Money saving tips when moving house

Moving house indisputably ranks as one of life’s most stressful experiences and it can also be an expensive one. Fortunately, there are ways to save both stress and money. Here are four tips.

Get to grips with Gantt charting

With a Gantt chart you create a list of tasks (one per line) and plot those tasks against a schedule. As you do so, you identify which tasks depend on other tasks (for example, you can only start to back items in boxes once you actually have boxes) and which tasks can be performed at any time.

You should also think about how long it’s likely to take you to perform each task, obviously erring on the side of caution. Once you have a full list of tasks, you can then proceed to research the most affordable way of completing them. By the end of this, your Gantt chart will essentially be an at-a-glance project plan to see you through your move.

De-clutter

The less you have to move the less time and effort it will take to pack and unpack and the less it will cost you to get your belongings from A to B. Removal companies will typically base their costs on load and if you move your possessions yourself, then more weight means more fuel, hence a higher cost. If you are transporting stuff that you don’t really need at the moment your costs will go up so it is better to store them until they are needed. You can see this page to check out how to do that and how much it will cost for specific items if needed.

NB: if you plan to hire or borrow a van to move yourself then remember you will need insurance to drive it so you will need to factor this into your budget.

Choose a high-quality removal company but book ahead and move at an off-peak time

When it comes to removal companies, it’s perfectly valid to look at their headline prices, but it’s also really important to remember that there is a difference between price and value and so it may be worth paying at least a little extra for a company with an excellent reputation, which will help to reduce the hassle of your move. It’s also strongly recommended to choose a company like All Purpose Removals, for instance, that tends to have insurance. The way to save money is to book as far ahead as you can and to avoid the most popular moving times which are Fridays and school holidays, especially in summer.

Do your own packing

Most removal companies will offer a packing service and this can be very convenient, but it’s definitely not the most budget-friendly option. You can buy packing materials, but it often makes sense to look around your house and see what you have first and then check with family, friends and local shops that will often have suitable cardboard boxes.

If you need more then try casting an eye over free local listings before heading online for the best deals and only pay high-street prices if you are in a real hurry. The advantage of doing your own packing is that it will both enable and encourage you to de-clutter to the maximum. In particular, if you have been holding on to anything which could be digitized, then go ahead and do so.

Last but not least before you make the big move, ensure that your new home is all ready to be moved into. For example, make sure all of the electricals are working so that you’re not walking into a dark house, and ensure all of the plumbing is working as it should so you have a healthy flow of water throughout the house, if not, you’ll need to contact professionals similar to Wenbrooke Services so all of this is fixed before moving in officially.

Author Bio
Indlu are estate agents in Denton, offering a no sale, no fee estate agency service to home owners throughout Manchester.