5 Tips For Saving Money On Your Move To A New Apartment

Guest Post

It doesn’t really matter if you are moving in or moving out. It’s always an exciting step into life on your own terms. It can also be a challenging exercise in financial management – so read below some tips on how to save money on your move, provided by the professional removals from Strong Move (London).  

Pack Your Own Stuff

Removal companies will charge you for both the packing materials and labor. By wrapping everything yourself, you will only purchase the materials for the actual packing up of your stuff — not somebody else’s labor. The one thing for you to keep in mind is to make sure you pack your belongings properly so that nothing ends up broken. Truth is, even the most reputable removal company will not take responsibility for mistakes you have made.

Where to start?

You can set up a plan and follow a checklist. Explore room by room and pack less important and less frequently used belongings first. This way you can keep everything within boxes for a longer period of time. Also, to save time and to prevent any future worries whether you’ve packed everything valuable, it’s a good idea to pack all the small items in your household by yourself. Make sure you taped your belongings very carefully. Experienced professional movers rarely cause accidents, but risks are always present. Regardless of the reason, imagine that a mover accidentally drops one or a few of your boxes at once. “Will your packing be sufficient to keep your possessions safe? One of the common mistakes is to pack one too many things altogether only to save a box or two. Wrong! Overfilled boxes weigh more and also pose a bigger risk of damage from an unforeseen hit.” says Dean from HomesDirect365. It’s important pack just enough possessions so you can lift the box without too much effort.

Always label your boxes!

To lose track of what, how and where while moving can be a nightmare. You have to know where your possessions are at all times. There are many DIY solutions to reduce the risks of damage. You can use sheets, clothes, towels, old newspapers to protect fragile objects. If you need help – call the friend you can count on. This would also be a good time to have a glass of wine, after the job is done, and have a nice talk with a friend you won’t see that often anymore, especially if you are moving far away.

Do You have Friends with a Truck or a Van?

If it turns out you have friends who can help you move your things to your new place with their personal trucks or vans, this would save you some good money. If you are moving far away from them this might be the last chance for you to have a nice trip together. You will share old memories and have fun once again. Why not? Still, it would behoove you to pay for gas and a meal or two as payment for their help. To give you a rough picture of what you are dealing with and so you can plan ahead, you should take into consideration that, for instance, for a three-bedroom move you’ll need a 20-foot truck to haul everything from your current location to the new place. Usually, companies will charge you by the number of days and the distance you’re going to travel and rates vary widely, so ultimately your best option would be to rely on your mates or colleagues who are willing to give you a helping hand.  

Get Rid of Useless Stuff!

Of course, it’s a no-brainer, but most of us tend to be packrats and collect lots of stuff, and we often don’t even realize how many useless things we’ve managed to collect over time. This is why before moving out, you’ll want to go through all of your belongings and get rid of anything that you don’t want or don’t use on a regular basis.  For many items, you may be able to pack and donate them to a charity organization. They might be useful to other people in need. Also, don’t forget about your book collection – something that can be really heavy and time-consuming to pack and move. It would be a much better idea to just give away your old books or the one you don’t want to read. In case you’ve had mold issues, books could carry spores and if that’s your case, books are definitely something you should get rid of. The less you have to pack, the less money you have to spend on bubble wrap, boxes and truck space. Moving is not only nerve-wracking but also it drains your bank account and much of your savings. So, here is a practical idea that could earn you some much needed extra cash to make your moving budget stronger. Instead of only giving away things you no longer need, why not organize a garage sale or find an online platform where you could sell some of your belongings such as Facebook marketplace or Craigslist. It’s a very popular practice that will relieve you of extra luggage and will free space for much more important and irreplaceable personal items.  

Reuse Things to Pack

If you are moving, you will know well enough in advance to have sufficient time to collect as many packing boxes, bubble wrap and packing paper as you can. You could even consider bio-degradable packing peanuts: they are the perfect protectors for newspaper-wrapped plates and glasses. If you work in an office where they order boxes of printer paper, consider saving some of the boxes for yourself – these are perfect for smaller and more fragile items that you do not want mingling with other items in large boxes. Paper boxes make wonderful packing boxes not just because of their size, but because they come with lids! The more of them you can collect, the more money you will save on purchasing packing materials. Another option to save space and money is to use any hampers or baskets you might have at home and use them to pack your larger belongings like shoes, boots, toys and other bulkier items. Also, another source for packing boxes are your local shops, big supermarkets, shopping centers, bookstores and home electronics stores. These businesses always dispose of big and small cardboard containers which you can easily use for packing. Try and ask them to give you free moving boxes for your house move. You would see that they could agree rather easily because one way or another they are required to recycle those huge amounts of cardboard. However be very careful when packing valuable belongings. When doing so, it’s highly advisable to use packing paper rather than newspapers because this could end up costing you more in the end. Ink can easily bleed all over your possessions and thus leave stubborn stains that quick cleaning tips might not handle.

Optimize Your Utility Shut-Down Dates

Moving is a time-consuming and stressful experience, most likely you haven’t had the chance to think about your billing cycle. If your billing cycle doesn’t line up with your moving date, consider cutting off your service early so you’re not paying for an extra month. Some utility companies won’t prorate your bill as of your departure date, so yes, you can survive without cable for a week or two. No, you probably don’t want to try this with electricity. That’s why it’s a good idea to make a plan about every step of the moving process. That way you would be able to prioritize your tasks and the chance to miss something important, like managing your utility bills, would be minimal and it’ll definitely save you time and money. It’s advisable to notify your energy supplier at least 48 hours before your move. Inform them of the date of your move and your new address so the company can send you the final bill. It’s possible that they will organize a meter reading or simply ask you to take a meter reading on the day of your move, which is a good practice if you want to avoid being overcharged by your energy company. Suppliers will send you a final statement to settle your account once you have moved. In case you rent a property, you should take a note of your meter readings and confirm these with your landlord before you move out.