HAVE A MAJOR DECLUTTER
One of the best things you can do before you move is to have a major declutter. We accumulate more than we realise, even just by living in a place for one year, and most of the time we don’t need these things. If you can get rid of some of your belongings, you will have less to move so you won’t need to hire such a large van – it is that simple!
An area that can can be difficult and costly to move is books. Have a good look through your books and try to put ones aside that you know you are never going to read again. Only keep your favourites or ones you plan to reread. This will ensure that you are able to get rid of some of the biggest and bulkiest items you might be moving, excluding your furniture.
GET A VAN
If you love to go away each weekend to do sports or some other activity which requires a lot of equipment, you might have been dallying with the idea of buying a van anyway. And if you have your own van, you might be able to get away with not having to hire the services of a professional moving company. If you’re planning to change vehicles anyway and have an inkling that you’ll be moving house over the coming year or two, consider a larger vehicle as an option.
Driving a van is comparable to driving a car and many people find the change an easy one to make. You will also find that van insurance is not that much more expensive than car insurance and you shouldn’t notice too much of an overall difference to your monthly budget. Use a search tool like Quotezone.co.uk to compare policies from several insurance companies that deal with vans.
USE WHAT YOU HAVE
There are plenty of thrifty ways to get around not paying for packing materials like boxes and bubble wrap. The first thing you should do is start to collect both of these things when you get deliveries to the house. You might think that small boxes aren’t going to be worth saving but you will be able to pack a surprising amount into them.
Put any clothes you are taking into plastic bags. This is an easy and cheap way to transport your things. You can use either bags you have gathered from shopping trips over the years or bin bags; both will work equally well. You can even keep clothes on their hangers and pierce a hole in the top of a bin ban to slip it over the clothes – a bit like a suit bag!
Save for your suitcases for heavy items like books – you’ll appreciate the wheels when you’re shifting things like this. Your towels and bedding can be used to wrap delicate trinkets, crockery, or electronics which need protecting. Try to pack up as much of the house as possible by using things already in your possession. It might be surprisingly easy to safely store everything without having to pay a premium for cardboard boxes.
PACK THE VAN SMARTLY
When you are moving things yourself using a van, there is a chance you will be making multiple trips. By smartly packing the van, you should be able to minimise the number of trips you actually need, thereby cutting down on fuel costs.
Start by loading your bulky objects. When you have got them arranged in the van as you would like, fill in any gaps around them with lighter items. This means that you can properly stack your bulky objects in a way which means that they can’t crush the lighter ones in transit. If you have anything that is especially delicate and that you don’t want to get damaged, consider putting it in the passenger seat of the van. You can even strap it in with the seat belt! This is a good way of ensuring that it definitely won’t get damaged while you’re moving.
There are plenty of ways to avoid having to fork out for the expenses of a moving company. With a little careful thought and planning, you should be able to perfectly plan a thrifty move which gets all your belongings from A to B in one piece. Start preparing as soon as your new home is confirmed, which should give you ample opportunity to declutter and collect packing materials. Let me know your tips for moving house when you’re on a budget in the comments below 🙂
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