Buying, selling and moving home is expensive and time consuming. After countless missed calls and voicemails left with the agent and being squeezed for every last pound, the sale happened and your new life awaits! It was stressful for sure, so instead of early grey hairs here is 5 tips to get you moved with your sanity intact and a lot of extra pennies in the bank!

Do the move yourself

Sure contracting a removals firm is an easy solution but it’s also darn pricey! If you prepare correctly and pull in some favours (make sure to do some nice things for people in advance) you will get it done with ease and your wallet will be all the happier for it. Prices for rentals on vans are cheaper at weekends and this is a time friends and family are usually available too. Always get the biggest van available as one big trip is a lot easier than many small trips.

Plan (way) in advance

Although throughout my life Parkinson’s Law has been a mainstay, it has absolutely no place when achieving tight planning for moving day. I highly recommend mapping out everything needed for the move and using a productivity app like Todoist and Trello.

Declutter and minimalise

There will never be a better time to get rid of the excess clutter in your life. On my last move I donated 320 books to charity. Why had I kept them at all, to show how intelligent I am to guests or to feel accomplishment?. Collecting stuff and materialism can take a strange hold but now is the time to say “no more”, so get rid of that nokia 3310 charger, the left over screws from your IKEA wardrobe and the insurance document from a car you had 10 years ago. Seeing how your boxing things up anyway all those DVD’s and CD’s could probably cover the cost of the van on Music Magpie. For more ideas on having more from less in your life I highly recommend checking out Marie Kondo or The Minimalists.

Packing

For peace of mind and completing the move like a pro you need to arm yourself with sturdy house moving boxes, different colour marker pens, heavy duty tape, bubble wrap, notepads, and a lot of caffeine! Remember that first on is last off, heavy items need to be packed down low and anything important i.e. ID, insurance documents and medication need to packed separately and to hand. Put the kettle on last and on the trip to the new place pick up some fresh supplies for the next tip.

Unpacking

First things first, get a good brew on and survey the lie of the land, then start unloading boxes into their designated rooms. So what next? I always find it helps to do the kitchen first to act as my HQ and after that it’s my bed and bedding so I can hit the hay when I want too. Now here is another great opportunity if you didn’t declutter, why not leave any non essential unpacking and find out what you really do and don’t need over the next few months.

I hope your manage to get the move done with as little stress as possible and the money saved can help with your future plans, remember change is meant to be a positive experience. Enjoy the new home!