How to Move House Without Going Broke

Plan a moving budget ahead of time

Planning the financial aspects of your move as soon as you can is one of the best ways to stay on track and keep your financial anxiety at bay. Begin by listing out the costs of your end-to-end moving process, like end-of-lease cleaning if you’re leaving a rental, any costs associated with getting your stuff from A to B, and any money you’ll lose by taking time off work to actually move – it’s something we often forget!

Invest in professional movers

I know, I know, this was supposed to be top tips on saving cash. But I’m a firm believer that spending money on professional movers is one of the best investments you’ll ever make. They do this day in, day out, which means they’re experts at fitting your whole home into a truck, and can do it way quicker than you probably can. Plus, you reduce your own risk of injury, which is a major bonus. That post-move back pain is a killer, trust me – put professional movers at the top of your moving house checklist.

Help your movers where you can

If you’re able to give your movers a hand lifting boxes and small furniture out of your old place and into the new, you’ll save yourself some serious cash by reducing your spend on professional movers. They charge by the hour, so the faster you go, the cheaper it can be.

Borrow boxes and packing materials

As soon as you know you’re moving, start keeping your eyes peeled for boxes and packing materials that you might be able to save from deliveries, or borrow from friends. You should be able to find some freebies from your local supermarket or places like Facebook Marketplace as well. With bubble wrap costing upward of $30 a roll and new moving boxes costing a couple of bucks each, it soon adds up. Moving can be pretty wasteful in terms of resources, too, so not only will you save yourself cash, you’ll be doing good for the planet.

Get creative with packing

To save some more cashola and space, get creative with your packing vessels. Moving suitcases? Don’t forget to fill them first! Got lots of bags? Might as well use them to transport clothes. Need to wrap glassware? Sliding fluffy socks over them can minimise the need for expensive padded materials.

Go easy on the homeware goals

Moving into a new space fires up everyone’s inner interior designer, and before we know it we’re envisaging a velvet chair here and a bar cart there – but to save money moving house, cool your homeware jets until you’re settled in. It’s tempting to order all the aesthetic additions to your new home in excitement, but doing so before you’re actually living there can result in wasted money. You don’t need to keep up with the Joneses! Our perceptions of spaces are distorted when properties are empty, so something you think might look great can actually end up being all wrong for the space. To satisfy your desire to furnish before you’re moved in, apps like Planner 5D can be a fun way to design your spaces without spending big.

Emma Edwards is a finance copywriter and blogger, on a mission to humanize the financial services industry by creating meaningful content that’s accessible and empowering. You’ll find her penning money tips at her blog, The Broke Generation, sharing financial insights on Instagram, or injecting life into content for her business clients.