How to Keep Within Your Budget When Moving House

If you have just started moving house, you may be wondering how to keep within your budget. The good news is that there are several ways to do it. Read on to find out some tips! Listed below are some ways to save money during your move. Make a list of household items. Group items according to their urgency. Then, separate those items into the three main categories: urgent, important, and non-urgent.

Selling non-essentials

You can avoid shipping items by selling items you do not need or that aren’t sentimental. This way, you can cover moving costs and purchase new decor. Many online marketplaces make it easy to sell items, including eBay, Craigslist, OfferUp, Facebook marketplace. These sites have guidelines for safety and fraud prevention. You can also donate or pass along items that you are unable to sell. 

It is a good idea to sell non-essentials as early as possible. Sell any extra furniture and home decor as early as a month before you plan to move, the earlier you try and sell your items, the better price you can get. If possible, sell appliances like the washing machine, microwave, dishwasher and fridge in advance but communicate to the buyer that they can only pick it up after a certain date since you’ll still be using it. If you have too many items, it’s a good idea to hold a garage sale in your local neighbourhood.

Hire an honest moving company

It can be really difficult to try and figure out which moving company to hire. In most cases, people just want to be able to find somebody who is going to do a good job and not overcharge them. Unfortunately, there are a lot of companies out there that will try to take advantage of people who are in a difficult situation and moving companies understand that your are at the mercy of their service. You need a big moving truck to move your furniture and they’ve got one, so some think they can charge whatever they want or hold your furniture ransom until you pay the ‘hidden charges’ they didn’t disclose. Fortunately, there are still good honest moving companies out there and if you take the time to do some research on different Melbourne removalists or movers from your state and territory, you can find one that will treat you fairly and give you a good price, and that will certainly help with your moving budget.

Try going with an hourly moving rate

Another way you may be able to work within your moving budget is to accept the movers hourly rate with two men and truck hire. Of course a fixed rate will give you a lot more certainty without worry about cost blowouts, however an hourly rate will sometimes work out to be cheaper. If you agree on a reasonable hourly rate and have given yourself a good estimation of the time it takes to complete the job, there is every chance that your move can stick within your budget.

Have everything packed and ready to go

If you’ve never moved before, you should understand that moving all your belongings and furniture can be a complex project. More often than not, budgets blow out simply because the sheer volume to be moved has been underestimated or the truck doesn’t fit everything or there are access issues, stairs to navigate or apartments without lifts. If your move is a simple one, there is no reason why it has to go over budget. To streamline the process, have everything packed and ready to go before the movers arrive. Stack boxes altogether in one location, ensure the sofa is wrapped in a protective bag and ensure cupboards and drawers are taped securely to prevent them from opening during transport. If there is a clear pathway for bulky items to the truck, that will save significant time; to make it simpler, move furniture to the garage or ground floor so the movers spend less time navigating corners and doorways.

Moving is usually an expense project, by adopting some of these simple techniques can help keep within your budge so you have more money in your pocket to spend on things you really need.