categories

        • Bank & Software Reviews
        • Investing
        • Credit
        • Banking
        • Mortgage
        • Insurance
        • Family Budget
    • Close
  • Recommended
  • Video
    • Close

If You Want To Save Money, Consider The Costs Of Moving

By Melissa 4 Comments - The content of this website often contains affiliate links and I may be compensated if you buy through those links (at no cost to you!). Learn more about how we make money. Last edited August 18, 2014.

Share49
Pin5
Tweet21
Share3
78 Shares

As a young girl, I loved reading the Little House in the Prairie series.  I read them all again when I was an adult, and I couldn’t help but think that the Ingalls family would not have struggled so much financially if Pa hadn’t had wanderlust and would have been content to stay in one area.

Instead, seemingly every time he got established in a new area with a good house and crops that were producing, he had the urge to move again.  Then, the family would have to start all over in a new area.

My husband just recently accepted a job in Tucson, Arizona.  Prior to this move, we had been in the Chicago suburbs for 14 years, so we didn’t have the same wanderlust that affected Pa.  We made this move because we felt it would be best for my husband’s career, which would in turn make it the best choice for our entire family now and in the future.

What we didn’t anticipate was just how expensive moving, especially moving long distances, can be.

Moving Can Be Expensive.

My husband’s employer paid for our belongings to be driven out here, and they also paid the expense of the three day drive to get our family out here.  Those are often high expenses for people when they relocate, so we’re thankful we didn’t have to pay them.  Still, we feel a bit like we’re bleeding money with this move.

Quick Navigation

  • It Costs How Much To Transfer Utilities?
  • We Have to Drive How Far?
  • Why Don’t We Have Health Insurance?
  • This Move Will Likely Be a Financially Smart One

It Costs How Much To Transfer Utilities?

My husband and I bought a house, so we had to transfer all the utilities from the owner’s name to ours.  That cost a cool $155.  The gas company charged $35 to do this; the electric company charged $20, and our internet provider charged $99 install fee.  In addition, the electric company charges a $250 deposit that we’ll be refunded in 12 months if we make all of our payments on time.  Ouch!

We Have to Drive How Far?

The Chicago suburbs were very expensive.  With property tax alone running $10,000 to $20,000 or more, there is no way we could afford a house there.  We’re very grateful for Tucson’s much lower cost of living so we could afford to buy a house.

What we weren’t prepared for was how much we’d have to drive here.  In Chicago, we were happily a one-car family.  My husband took the L to work, and I kept the car all day.  The kids and I often walked places, so we only needed to fill up every other week or so.

In Tucson, everything is spread far apart.  My husband has a 30 minute drive to work.  Alternatively, I can take him to the bus station, but even that is 15 minutes away.  Thankfully gas is much cheaper per gallon here than in Chicago, but still, we’re having to fill up every week and being a one-car family is no easy feat.

Why Don’t We Have Health Insurance?

There are other unexpected expenses.  My husband’s new employer didn’t finish getting him into the system as a new hire before his start date, so we couldn’t have health insurance through his employer for the first two weeks.  We could have risked it and gone without, but I’ve never been much of a gambler.  Instead, we paid an independent insurer to cover our family for a month (the shortest time they could offer coverage) for $454.

This Move Will Likely Be a Financially Smart One

Thankfully, times are different than when the Ingalls were relocating.  Then it took Pa over a year to make a comfortable home and reap the rewards from crops.  While our family is paying a lot more up front than we anticipated, within 6 months, I believe our financial situation should stabilize and we should start to make headway.

Still, all the unexpected expenses have helped both my husband and I decide that we only want to move one more time–to a location closer to our friends and family.  We won’t be doing that anytime soon, though.  We still have a lot of moving costs to recoup before we start shelling out money to move all over again.

If you’ve made a long distance move, what expenses surprised you?

Related Posts

  • Save Money: Use The Library

    A few days ago in my "5 Things I Can't Do Without" post I talked about how one of the things I couldn't do without…

  • Is Your Desire To Save Money Costing You Money?

    There was a time when I spent money to save money, thinking I was a smart shopper. Here’s how this technique cost me money and…

  • Pay less for auto insurance
    Insurance: Save Money By Comparing Rates

    This past January I learned a costly lesson when it comes to insurance rates. There are dangers to not continually checking your rates to make…

Share49
Pin5
Tweet21
Share3
78 Shares
Last Edited: 18th August 2014 The content of biblemoneymatters.com is for general information purposes only and does not constitute professional advice. Visitors to biblemoneymatters.com should not act upon the content or information without first seeking appropriate professional advice. In accordance with the latest FTC guidelines, we declare that we have a financial relationship with every company mentioned on this site.

