Moving house is one of the most expensive occasions you can experience in your life. The price of property of course makes up the majority of the cost but the additional expenses along the way are what tend to take you by surprise.
There are certain costs that are necessary evils. These can include conveyancing fees and the rate of moving your belongings from one house to another. This article has been curated to provide you with the most effective tips for saving money when moving house. Read on to discover just how much money you could save!
Sell old items and declutter
There are two components to our first point: The first is to declutter old or unused belongings.
This will help save money within the moving process as the less items you need to move, the less you have to pay for removals services.
If you can part ways with old clutter, unused belongings or furniture that you were considering getting rid of after the move; you are putting yourself in a much better financial situation with less stuff to move.
The second component of this tip is to try and sell most of what you have decided to get rid of. If you are throwing away anything with value, it’s worthwhile seeing if anyone will buy it before you dispose of it. Not only is this better for the environment as you are preventing your contribution to landfill, but you will also save time and money in disposal services or travelling to and from the recycling centre or charity shops to get rid of the items.
There are a number of ways you can sell your old items. Either through online or social media marketplaces or via old fashioned car-boot sales. However much you make from these items is more than you had before selling them so every penny counts!
Removals service
If you have decided to enlist the help of a professional removals company, there are a couple ways you can save some money.
As we previously mentioned, witling down the amount you need to move will make an impact as it can reduce the size of the van required and the length of time it takes to get you moved.
Another simple yet effective solution to save money is to work with a removals company that offers a valuable service for an affordable price. Our recommendation is the professional removals services that Moving Sorted have to offer. Here you’ll find a moving service that is as hands on or hands off as you like with plenty of affordable moving packages to choose from.
Clear tactics that will also save you money with your removals company is to book your move day for mid-week rather than on the weekend. This is because the majority of people tend to move on a Friday or Saturday which can push the prices and availability for services up higher than the rest of the week.
In addition to this, try and arrange your removal services as early as possible. We recommend making enquiries as soon as you know your completion date. That way you can receive early low-cost quotes and secure an affordable service before your removals company become inundated with enquiries for that date.
Save on packing materials
By the time you come to packing up your home, you certainly are reaching the point of not wanting to spend much more money. We have a few tricks up our sleeve to help you out in this situation.
One of the simplest ways to save money on packing materials is to acquire second hand boxes. Whether you have a friend that’s recently moved or you enquire around a couple supermarkets, recycling old boxes is great for the environment and saves you plenty of money.
On the same thought, don’t spend loads on bubble wrap and packing paper. Try and save up any old newspapers or packaging material before you move. We also suggest using towels and sheets for packing in with fragile items instead of the costly alternatives.
Other tips:
Whilst we have shared with you our main methods of saving money whilst moving house, there are also some smaller actions that you can take to continue making those savings throughout the process. These include:
- Using up food within the house in the run up to the move. This prevents buying products that won’t be used and thrown away
- Switching providers between addresses. Suppliers will tempt you with retention packages for your new home but check you can’t get a better price before agreeing to their deals.
- Asking a friend or family member to help with child or pet care needs, rather than paying for day-care services.
- Don’t move on a work day. Unless you can get annual holiday, taking a day off work could lose you much more money than if you completed during the week and waited to move on the weekend.
- Watch out for parking fines. Check before you move whether you require a permit for parking at your new address. Additionally check whether you will face any charges for having a removals van parked at your address for a couple hours.
Shirley Mist has been involved in fashion and design for many years. She has also written extensively for many online publications. She currently writes for The Tribune World and is a valued member of our team.