Kitchen Items You Should Sell Before Moving To Save A Ton Of Money

Managing a move is often filled with stress, with countless little tasks that can make this transitory phase of life immensely challenging. When coupled with a particularly emotional change in your lifestyle — such as retirement, leaving college, or even a move from a place you've called home for many years — this task can be especially grueling. One of the biggest points of friction during relocation is often the packing and shipping process. Hiring movers for a typical local area move costs, on average, a little under $2,000, per NerdWallet. Or, it costs about $150 to rent a truck and do it yourself (not including the price of boxes or any other essentials). Either way, packing up your life is tough, even for those who call a small space home. Clothing, decorations, and kitchenware are just some of the things in a home that are bulkier than you might expect.

However, there are many things that people would actually be better off leaving behind. The kitchen, in particular, is one area of focus that can really benefit from a strategic packing approach — one that sees certain items fail to make the packing cut in the first place. Instead of bringing items like kitchen appliances with you, it's often best to bundle them up with the home, if you're selling it, or to sell them off individually if you were renting. These items can not only make an impactful change in your packing process, but can also benefit you financially as you settle into your new living space.

First and foremost, any bulky item you plan on bringing with you when you move will introduce additional effort and costs to the relocation task. Whether you're packing up and driving your belongings in a rented van on your own, or employing a moving company, larger items can be a hassle. Plus, the more weight you include, the more expensive it becomes with a moving company, with an expected price tag of up to $150 per appliance for a local relocation, and as much as $1,000 for longer moves, per Pricing Van Line.

Appliances are large, so they take up more space in a moving van. This reduces the amount of space leftover for other essentials. You may find that in order to bring along an old appliance, you'll either have to upgrade to a larger vehicle — with small trucks averaging around $25 per day while the largest options tend to cost about $80 per day  — or leave behind something else of value. Selling old appliances gives you a great out. Instead of packing up a heavy dryer or dishwasher, listing it for sale online — or bringing it out to the curb during a yard sale — can give you a cash infusion during a generally expensive time of transition. More to the point, sending it off with an eager buyer removes the worry over how to include the items in your packing list for the moving van. This can take some burden off of an already stressful situation.

Getting rid of old appliances is great for those who don't want to fund a significantly expensive move across the community — or potentially deal with a budget-busting transfer farther away. But the benefit is twofold. Not only are you alleviating the stress of dealing with this sort of item, but you'll get some cash back that can be leveraged elsewhere. It's usually a good idea to sell bulky items like this at transitional periods in life. Selling exercise equipment before retiring or large furniture (also ahead of a move) gives you funding to play with in the present. Added cash on hand can be a major benefit while loading up your life, even if you have a healthy budget or even use some extra help when managing your money.

This can add financial mobility at a time when cooking may be less manageable, instead allowing you to afford restaurant meals more comfortably. Alternatively, selling your old appliances can help cut the cost of purchasing new replacement. If you sell your washing machine or oven, you'll might need to buy replacements when you settle into your new home. This swap allows you to replace older models with brand new equipment without having to manage the full purchase price head on.