How To Save Money When You're Moving House

How To Save Money When You're Moving House

Moving house can be expensive and stressful! Yet, did you know that the average British person will move eight times in their lifetime? That's insane!

Luckily, it doesn't have to be as costly as everyone claims. All you need is a bit of savvy know-how. Lucky for you, we're here to spread wisdom with our top tips on how to save money and transform you into a moving guru.

Moving house save money declutter
Only pack items you need!

Purge before packing 

Clutter is very frustrating and can often lead to you packing everything which will cost you more in transport costs and if you're moving to a smaller space you will have to pay for storage.

Check out Colleen's advice on how to throw away items you don't need anymore as a great starting point for what to throw away.

Weeks before packing, make sure you sort items into take, donate, sell or throw away. This will help you have a better understanding of how many boxes you will need and what size vehicle you need to hire.

If you're having a hard time decluttering, Anushka's post about stress-free decluttering tips will help.

Plan moving house on a weekday 

When choosing a moving date, bear in mind that hire removal companies will always charge more for weekend and bank holiday dates than they will for weekdays. If you hire a van it will also be more expensive during the weekend or bank holiday period.

Roads will also be busier so you could end up stuck in traffic which will cost more in petrol. Try and aim to move on a weekday if possible to cut down on costs.

Changing address to save money moving
Let everyone important know you have moved

Change addresses online before you move

Let friends and family know your new address and more importantly, make sure all the right people know your new address including banks and utility companies to avoid unwelcome bills popping up months later.

It's no secret that 0845 numbers are expensive, but nowadays most companies will let you change your address details online. You can do this prior to moving on your own connection or popping to your local cafe or friend's house to borrow their WiFi.

Not only will this save you time and energy being placed on hold for hours, it will also help you avoid ridiculous post redirection fees. Don't forget to cancel or redirect all your subscriptions, too.

To help keep your bills low, don't forget to read our energy-saving tips next.

Collect free moving boxes

You can pick up free boxes from local independent businesses such as liquor stores and grocery shops who will be happy to donate if you ask nicely. They are likely to have lots of spare boxes stacked from deliveries.

Bigger stores like Homebase have a section near the exit where people throw boxes and packaging away. Most of these boxes are in perfect condition and they're yours to take for free, help yourself!

Unused furniture moving house save money
Get rid of unwanted furniture

Donate or pick up unused furniture 

Whether you're planning to ditch your old furniture and can't find a buyer or afford transport to skip it, or you're looking to score new pieces for your next home, sites like Freecycle and Gumtree could be your life saver.

They let you advertise your furniture on there for free! On top of that, someone comes to your house to collect so there's no delivery costs or hassle. Again, it's better to plan weeks in advance because you don't want to be moving all that furniture to your new house.

Keep a look out on your local Facebook groups for people also giving away free furniture. Arrange to pick it up for free close to your moving date (or on the day of moving) so you still have the transport to move big pieces.

Moving packing essentials save money
Pack a separate box for all your essentials

Pack essentials separately

Make sure you pack an essentials box for the first night in your new home and carry it with you separately to other boxes.

This should include items like tea, coffee, snacks, toilet roll, cleaning wipes, cups and a kettle (that's what we'd take) and any items you consider necessary.

This will mean you don't waste time digging through boxes when you arrive and that you don't end up spending more nipping to your local shop to pick up goods which will be more expensive.

For help packing like a pro, check out our 17 smart packing tips to make moving home a breeze.

Ask for help when moving house

Packing and moving everything yourself is a great way to save money, but it's exhausting! Why not ask your friends and family if they can chip in or if they know anyone who can help e.g. someone who can lend you a van or can help move boxes.

You can also reduce your outgoings by asking around to see if anyone knows a plumber for expensive jobs like disconnecting or reconnecting a washing machine. If you clean the house yourself between friends then the labour is halved and you can save big pennies on pricey professional cleaning services.

ask for help moving to save money
Hopefully your friends and family will help!

Be creative with meal planning

Don't throw out all your food on the day of leaving your house. You have spent a lot of money on food and it would be a crying shame to let it go to waste.

Make an inventory of all the food you have to consume before moving house and see how you can create an inventive meal plan for the weeks running up to your move. Get family involved and make it fun for the kids!

By making the most of the food you already have in your fridge, you will save lots of money on eating out or ordering takeaways.

send food shop to your new house
Order a food shop online to your new place

Order a food shop to your new house

A great tip is to order your food shopping online to your new house the night before so it arrives the day you move in.

