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It’s moving time, and while it’s every bit as exciting as you imagined, it’s also likely a stressful experience. Stress tends to be close by any big decision, especially one as expensive as buying a house. To help make moving costs as low as possible, try one or more of these 12 strategies.
1. Set a Budget
This one is the very first thing to do. Create a moving budget template that covers the basic costs.
Estimated costs include professional movers (or van rental), packing materials, real estate fees, and set-up after moving in (setting up utilities, for example). The template helps to organize the process and keep you within financial limits, as well as reducing stress.
2. Get Moving Boxes for Free
When moving house, rather than buying moving boxes from a company, find someone who recently changed residences and get theirs. Everyone wins! The chances are good that they want to get rid of them and you’ll gladly take them.
3. Get Out the Cleaning Gloves
Rather than paying a cleaner to come into your property to prepare it for sale, put on the rubber gloves, and do it yourself. That’ll save you money and you’ll get in some exercise from all of that scrubbing too!
4. Store Items with Family
If there is a gap between leaving the current house and taking ownership of the new one, ask family or friends if you can store items at their place short-term. Doing so can save you storage locker fees. A wiser investment is hiring quality legal services like Bannister Preston when moving homes.
5. Redirect Mail
It’s not the most fun task out there, but redirecting the mail needs to be done. Otherwise, your mail will go to the wrong location and need to be redirected; if they are bills in the envelopes, then you might not receive them before the due date. The late fees on bills can be high, and that’ll cost you money! Instead, plan for the redirection service.
6. Van Hire
Using a removals company can be expensive, so consider moving yourself with the support of those closest to you and an inexpensive rental van. As a thank you, treat your team to pizza for dinner at the end of the busy day.
7. Save Money on Insurance
Check if buying separate removal insurance is necessary; most professional movers include insurance in the costs of hiring them so you might already be covered. If you’re renting a van for the big day, it’s worth getting the proper insurance. Get quotes from different companies to get the lowest rate.
8. Dismantle Furniture Yourself
Take apart any furniture, such as tables, that you can do yourself. Otherwise, you’ll likely have to pay the removal company to do so. The afternoon you commit to dismantling the items could be part of a spend no money day.
9. Do the Packing Too
Just as you dismantled the furniture to lower costs, another smart strategy is to pack before the dismantle crew arrives at the front door. Doing this task ahead of time saves having to pay someone else to do it and ensures everything is sorted how you want in the boxes too.
10. New Home Furnishings
As for the décor for the new home, continue to save money once you’re officially there. People will likely offer you items they’re not using anymore once you move, from sofas to artwork. If you want to get other things, search shops and Facebook groups to find deals.
11. Move Mid-Week
If there’s flexibility with your moving day, then select the middle of the week for it. There is likely to be less traffic than on weekends, making for a smoother day and using less gas and time. If you’re using a removal company, then using less time means paying less money.
12. Pack Essentials Carefully
There are always essentials, from the kitchen to the bathroom. Rather than tossing them when it comes moving day, put them all into one box to take with you. Pack them well so that they don’t get damaged during the transition and that’ll save your having to buy new later.
Moving Houses is a Process
A lot of planning goes into a move, and it often takes a few months, or longer, from the time the property goes up for sale to when you move into a new one. By looking ahead, you can save money on everything from the cardboard boxes to the insurance. Wishing you all the best in the new home!
