How to move house and save money

Having spent the last 48 hours moving house I thought it might be worth sharing some tips with you on how to save some money and keep it relatively stress free.

I’m not talking about buying and selling houses here – that is horribly expensive and stressful, and if you’re here looking for advice on how to lessen the financial strain there, I’d say ‘have a good clearout and stay put’.

What I’m talking about is moving between rental properties. Here are my tips for a stress free, money-saving move:

1. Plan ahead – Any time spent in preparation for a move will pay off. Make a list of all the things you need to get sorted and tape it to the fridge or somewhere equally prominent. Remember to list everywhere that will need a change of address, from schools to the tax office, TV licence to the vet. If you’re going to redirect your mail, get the forms now.

2. Sell it / shift it / dump it! Now is the time to have a sort out. Most of us end up moving items that we neither need nor want, the result being at least 4 boxes that sit in the garage, never to be opened. If you’ve got the space, designate a specific area as your ebay / gumtree / freecycle zone and start moving everything here that you think will sell, or deserves a good home elsewhere. Look out for free listing days on ebay and start accruing some cash. While you’re sorting through carry two other bags – bin and recycling. Do you really want to move all of those clothes that never see the light of day? Get them to your local charity shop and dump all of the rubbish that’s clogging up your drawers and shelves. It will make unpacking at the other end so much easier.

3. Save money on utilities – just half an hour online will give you a good idea of how much cash you can save and it’s so easy to do. There’s loads of helpful sites to choose from, look for one like Incahoot that has an easy-to-use savings calculator.

4. Ditch the removal men! Recruit your hardest working friends and family to help you out. Compare the cost of hiring a Luton van and keeping a constant supply of tea and party rings with the price of a professional removal company. It’s incredibly hard work but you’ll feel great afterwards, you’ll sleep like a baby, and the bruises will heal, in time…

5. And finally, taking the time to sort through all of your cupboards will undoubtably unearth a stash of toiletries that you’d completely forgotten about. I’ve found enough to keep me going for at least the next 6 months, if not more. That’s going to save me a fortune!
 

Wednesday, 22nd February 2012

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