When planning a move, most people don’t think about the season during which they move. They don’t think this way because they don’t think that it makes much of a difference. This line of thinking is untrue! There are many factors that affect your move such as the type of weather and the holiday schedule you’ll have to work around. Planning when you move will make a substantial impact on the cost of your move and the effort you put into it.

Fall is the best season to move. Summer, by contrast, is the worst season to move. Statistically, summer is the most popular season to move which also makes it the most expensive. Another problem introduced by a summer move is the heat. This makes for a combination of terrible circumstances that should be avoided like the plague! Only move in the summer when it is absolutely necessary.

Winter is the cheapest month to move but it is not as efficient as moving in the fall. Even though it is the cheapest month to relocate, moving in the winter results in having to deal with extremely cold weather. Depending on where you decide to move, you will have to deal with snow and roads coated with ice. This is why regardless of price, winter is a terrible time to move. Fall is an ideal time to move given the fair weather and prices. Below are tips that will help you make your fall move efficient and inexpensive.

The first tip is to keep your walkways clear! This is true regardless of when you move. It seems obvious but on moving day people are focused on the task at hand, not making sure their environment is the safest. Leaves are a specific fall hazard that will likely be dealt with. Be careful if you have to move in the rain as the leaves will be especially slick.

The next tip is to pack accordingly! This is possibly the most important step. Making sure you are organized in this phase of the move is essential to cutting down the time you spend settling into your new home. Randomly packing your boxes will lead you to spend a great deal of time digging through boxes searching for specific items. Packing like items is key to organization. Plan far ahead enough that you have time to discard items that you know you won’t need when you move in.

The most popular time to move is around the end of the month. This causes the rates to rise as the month draws to a close. Make sure to avoid planning your move around the last week of any given month to keep costs down on moving equipment. Another tip is to ask local stores for their empty boxes. Instead of buying boxes from moving companies you will save money on cheap moving boxes. Finally, if you can, find a friend with the necessary equipment to help you move. This will cut moving costs drastically!

Above all make sure to plan ahead. Moving on impulse is the worst thing you can do! Make sure to transfer all of your utilities before the day of the move to ensure you deal with the least amount of discomfort. Fall temperatures are not as extreme as summer or winter, but you would still rather have working heat and air as opposed to waiting for someone to come out and fix it.