It is hard to believe that the average British citizen is going to pack up and move at least eight times in their lifetime. If you have moved in recent times or know someone who has, you know how expensive it can be and just how easy it is to lose control over those expenses.
We have developed a number of tips to make your move less stressful and help keep it under budget. These tips alone have the potential to save you hundreds. With the money you save, you can sit down and have a good steak dinner as a reward!
Choose Your Moving Day Carefully
One of the most important first steps you will need to make to save money is choosing the right date. Keep in mind that weekends and banking dates are always prime days and will be more expensive. If at all possible try to schedule your move for the weekdays when rates and traffic will be considerably less.
Change Your Address Online
It is easy to forget about some of the finer details when making a move, however, it is important to ensure that all the right people know your new address. If you fail to change your address, you just may get several late bills months later. while most 0845 numbers tend to be expensive, most companies allow for an easy address change online. This can be done easily before you move with the 3G on your smartphone or even from a free internet hot spot. This is also going to save you from paying those high post redirection fees.
Trash Or Donate Unwanted Goods
Keep in mind that furniture is expensive to haul with you. If you don’t want it, try to sell or give it away using sites like Gumtree and Freecycle. You can simply place an add and give you unwanted stuff away and someone is going to be more than happy to collect it for you. It is much better to get all of this stuff out of the way instead of paying high moving and storage fees. If you are going to be in need of some new furnishings once you are settled, there are plenty of Facebook groups where you can score plenty of free furniture.
Many times it is possible to furnish a full house just by searching many of the online groups that are available. These groups will usually post items that are in near perfect condition at either really low cost or in many cases for free.
Find Your Family And Friends
Many people save considerable money by packing up their belongings themselves. but it is an exhausting project. Try to enlist the help of your family and friends to pack things up or even volunteer a van for the big moving day.
If there is a washing machine that needs to be disconnected, it can be rather expensive to hire a plumber. The better option is to find a local handyman who would be qualified to remove the machine at a much lower cost. If you are in need of a cleaning for either your old house or new. arrange a cleaning party with your friends, family, and neighbors.
Use Free Boxes
If you have ever visited Homebase, you have seen the large green bin that is full of boxes, which you can pick up for free to move with. In fact, there are many local businesses who are more than willing to hand over their excess supply of boxes, it is just a matter of looking around town and asking.
Empty Your Food Inventory
Many people lose countless dollars by throwing out their excess food on moving day. A better alternative is to take up an inventory of all the food and try to use the majority of it before moving.
Keep in mind that by using all, of that excess food you are going to save money on not having to eat out or buy new groceries until you have moved. You may even want to consider placing an online food order and have it delivered to your home the next day. This will help to save more money from having to eat out once you have moved in and save some extra time from having to stock up the kitchen.
These tips are going to help save you money on your move and make life just a little less complex during this stressful period in your life.
