Moving? Here are some budget saving tips

Moving at the best of times can become quite expensive, especially if you are moving to a new part of the country. Having done a fair amount of moves myself, including moving fro Edinburgh to Cornwall in my pre-child days I have learnt a few things along the way. The good news is that you don't have to settle for the originally calculated price tag. There are many ways to reduce the cost of your move by using substitutes, doing price comparisons or doing some of the work on your own.

Lighten the Load

For many people, just the thought of emptying their house can bring on a feeling of anxiety as it's simply such a big task. If you've lived in your house for a number of years chances are good that you've acquired a lot of items along the way. In order to get a written estimate from movers that's as accurate as possible you need to decide what you want to keep and what you're willing to part with.

If your new home is in a different style or era to your current one you may need to to consider leaving behind or selling some of your furniture and purchasing new pieces when you arrive at your new place. Start by removing everything from your storage areas such as the basement, attic, and garage, as they are likely to be the places where unneeded items are stored. Then go room by room to see what you really want and don't really need. Once you have them sorted out then you can remove them from the inventory list you'll provide the movers and think about getting rid of them. You could even list unwanted goods on sites such as Gumtree and Ebay and use some of the profits towards the move, as well as decluttering in the process, a win-win all round.

Hiring movers

Not all movers offer the same rates, so it's very important to shop around. Make sure that they have a good reputation and find as may reviews about their company as possible. It's also important to note that there are times throughout the year where the rates can climb by up to 25%. This generally takes place during the summer months from May through September when it's peak time for moving. If you are able to schedule your move prior to or after these months you can save a fair bit of money. If you have no choice but to move during the peak season, then at least schedule the move for the first few weeks of the month and on a weekday. Cross country movers will provide you with an estimated cost of doing the move. Just remember that if you decide to increase the number of items you are taking, that the cost will go up. If you only have few items to move with you from Edinburgh to Cornwall, hire a man and van in Edinburgh instead of the full service of a moving company to save on costs.
Stay on top of the move

Hopefully, you have a month or at least several weeks before you have to move. This will give you enough time to get your things organised. In order to make the unpacking at the other end easy, you'll want to do one room at a time and label each box with a black permanent marker. This way when you arrive all you need to do place the boxes into the appropriate room and unpack them. This tip is really key in keeping a move as stress-free as possible

Save money on supplies

Moving companies sometimes offer to sell you boxes and even offer to pack the items up for you. Instead, do the packing and purchasing on your own. If you have the luxury of a months' notice before your move, you have plenty of time to contact local retailers and acquire boxes from them for free. In addition to saving on boxes you can also save by wrapping your collectables and fragile items up with towels, newspaper even coffee filters, instead of having to purchase bubble wrap and brown paper. The two categories together can drastically reduce the expense of your packing.

Sell unwanted goods

As I mentioned earlier any unwanted items try and sell to help save you even more money. It's so easy to do this online but you could also do a car boot market, just remember to price items for a quick sale so you take as little back home as possible. Anything that doesn't sell you can donate, give way or schedule with your garbage company for an extra pickup.

Moving can become very emotional for you, your spouse and your children. By taking a lot of the stress out of the move due to careful planning, you'll have time to talk with your family and get them excited about all the new places they will see and the new people they will meet. Just make sure you do your research and hire reputable movers and are willing to do some of the labour on your own, then the rest will all come together.

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