Watch Your Weight to Save Money on Your NYC Move

There’s one advantage to living in New York City that many people don’t think about until it’s time to move. The fact our homes tend to be on the smaller side – and yes, that ‘spacious’ 400 sq ft studio could be considered small – does mean we don’t have the space to accumulate many of the heavier household items that can make moving expensive.

The price for a NYC move is determined using a number of factors, including where you’re moving, when you’re moving, and how much stuff you have to move. There’s two ways to look at how much stuff you have. The first is in term of volume – how much space the items occupy in the moving truck. The second is weight. The heavier your possessions are, the more they cost to move.

If you’re trying to save money on your NYC move, reducing the size and weight of your possessions can help. It’s important to downsize strategically: consider your heavier household items carefully before committing to move them. Are they items you actually use? Are you planning to replace them shortly anyway? It may not make sense to pay to have a heavy appliance moved if you know it has only a few months of useful life left ahead of it.

The Heaviest Household Items

Every household is different, with their own unique mix of possessions. However, there are some heavy items that are common to many families, including:

Appliances: Some makes and models of refrigerators weigh more than 500 pounds! If your next move includes moving your kitchen appliances, you’ll want to factor that weight into your budget. Be aware that some appliances, particularly those that hook into your household plumbing, need special prep before they can be moved. Not sure how much life your appliances have in them? The typical useful life of a refrigerator is 15 years; a gas range 12-15; an electric range 10-12; dishwashers and microwaves, less than 10 years.

Washers & Dryers: Full-size laundry equipment weighs more than you think. Expect larger units to weigh around 200 pounds each. The useful life of a washer and dryer is directly dependent on how often you’re doing laundry: if it’s a load a week, you can get 15+ years. Do a lot more washing than that? Expect that useful life to drop to a decade or less.

Books: One book may not weigh all that much, but when you put ten to twelve of them in a box, things start getting heavy fast. If you’re looking for the fastest way to shed weight before your upcoming NYC move, purge your library. Letting go of books you’re never going to read again can result in less heavy lifting, more shelf space, and for many people, a sense of lightness and freedom.

Furniture: The weight of your furniture can vary tremendously, depending on how it was made. Make sure you have space in your new place for the furniture from your old place. There’s no sense in paying to move things that won’t fit. One item that’s very heavy for its size: the sleeper sofa, which can weigh twice as much as the typical couch.

Tips to Lighten the Load: Once you’ve identified the items you don’t want to move, you need a way to dispose of them. Passing items along to family and friends is one option. Consider selling items, or donating them to a charitable organization. Books are often welcome at nursing homes and senior centers as well as shelters. Consider re-gifting: it’s a great way to downsize.