Moving house is often regarded as one of life’s most stressful events and it can also be one of life’s more expensive changes.

There’s very little you can do about some of the costs involved in moving (e.g. stamp duty) and there are times when it can make sense to pay a little extra for the best service (for example conveyancing) but for the most part movers will want to save money wherever they can. Here are some tips.

Declutter as much as you can

There are two ways you can win here.

First of all, you may be able to make a bit of money by selling your stuff, or at least get a tax rebate if you donate it to a registered charity.

Secondly, even if you don’t (even if you just give your stuff away), then you have less to move, which cuts your moving costs (and hassle).

On this note, the term “declutter” can be taken in its broader sense or, in other words, use up what you have. Realistically, even if you can pack up food, for the most part it’s not going to be worth it, especially for food which is unlikely to survive the trip.

Obviously, if you have specialty foods, such as essences or decorations for baking, then it might make sense to take them along with you, but for the most part you should aim to use up what you have and keep new purchases to an absolute minimum.

Plan ahead

Depending on your situation, you may be able to save some money by moving at an off-peak time. It is, however, advisable to look at the overall cost of moving rather than just the headline cost.

For example, while moving companies may offer lower prices for midweek moves, if you have to take time off work then this lower cost has to be set against the value of the paid holiday you’ll be giving up.

Regardless of your situation, however, there’s a good chance you’ll be able to save money if you just think ahead (and possibly use a bit of creativity).  For example, if you start planning your packing early, then you may be able to save money by gathering free packaging such as unwanted cardboard boxes, thus saving yourself the expense of buying them.  

In this context it’s also worth noting that while bubble wrap is indisputably fun, it’s also very expensive (and very environmentally unfriendly) and frankly a lot of the time it isn’t even particularly useful. The best way to keep your valuables safe is to pack them so they are enclosed in something soft and have little (preferably no) room to move.

Make a list of places you need to update your address

This may seem an odd suggestion as a money-saving tip, but there is a reason why many companies ask for physical addresses and it really is important to keep them up-to-date, otherwise you run the risk of an important item of correspondence (or delivery) being sent to your old address after your mail redirect has ended and that could cause all sorts of problems from simple loss to identity theft.

This is a guest post by Simon Hardingham, the sales manager of Manchester estate agents; Indlu. Indlu offers a no sale, no fee estate agency service in the North West.