Making Moving Cheaper In 10 Easy Steps

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Whether you’re a hopeful homeowner or looking for new property to rent, moving house can get quite expensive if not planned properly. The last thing you want to do is make the stress of moving house one hundred times worse by completely overspending and having no money left to relax with after the hard work of moving. To avoid this, ensure you read over these easy steps to making moving house cheaper.

1. Set A Budget

When moving house, there is no such thing as too much planning, especially when it comes to how much money you’ll be spending and on what. The best way to do this is make a list of every possible expense of moving house, such as the price of a moving van, and the packing materials, and decide an estimate of how much you will spend on each expense. It’s always best to add an extra 10-15% of the overall total on top, just in case an extra expense arises that you didn’t plan for, but other than that you must stick to the budget, or you’’ end up spending hundreds of dollars more than you were meant to.

2. Find A House

Whether you are looking for an affordable studio apartment to rent or a charming family home, you need to find a house, which obviously is the main expense of moving. Don’t be put off if you can’t find exactly what you’re looking for, as long as you have some time, and have budgeted in the expense, of course; you could always settle for a bit of a fixer upper and make the place up how you like it. Some properties even provide you with a decorating grant, if the home is a little worse for wear, which could save you a lot of money.

3. Book Moving Vans In Advance

As well as shopping around to find the best deals on moving vans, it’s also always a good idea to book them in advance, as, more often than not, they will be offered at a discounted rate if the company has plenty of notice. Movers are your new best friend!

4. Rent A Van

Although this may seem to be the same step as above, it isn’t. Moving vans often come with men that will help you physically move your belongings out of your old house, into the van, and then back into your new house, rather than you do it yourself. Simply renting a van alone, and having the help of a few friends and family members help with the lifting and moving, would often be a cheaper option, that could potentially save you a good chunk of cash.

5. Get Rid Of Your Things

It’s simple, the more things you need to move, the more expensive moving is going to be, as you’ll either require more vans or more trips back and forth to your new property. Therefore, it’s easier to simply get rid of anything you no longer use or don’t need, as they’ll only take up room in the van unnecessarily.

6. Sell Your Things

Try selling anything you’re getting rid of (as long as it’s not complete junk, of course) on the internet or a yard sale, and get yourself some pocket money to enjoy once the stress of moving is over and done with.

7. Don’t Spend Money On Boxes

Believe it or not, people often spend out ridiculous amounts of money on new boxes, when it simply isn’t needed. Instead, ask any family or friends that have recently moved house if they have any boxes to spare. Many shops also have an extensive collection of cardboard boxes in the back too, that are simply awaiting being recycled.

8. Homemade Packing Materials

Many things other than cardboard boxes can be used to transport your belongings to your new home, such as laundry baskets, suitcases, and trash cans (just make sure it’s clean before putting anything in it). Things such as towels, blankets, and various articles of clothing could also make useful cushioning and wrapping for your belongings. Newspaper is also a useful tool, as long as it’s print can’t be transferred to anything particularly delicate.

9. Pack Yourself

Many people prefer to use a packing company when moving house, as they see it as less stress on their part, and they are usually incredibly organised, however, such businesses can get quite pricey, which isn’t something you can always afford. If this is the case, and you are in a situation where you need to pack yourself, the last thing you want to do is start packing boxes with no sort of plan or organisation. What you need to do is not only pack room by room of your old house, but also your new house - If there’s anything that will be going in a different room in your new house, pack it in a box of things for that room, rather than a box of thing for the room it’s currently residing, which will make unpacking a million times easier.

10. Don’t Overspend On Redecoration

As I’ve already mention, for some more worse for wear properties you are offered a decorating grant to get you started in your new home, however, this isn’t always the case. In this instance, you may have the temptation to impulse buy new furnishings, wallpaper, or crockery. You must avoid this at all costs. The initial rush that you feel from moving house and making it up to look like your favourite album on Pinterest will be ruined when you look at your bank statement and realise just how much you spent. Instead of doing this, plan to redecorate a room or two each month, which will turn out to be much more financially beneficial, and will spread out the decorating process and cause you less stress in the long run, as you won't be trying to do every room at once.

These simple steps will save you not only the stress of overspending and struggling financially until your next payday; they will also save you more than enough money for a celebratory glass of fizz and a takeaway to relax in your lovely new home.

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