There are many different reasons: finding a better home, getting a cheaper home, getting a new job, getting married, going to college, getting evicted...

有很多不同的原因：找到更好的房子，買更便宜的房子，找到新工作，結婚，上大學，被趕出去⋯

Whether it's a happy reason or a bummer, I don't know anyone who actually enjoys the process of moving.

無論是快樂還是倒霉的理由，我不知道有誰會喜歡搬家的過程。

The planning, the packing, the cleaning, the expense.

計劃、裝箱、清理、花錢。

But we've got your back!

我們能支援你！

No, we can't actually help you load the truck. Sorry.

抱歉，但我們不會幫你搬箱子上車。

But we do have nine hacks to help you save money on your move.

我們有九個方法，讓你在搬家時更省錢。

You may have to break your back, but you can avoid breaking the bank.

你可能會扭傷你的背，但你可以避免荷包大失血。

Look around your house.

看看你家。

How many individual things do you think are in it?

你覺得家裡有多少件物品？

If it's the average American household, that number is 300,000.

如果是普通的美國家庭，大概是 30 萬件。

The idea of transporting 300,000 items from one location to another is... daunting.

將 30 萬件物品從一個地點搬運到另一個地點的想法…令人生畏。

And the more you have to move, the more expensive it will be.

而且搬的東西越多，費用就會越貴。

So, let's get that number down, shall we?

所以，把這個數量減少，好嗎？

When you're a month or two out, make a list of all the rooms in your house and focus on one per week.

在搬家前的一兩個月前，列出家裡所有房間的清單，每週專注在一個房間。

Your job is to pick up every item in that room and ask yourself if you really still like it.

你的工作是拿起那個房間裡的每一件物品，問自己是否真的還想要它。

This is not the time to be precious.

現在不是珍惜的時候。

Aunt Helga will never find out if you got rid of her lamp.

如果你把 Helga 姑姑的檯燈扔掉，她永遠不會發現。

You can sell the unwanted items online or just donate them to a local charity.

你可以在網路出售不需要的物品，也可以將它們捐贈給當地的慈善機構。

As long as it's not broken or filthy, Goodwill will take just about anything!

只要它沒有破損或髒污，Goodwill 幾乎都會收！

For a lot of different reasons, summer is the most popular time to move.

由於各種原因，夏季是搬家的旺季。

More than 30 million Americans move during the summer, and another 30 million are traveling for vacation, which means the highways are packed, and so are movers' schedules.

超過 3000 萬個美國人在夏季搬家，另外 3000 萬人在旅遊度假。這意味著高速公路上會大塞車，搬家公司的日程表也會如此。

If you can wait until the fall or early winter, it can save you money.

如果你能等到秋天或初冬，就可以省錢。

Movers are less busy, so they will sometimes lower their rates by up to 30%.

那時搬家公司會比較不忙，他們有時會降低高達 30% 的費用。

And less traffic on the roads means more efficient travel times.

更少的運載量意味著更有效率的搬運時間。

And if you're loading the truck yourself, wouldn't you rather do it when it's not 100 degrees?

如果你是自己搬箱上卡車，會想要在室外溫度 100 度時搬嗎？

If you're a renter, there are a variety of reasons that a landlord can refuse to give you your security deposit back, so reread your lease terms to make sure you're in compliance.

如果你是租屋族，房東可以用很多種原因拒絕退還押金，因此請重新閱讀你的租約條款，以確保你有遵守規定。

Getting a check for a couple thousand dollars can be a huge help in offsetting your moving costs.

獲得幾千美元的支票可以大幅幫助你抵消搬家成本。

You can hire movers to do everything ⏤ pack, load, drive, unload, unpack ⏤ but it gets expensive!

你可以聘請搬運工做所有事，例如裝箱、裝載、駕駛、卸載、開箱，但費用會變昂貴！

An inter-city move of a two-bedroom apartment would cost us about two grand here in Austin, Texas.

在德克薩斯州的奧斯汀，一套兩房公寓的城際搬家將花費兩千元。

Maybe that's why only 21% of people use professionals from start to finish.

也許這就是為什麼只有 21% 的人會從頭到尾都聘用專業人士的原因。

Instead, if you pack your own things, rent your own van, and drive it yourself, suddenly, you're only paying 500 bucks for the load-in and load-out, which, let's be honest, is no one's favorite part of the job.

