Moving house is often ranked as one of life’s most stressful events. Along with the emotional upheaval, the financial strain can be significant. From hiring movers to buying new furniture, the costs can quickly add up, turning what should be an exciting new chapter into a budgetary nightmare.
However, with careful planning and strategic decision-making, these expenses can be significantly reduced, and some of the associated stress alleviated.
This article discusses three easy steps to save money when moving house. Whether you’re downsizing, upgrading or simply relocating, these actionable tips will help you keep more money in your pocket while making your move as smooth and efficient as possible.
1. Develop A Move Strategy & Budget
When you decide to move house and want to save money, the first thing you should do is develop a moving strategy and budget. The sooner you do this, the better, as it will make the moving process much easier.
A moving strategy is essentially a checklist that covers all of the tasks you need to complete when leading up to your move. Some of the things on the checklist could include
- Contacting your utility company
- Redirecting your mail
- Going through items and donating/selling them
- Purchasing moving boxes
- Packing up your rooms
When you create your moving checklist, you must set a budget for each task to save as much money as possible. Many expenses, including one-off payments, are often forgotten about or overlooked when planning your move. You should also consider other costs, such as petrol, associated with moving back and forth between your new home and your current home.
2. Minimise: Sell or Donate Unwanted Items
To make moving a lot easier and less stressful, go through your belongings at least a month before your move to decide what you want to keep and get rid of.
Once you’ve gone through your belongings and put aside the things you want to keep, separate the rest into two groups: items you want to sell and items you want to throw out or donate. By doing this, you can reduce the amount of things you need to pack and make some money.
Here are three ways you can get rid of your belongings before you move:
Online Listings
Online platforms such as Facebook Marketplace, Gumtree, and eBay are great for quickly selling a variety of items. Whether you’re looking to put up furniture, electronics or even clothes for sale, online marketplaces are a great way to reach a wider audience and sell your items fast.
Garage Sale
If you have the time, one of the best ways to sell many of your items is to have a garage sale. You can easily advertise your garage sale by posting on community groups on Facebook and setting up signs around your neighbourhood.
Donate to Charity
If you have items you have tried to sell but can’t, the next best thing is donating them to charity shops, such as Vinnies or the Salvation Army. The great thing about donating to charity stores is that when the items are sold, the money goes to a good cause. Also, if you’ve got items that are too big to move yourself, often, the charities will have trucks that will come and pick them up.
3. Clean & Pack Yourself
Once you have donated or sold all the items you no longer want or need, it’s time to start packing and cleaning up your house.
While no one likes packing up their home for moving day because of how long it takes, it does save you a lot of money. Hiring removalists to do the job can be very tempting, but if budgeting is a priority, then cleaning and packing yourself is the way to go.
The quicker you start packing non-essential items you won’t need before you move, the easier it will be when moving day approaches.
Not sure where to start? Here are some tips:
- Buy or ask friends or family for cardboard moving boxes. Make sure to get a range that suits different items. For example, it’s best to pack the smaller, heavier items in small, tough boxes and pack the larger, lighter items in bigger boxes.
- Wrap up items you don’t want to be scratched or damaged in towels and dishtowels.
- Pack similar items together. For example, put all linen and bedroom items in one box and kitchen items in another.
- Label each box clearly.
- Put heavier items at the bottom of the box and lighter items at the top.
Packing and cleaning go hand in hand. So, when you start packing up one room, clean it as you go. It’ll make it easier on moving day, as you won’t have to worry about cleaning the entire house.
Removalists Can Be The Cheaper Option
If you’ve made a moving checklist and budget and found that fuel costs going back and forth to the new house are too expensive or planning a move to another state by yourself is going to cost too much money and effort, hiring removalists could be a cheaper and stress-free option.
If you think this may be the case, reach out to a range of removalist companies, such as Ready Movers, to get a quote.
At Ready Movers, we perform a complimentary in-house assessment and provide you with a detailed quote. Whether you’re moving to a different part of town or to another state, our comprehensive services include everything from packing to disassembling your furniture to transportation and even unpacking at your new home.
Considering the cost of packing supplies, transportation (especially across states) and hiring a moving truck, engaging removalists may be the best option for you.
Move House Affordably With Ready Movers
Have you decided that hiring removalists is a cheaper option than doing it yourself? Look no further than Ready Movers! We take care of everything from packing your items to transporting them and unpacking them at your new address to ensure a stress-free experience. Contact us today for a free quote to see how we can make your move a seamless one.