This article is about: Family, finance, Jobs And Work Life

About Melissa

Melissa, a mom to three (ages 15, 10, and 9), blogs at Mom's Plans where she writes about homeschooling, health eating, frugal living, and paying down debt. She works as a freelance writer and virtual assistant.

Comments

    Share Your Thoughts: Cancel reply

  1. Anne @ Money Propeller says

    Isn’t it interesting the lifestyle things that we take for granted, like how walkable or transit-able (totally a word) one city is versus another?
    When my company relocates someone, it can cost more than what lots of people make in a year! It’s awesome that the company picked up the tab for that.
    Chicago property taxes are crazy high! Congrats on being able to afford a house in Tucson.

    Reply
  2. Ben @ The Wealth Gospel says

    My wife and I have been feeling like we need to move back close to my parents since we’re having a baby next year. But since we’ve already moved a few times in the past year, I just don’t want to deal with the expenses again. It makes things really difficult at times..

    Reply
  3. Kirsten says

    We moved right at two years ago for my husbsnd’s job. We took a pay cut, but got a very nice relocation package that covered everything we needed. We researched cost of living online and found it to be similar to our current location, so the pay cut didn’t bother us too badly.

    Until we got here.

    Then we realized that, yes, the average house cost the same amount as the average cost of a house where we had moved from. But they were much smaller and much older homes, mostly in desperate need of thousands of dollars of repairs. So housing is actually much more expensive here than we realized. Now, that pay cut that we took is a huge deal.

    Reply
  4. Alyssa says

    My husband is in the military so moving will be just part of a routine every few years. After our first out of state move from Texas to Arizona the fees that shocked us the most were for our vehicles. Figuring our new motor laws/registration/inspection regulations is going to be my least favorite part about another move in the future.

    Reply
Previous Post: How To Make Coupons An Effective Part Of Your Overall Saving Strategy
Next Post: 4 Easy Steps To Start Getting Your Finances In Order
Discover Investment Platforms

Popular Posts

  • 21 Easy Ways To Earn Free Amazon Gift Cards
  • 10 Best Free Tax Filing Services And Software Online
  • 21 Apps That Pay You Real Money Fast
  • 17 TV Apps And Live TV Streaming Services To Watch TV Free
  • 30 Legit Online Jobs That Pay Well
  • 37 Easy Ways To Get Free Gift Cards
  • How To Get Free Stock
  • 40 Easy Ways To Get Free Money Fast
  • 21 Places To Read Free Books Online
  • 24 Legit Online Jobs
  • 17 Best Work From Home Jobs: A List Of Legit Online Jobs That Pay Well

Recent Posts

  • How To Save $100k In 7 Practical Steps
  • How to Save Money When Remodeling A Home
  • How To Hire A Contractor For Your Remodeling Project
  • Remembering 9/11 Years Later: Where Were You On That Fateful Day?
  • TradeStation Review: Commission Free Stock And ETF Trades
  • Firstrade Review: Commission Free Trades on Stocks, Crypto, And Options
  • Cadre Real Estate Investing Review: Commercial Real Estate Investing
  • Best Sites Like Fiverr To Make Money As A Freelancer
  • Axos Self Directed Trading Review: Invest, Trade Stocks For Free
  • 30 Quotes About Easter And Resurrection: He Is Risen!

Disclaimer

The information contained in BibleMoneyMatters.com is for general information or entertainment purposes only and does not constitute professional financial advice. Please contact an independent financial professional for advice regarding your specific situation.

In accordance with FTC guidelines, we state that we have a financial relationship with some of the companies mentioned in this website. This may include receiving access to free products and services for product and service reviews and giveaways.

Any references to third party products, rates, or websites are subject to change without notice. We do our best to maintain current information, but due to the rapidly changing environment, some information may have changed since it was published. Please do the appropriate research before participating in any third party offers.

Amazon and the Amazon logo are trademarks of Amazon.com, Inc. or its affiliates.

We respect your privacy: Privacy Policy.

Thanks for visiting!

Bible Money Matters - Seen On These Sites and more..
Bible Money Matters is a personal finance, entrepreneurship and investing community. Give more, save more and live more.

Copyright © 2023 · Bible Money Matters | Sitemap | Advertise | Privacy Policy