取而代之的是，如果你自己裝箱、租小貨車和開車，那你就只需支付 500 美元的裝載和卸載費用，老實說，這就是大家都不喜歡的工作。

One out of ten moves are for work, and if that includes you, you should definitely inquire about a relo package as part of your contract.

十個搬家的人中有一個就是為了工作，如果有包括你，你應該要去詢問搬家套裝作為工作合約的一部分。

39% of all moving shipments are actually paid for by corporations.

搬家運輸有 39% 其實是該由公司支付的。

And, unlike salary, it's a one-time expense that often comes from a different part of the company's budget, so they might be more open to it than you think.

而且不像薪水，這是一項一次性支出，通常是來自公司不同部門的預算，因此他們可能比你想像中還更願意接受。

Remember, if you don't ask, the answer is always "no".

記住，如果你不問，答案永遠是「沒有」。

Why spend money on packing material when you already have closets of soft stuff at hand?

當你手上已經有很多軟性材料時，為什麼還要花錢購買裝箱工具？

Wrap your dishes and other breakables in clothes, towels, and linens to protect them and cut down on waste.

用衣服、毛巾和床單包裹盤子和其他易碎物品，保護它們並減少浪費。

Sure, it's a little heavier than styrofoam or bubble wrap, but you're bringing this stuff along anway!

它比保麗龍或泡泡紙還重一點，反正這些東西你都要帶走！

As my uncle Olav used to say, "Only a sucker pays for cardboard boxes."

正如我 Olav 叔叔曾說：「只有傻瓜才會花錢買紙箱。」

Okay, I don't have an Uncle Olav, but, seriously, there are so many places to get them for free:

好啦，我才沒有什麼 Olav 叔叔，但說實在的，有很多地方都可以拿到免費紙箱：

Craigslist, Facebook, Nextdoor, Freecycle, or drop by your local grocery or liquor stores ⏤ they may be happy to let you take them off their hands.

去看看克雷格列表、臉書、Nextdoor、免費回收組織或當地食品雜貨店、酒品專賣店，他們會很樂意讓你拿走紙箱。

And, yes, I have personally pulled boxes out of recycling dumpsters behind a hardware store.

沒錯，我曾親自從一家五金店後面的回收垃圾箱中拿出紙箱。

It's actually pretty common for people to leave the fridge and pantry till the last minute, and then decide they'd rather throw everything away than worry about perishables going bad.

人們很常會將冰箱和食品儲藏室留到最後一分鐘才整理，然後決定把所有東西都扔掉，而不是擔心易腐爛的食物變質。

This is such a waste of food, especially considering it can cost hundreds to restock a pantry from scratch.

這是一種食物浪費，尤其是考慮到從頭開始補貨可能要花上數百美元。

So, in the weeks before your move, commit to consuming as much as you can from what you already have.

在你搬家的前幾週，盡可能吃光你已經有的食物。

The things you can't eat will probably fit into one or two plastic tubs that you can transport yourself.

把你不能吃的東西裝進一到兩個保鮮塑膠盒，你就可以自己帶著走。

Honestly, a bottle of olive oil can cost 20 bucks!

老實說，一瓶橄欖油可是要 20 美元！

That baby is coming with me.

這寶貝我要定了。

This is probably the most important money-saving tip we can give you.

這可能是最重要的省錢方式。

Wanna sell your furniture instead of giving it away?

想要賣你的傢俱，而不是免費送人？

That takes time.

那需要時間。

Wanna find free boxes instead of buying them?

想要找到免費的紙箱，而不是花錢買？

That takes time.

那需要時間。

Wanna properly clean your apartment so you can get your security deposit back?

想要清乾淨你的租屋處這樣才能拿回押金嗎？

That takes time.

那需要時間。

Moving always takes longer than you think, and the more rushed you are, the more it'll cost you.

搬家比你想的還要更花時間，而且你越急，成本就越高。

So, kick off your moving plan at least two months in advance of your last day in your old home.

所以在搬離舊家的最後一天前，至少提早兩個月就開始你的搬家計劃。

It will also make the experience safer and more pleasant.

它還能讓搬家體驗更安全、更愉快。

Oh, and chiropractors are expensive, so lift with your legs, not with your back.

脊椎按摩師很貴，所以用你的腿抬起來，而不是用你的背。

- And that's our two cents. - And that's our two cents.

- 以上是我們的淺見。- 以上是我們的淺見。