Moving home is a mammoth task that requires serious planning and financial sacrifices. Coming from somebody who has moved house five times in three years, I know that moving home doesn’t have to be so costly. Below are six tried and tested tips that can help you either save money or make money. Ultimately, the recommended tips below aim to reduce the financial strains that moving home can bring.
Make a few changes
- Purge, sell and keep
I was a serious hoarder before moving in and out of student homes. I kept pretty much everything, from 90’s Happy Meal toys to abandoned shoes in the corner of my wardrobe. Moving is the perfect time to downsize and you could even make a bit of money if you decide to sell your unwanted items. With car boot sales and online market places such as Ebay and Gumtree, it’s now easier than ever to sell unwanted items and use the cash to help with the cost of moving. Five moves later and all of my belongings fit quite happily into three boxes and a suitcase thanks to the ‘purge, sell and keep’ method. I recommend tackling this by organizing a room at a time. Create one pile for purge (bin or donate) and one pile for everything you want to sell. Constantly ask yourself these three questions; when was the last time I used/wore this? Will I ever use/wear it again? Would someone buy this? - Spruce it up
If you’re wanting to sell your house then you can increase the value by sprucing it up. You want to make it as welcoming and inviting to potential new owners as possible so don’t forget to clean up the front of your house too. First impressions are everything. Taking it room by room and putting in your own labour can go a long way in maximising the value of your house and therefore saving money during the financial burden of moving home. A fresh coat of paint and maximising the space in your house through de-cluttering and re-organizing can make a big difference to the sale value of your home.3. Cancel and inform
Sometimes there can be a waiting period in the terms and conditions of our subscription services, gym memberships and utility bills. As soon as your moving date and new address are confirmed, make a list of your paid services and take it in turns to call around each provider to either cancel the service or change the address. You really don’t want to make the same mistake that I did and cancel your services after moving. You may end up having to pay a utility bill for both your old property AND the new one! Doing this before you move can potentially save you some cash.
Be prepared
- Removals or friends?
Work out how far and how long the moving journey will be. Figure out petrol costs, timings and mileage by using a tool such as Google Maps. You can use this information when approaching local Mandurah removalists or similar firms in your vicinity to get the best deals. You can use search engines such as Google or Bing to find removal companies in your local area. For instance, if you are from Mandurah, Australia, then you can simply go to your local search engine and type the words “a local Mandurah removalists near me” or something similar to it in order to find firms like GOGO Movers. (Note that the name of the area would change depending on the locality you live in). Anyway, as for me (since I am from Crawley and I needed to find removalists in my locality), I discovered that a search term as simple as ‘Crawley removals’ returned more than enough companies in my area. Of course, if help is available from family and friends make sure you weigh up if a removal company is the right choice for your finances. - Shop around
Make a list of everything that you will need to buy for each room before moving day. Use the internet to shop around for the best deals and don’t forget to visit charity shops or pre-loved websites for bargains. Gumtree has a free section for each area where you can find free pre-loved furniture in need of a good home. Ikea has a fantastically cheap basics range with utensils and bins all under £1, and basic furniture as cheap as £20. It really does pay to shop around and do your research. 6. Prepare moving day meals
The temptation to order from the local take away is all too high when you still have boxes to unpack at stupid o’clock at night. Preparing meals for moving day can really save you some money. Websites such as Pinterest have hundreds of quick, healthy recipes that require minimum preparation whilst also providing a healthy source of fuel to get through the stresses of moving. Over-night breakfasts such as parfaits and one-pot dinner bakes make for the ideal moving day meals at next to no cost.
Love Removals is a removals and storage company based in Brighton serving Sussex and beyond.