Do you need to move your home to or from Edmonton? If so, are you paying for your move? Or is your company paying to relocate your home to a new destination?
These questions attempt to determine whether your moving budget is unlimited or whether it is incredibly tight. Actually, in real terms, a budget will never be unlimited. Instead, it will be large or small.
Image by mohamed Hassan
For the purposes of this article, let’s assume that you have a stringent moving budget, so you have to save costs at every level. Consequently, here are 10 tips to help you move on a budget.
- Select your removals company carefully
It would be reasonably short-sighted to select the cheapest removals company. A far better way to describe this point would be to choose the most cost-effective movers. In other words, it is essential to understand what is included in the price before signing the contract. The cheapest quotation might be the most cost-effective. However, on the other hand, it might not. Therefore, before accepting a quote by signing on the dotted line, make sure you read the fine print carefully.
- Consider a DIY move
It is possible to pull off a DIY move. However, there are several caveats to this option, including your household’s size, the distance you are moving, and how much time you have to pack and move.
In actual fact, a DIY move is only practical if you are not going to move large volumes of household goods and furniture. As soon as the size of your load starts to increase, it will more than likely be more cost-effective to hire a furniture removals company. Secondly, if you are relocating internationally, it is best to hire a specialist company to move your goods. Attempting to move your household possessions internationally yourself could end up leaving you with a sizeable customs bill.
- Choose your moving date wisely
Many removals companies offer discounted prices on traditional quiet days of the week and months of the year. Therefore, if you have the leeway to plan to move during the slower times, you will save on the moving costs. This is an excellent idea to consider, especially if a strict budget limits what you can spend on the move.
- Don’t move unnecessary items
The cost of moving your household goods to a new location is calculated by the volume that the load will take in the truck. It is calculated in cube meters or cube feet. Consequently, it makes sense to move items that you need and really want to take with you.
Sort through all your belongings before you start packing, throwing away or recycling items that are broken and cannot be repaired, donate unwanted items to charity, and only pack items you want and will use on the other side. Not only will this reduce the final load size, but it will also save time packing and unpacking your furniture and other items.
- Purchase what you need at your destination
This point is especially relevant for an international move. Different country’s electrical appliances run on different electrical voltages. It makes sense to sell or donate as much as you can, especially your home appliances before you move. Not only will the cost of shipping them to their destination cost a lot, but you won’t be able to use them without purchasing transformers if you can even buy the correct transformers.
Thus, it is cheaper and easier to replace your furniture and household appliances if you move to a new country. As a matter of fact, when planning an international move, it is only worth packing your personal items such as clothes and items of sentimental value.
- Buy your packing supplies before starting to pack
It is essential to work out what packing supplies like boxes, packing tape, and protective materials you need before you start packing. Otherwise, you might run out of packing supplies while in the middle of packing up your possessions. Not only is this time-consuming, but it is also frustrating.
Once you have determined what you need, the next step is to source these well-priced supplies. Again, the cost of packing materials is relative to the cost-effectiveness of what you purchase. Your purchased packing materials must be “fit for purpose.” In other words, it doesn’t help to buy cheap boxes if they break once you have packed your delicate items such as your china and crockery.
In order to keep costs down, it is a good idea to search for second-hand supplies. Online boards like Craigslist might have pre-used boxes for sale or to give away. All you will need to do is collect them. Again, just check how used the boxes are and whether they will handle a second move before paying for them.
