Keeping down Removal Costs
You’re moving home – congratulations!
There are numerous unavoidable expenses when moving, such as deposits, mortgage/agent fees and taxes. However, there are also a lot of expenses that you can reduce or avoid altogether. There is no need to spend more than you need to.
Plan Your House Move
If you want a service done immediately, it usually costs more.; so plan as far in advance as you can. Nothing is written in stone & things do change but having an overall plan will save a lot of angst.
Don’t under estimate the amount of furniture, fixtures, fittings & boxes that you will want to move or you will have to pay a surcharge for extras at short notice. It is best to get a removal company to come to the property to make an assessment but this isn’t always possible.
Make a list of what needs to be moved, room by room or draw up a spreadsheet. I have a separate notebook for each property.
Make a list of all the services you pay for that will have to be stopped & re-started in the new property. Most people can get the details of services from their bank statement & make sure you remember any annually recurring expenses
Make a list of companies & people that will need to know your change of address. Most countries have the equivalent of the UK’s postal redirection service. It costs very little & you might find mail arriving from people & places you had forgotten about
Do Your Research
Give yourself plenty of time & always get three quotes for each service you need e.g. removal company or cleaners. Remember that you can negotiate a deal to suit yourself. There are a vast number of companies out there looking for your business.
Do It Yourself!
Many of us have really busy lives but if you have the time & the inclination you can save hundreds of pounds (maybe even thousands) by doing things yourself. You could hire a van & ask friends & family to help instead of paying for removals. If you offer drinks & food you may be surprised by the number of people who say ‘yes’.
You could ask the vendors if you can have access to the new property a day in advance to clean it thoroughly.
If you don’t have the time you can arrange the removal company to provide a total service & pack for you too
Packing Materials
Most removal companies provide packing materials so before buying any check with them to see what is included in their service. There are many ways to get packing materials for free e.g. Supermarkets, Freegle, Freecycle, Gumtree etc
The amount of time that it takes to pack of all your items will depend on how much you have got but be aware that packing takes a lot a lot longer than most people think! A large home could take as long as two months to pack. Remember to not make your boxes too heavy – around 30lbs/13kg is probably the maximum. Pile heavier boxes at the bottom of the pile & mark ‘heavy’ on them. Wrap carefully & make fragile items obvious to people carrying them. Mark boxes with their destination rooms & a brief description of the contents.
If you have, for example, a large book collection, or large artwork collection; rather than just labelling boxes “Books”, it would be prudent to write a complete detailed inventory. This can be done easily on programs such as excel or Google sheets. Write ‘Books 1’ Sitting Room on the box & put the actual detailed descriptions on to the spreadsheet.
Don’t pack the kettle! You will need to make drinks for people on moving day & remember to leave out the bare essentials you need to live with.
Don’t pack mportant items such as birth certificates & passports they are best going with you in your car together with debit cards cash, coats & snacks!
To go in your car:
Pack…
a suitcase to last you & your family a week & pack bedding for each bed.
food for the first night & breakfast
a box full of cleaning materials
a box of valuables & documents you need to keep track of
Declutter
Many of us own lots of things that we don’t really need so moving is the perfect time to re-think what is necessary and what isn’t for you and your exciting future. There are loads of websites & Youtube channels giving good advice about letting go of items that we want but don’t really need. It has been proven that decluttering is great for our mental health, & it will also save money in packaging and removal costs. My personal mantra is I only keep what I need & love. As you pack up to move decide whether to keep, sell, throw or give to charity & you will be amazed at how liberating it feels. There are also professional companies who you will come to your house, for a fee, & do it with you
One man’s junk…
is another man’s treasure. Pre-loved, second-hand goods are being bought frequently nowadays as people becoming increasingly more conscious about sustainability & recycling. Many people cannot afford to buy new & shop for vintage & pre-loved items to ‘get the look’ for less money. There are many online outlets like eBay Etsy Shpock & Vinted to sell your unwanted items which might develop into a business as mine did! [check out trulyspecial on eBay; trulyspecialstuff & trulyspecialstore on Etsy] This income will definitely help with your removal costs. You could also hold a garage sale or car boot sale to maximise the profits from your clutter.
Food
Eat your way through what you already have in your freezer and cupboards & ban yourself from buying more from the supermarket. Be creative with the ingredients you have & you will be surprised at some of the meal combos you come up with. Just have fun. This is a good time to date check tins, jars & herbs & spices & throw out the suspect items.
Household bills
As soon as you have definite date call your providers. They will be keen to keep you as a customer at the new property but research what is currently available & you might find a better deal. Remember that many companies charge cancellation fees, so the sooner you call, the sooner you’ll know what outgoings you will be paying. Being organised you can save you a lot of money.
USA
https://www.moving.com/move-planner/
UK
https://www.royalmail.com/personal/receiving-mail/redirection
Australia
https://www.canstar.com.au/home-loans/moving-house-checklist/
https://www.realestate.com.au/advice/moving/
Have you got any tips? Do let us know!