This will also save money on takeaways and will save you a ton of money on your first couple of days. It will also mean you won't have to keep running to your local store when you're tired from unpacking, you're welcome!

Hopefully our top tips will help make your move a little cheaper and less painful! Get in touch with any tips of your own below, we'd love to hear from you.

 

Collette J

Editor

I'm a professional penny pincher who is obsessed with eBay and Pinterest. Always on the look out for multiple uses for favourite household items and a good bargain, of course!

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  1. Author Tobias Armstrong on July 6, 2016 at 3:48 pm

    Moving is one of those things that you can't really think about all of the variables of until you're in the middle of it all. That is, of course, unless you read articles like this. I'd never thought about ordering food online while moving until I read this, and think it's a brilliant idea. Being able to order it and go pick it up saves time and money! Thanks for the great advice all around.

    1. Author Collette J on July 6, 2016 at 4:22 pm

      Hi Tobias, thanks for commenting, glad you like our moving tips! The ordering food online tip is my favourite too - so useful! :)

    Reply
  2. Author Sylvia Fosberry on July 29, 2016 at 10:10 am

    Thanks for the very helpful tips on moving. This will be our 33rd move but we were in the Forces for almost 30 years and moved around a lot. We have been married for 53 years next month. Sadly we had a house fire last year when our Dishwasher blew up and caught fire and we lost so much but thankfully my husband and I are alive and still have each other which is far more important than material things. They can be replaced, lives cannot. Our home is once again looking beautiful but we have decided now to move nearer to one of our children as they both live a long way away and we are not getting any younger. Some of your tips are really useful and I wish we had thought of them for our other moves. Thank you Collette and keep your great tips coming as I look forward to reading them. Please can I ask all your readers not to leave any electrical appliances such as Dishwashers, tumble driers, Washing machines etc on when they go out or go to bed. Our fire happened so quickly and if I had not been up at 1am in the morning when it happened but in bed asleep like my husband was, I would not now be Writing this. Thank you. Best Wishs Sylvia

    1. Author Collette J on July 29, 2016 at 3:26 pm

      Hi Sylvia, thanks for your kind comments. It's so lovely to hear from you and people such as yourself are the reason we love to write and share these articles. Wow, move no 33? You must be a pro by now even without my tips! I wish you huge congratulations on your 53rd year of marriage and I'm so sorry to hear about your house fire but I'm glad to hear you both got out ok. It's very unfortunate when things like that happen but you're right, they make you realise how lucky you are and how fragile life really is. I wish you and your husband all the best for your next big move and I'm sure your children are looking forward to having you closer. All the best, Collette x

    Reply
  3. Author Cody Zane on May 19, 2017 at 1:47 pm

    Very joyful post. I just stumble upon your blog and wanted to say that I have really enjoyed browsing your blog posts. I really admire the valuable information you have been able to share us through this post. Thanks for such post and please keep it up.

    1. Author Stephanie C on May 22, 2017 at 10:37 am

      Hi Cody. I'm so glad you enjoyed the post - thank you for your kind comments. Please come and visit us again soon! :)

    Reply
  4. Author Sateesh on July 26, 2017 at 10:54 am

    Nice tips! I’m moving soon and just started packing some items. I’ve purged more than half of what I owned and now it seems much easier. Your tips and advises are very helpful for me, some are quite smart. Thank you for the packing ideas!

    1. Author Stephanie C on July 26, 2017 at 5:25 pm

      Hi there Sateesh. Moving home? How exciting! I'm so glad our tips came in handy. Thanks for stopping by :)

    Reply
  5. Author Jaxon Lucy on August 23, 2017 at 9:32 am

    This article helped me a lot as these tips are very important and one should keep these helpful tips in mind for a save money move. your blog is my way to desired information,Thanks for posting something worth reading. Great work.

    1. Author Stephanie C on August 24, 2017 at 5:30 pm

      Hi Jaxon. Thanks a lot for your kind comment. I'm glad you found some helpful information on our site :)

    Reply
  6. Author Aashi on September 3, 2017 at 11:34 am

    Great posting! Your tips are useful I think moving with professionals movers is better. I appreciate the efforts you

    1. Author Stephanie C on September 5, 2017 at 11:23 am

      Hi Aashi. Glad you enjoyed the post. :)

    Reply

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