If you live in the Melbourne Bayside area and are looking to move soon, you’ve clicked on the right article, because I’ve got 7 sure-fire guaranteed ways to reduce your moving cost. Following these tips will not only help you reduce the cost of moving, but also help reduce the amount of work you would have to do on your moving day. You’ll be saving time and money. You’ll be crazy not to follow my tips.
Have not, worry not
Select items you don’t use
The idea is as simple as it gets. When you have less, you have less to move and thus, you’ll reduce your moving cost. You can approach this in a number of ways. First, you can treat your next move as a great opportunity to de-clutter and slim down. Take this opportunity to get rid of as many unused items as possible, because whatever you decide to take with you will take up valuable truck space. You can also approach this as a long term, habitual thing.
You can practice becoming a minimalist. Being a minimalist will help you greatly reduce moving cost and therefore save money. If you don’t yet own a house, or you move often due to your job or because you’re a student, I highly recommend you to read upon “Why it’s beneficial to be a minimalist.”
Whether you’re de-cluttering short term, or have decided to become more of a minimalist, the first steps you should take is identifying what needs to go. This probably will be the toughest step for some of us, but if done right, your next move may even pay itself off! If you have not worn a piece of clothing in the past 12 months, it’s time for you to say goodbye. If a piece of furniture is only occasionally getting used, perhaps it’s time for you to part ways with it too.
Once you’ve decided which items need to go, you then need to decide upon how to get rid of them. The Bayside council does have a set of rules regarding hard rubbish and rubbish disposal, you can’t simply dump them. Besides, you’ll find that you could even make some cash from your unwanted items. I’m talking anywhere between a pretty penny to paying for your next move.
Sell unwanted items to reduce your moving cost
There are plenty of ways to get rid of your unwanted items while making money. These include selling on eBay, holding garage sales, using classifieds, etc. If you would like to find out more about your options feel free to read up on “How to be a minimalist – getting rid of your belongings.” This guide will help you find which methods are right for you. You’ll be surprised at how easy it is to turn unwanted items into cash.
You’ll find that you may need to use Bayside council’s hard rubbish collection for some items. Every 12 months, you can request up to 2 hard rubbish pickup bookings from the council. However, if you do not pay attention to some of the council rules, you will lose 1 of the 2 bookings. For example, the items must be able to be lifted by 2 people, and some items are not accepted. For more information head to the Bayside Council’s hard waste rules and guidelines.
If you have fewer belongings, you’ll spend less time packing, moving and unpacking. You wouldn’t have your removalists carry something that you’ll later throw away anyway right? Where is the logic in that? You’re paying for the truck space and the manpower. De-cluster, own less, pack less, keep the cost of moving down, save time and money. You’ll have more money in your pocket and time on your hands, so that you may do more important things in your life. If you can turn two truckloads down to one single load, you’ll be saving a significant amount of money.
Knowledge is power. Knowing your rates allows you to compare costs and make educated decisions. As tempting as it is to pick a random removalist company from the sea of removalists’ names, most of us do not have the cash to throw around. There are many factors which determine the cost of hiring a removalist company. It’s common for people to be aware of “hourly rates.” However, most people aren’t aware that travelling distance for removalists and billing increments are just as important as hourly rates, if not more.
Nobody likes to pay for something that they haven’t used. Then why is it okay to be charged per half hour? You wouldn’t eat one meal and pay for two. Why pay for something that you’ve not used? Choosing a removalist company whose billing is in one-minute increments (after the minimum hours) may prove to be a more economically sound decision. Easy Peasy Removals, for instance, charges by 1-minute increments past 2 hours, and no hidden fees such as stair fees, or depot fee. You would be pleasantly surprised at the amount of money you’ll save! Try getting a quote now!
Make more phone calls now to reduce your moving cost
By investing your time into some calls, you’ll save more money tomorrow
Removalists do need to be compensated for their time and their equipment. However, some removalists will be reluctant to tell you about their “hourly rate for their travelling to your address” on top of a call-out fee. Most removalists will be happy to tell you their hourly rate, but unless you ask, you won’t know if you’re being charged some kind of additional fees. So don’t be afraid to ask this question – “Are there any other fees involved other than hourly rate?”
Don’t be fooled by the hourly rates advertised on websites. Make phone calls and make sure there are no other fees involved. In particular, you should watch out for depot fees, fuel surcharges and stair fees. The initial price may seem reasonable, but once all the bloated fees are accounted for, you’ll be forking out a lot more than you first anticipated. Ask today, save money on your moving day.
Hold off purchases to keep the cost of moving down
Hold off all purchases until you’ve made the move. Your new furniture or a new piano can wait until you’ve settled into your new home. Otherwise, it would be almost the same as paying for deliveries twice. Remember, the truck space is limited, and one trip is cheaper than two. This goes the same for food items. I don’t want you to starve of course. However, I also don’t want you to throw away half your fridge contents the night before the move.
Plan ahead and try to buy just enough groceries. Prepare bananas and other easy to move, store and eat items. If you’ve got a handful extra? No worries. If you just run short of food these bananas can come in handy.
Spend less on packaging materials – why pay for something that’s free?
Unless you have tons of cash to burn at leisure, I would most definitely refrain from spending any sort of money on packaging materials. I know that it’s quite tempting to just go out and buy a whole bunch of boxes and bubble wraps, feeling like you’re all ready for the big move. But really, what are we talking about here? Boxes are just cardboard containers and bubble wraps protect the items you store them in. There is no reason for you to purchase brand new boxes from your local self-storage businesses.
For that matter, you won’t even need bubble wraps! Boxes are quite easy to source. Your work would likely go through a number of boxes regardless of where you work. If that’s not an option, then you can pop into local shops and simply ask for boxes. Ask politely and ask for reasonable amounts, and you’ll be successful 9 out of 10 times. As for bubble wraps. Your clothes or tea towels can go between your cups and plates, and they’ll do the same job as bubble wraps. Spending less on packaging materials helps keep the cost of moving down.
Make preparations – save time and money, don’t wait till the last moment
You can further reduce your moving cost by making small preparations the night before, and on the day of the move. I’m not asking for anything big. Simple things such as dismantling your beds, and unplugging your washing machine and dishwashers. Let’s say that you have in your home, 3 beds, a dishwasher and a washing machine. How much time will you save by dismantling and disconnecting beds and washing machines yourself?
You can disconnect the water hoses for your washing machine and the dishwasher the night before, and on the day of the move – you can dismantle the beds in advance. 10 out of 10 times your removalists will be happy to dismantle your bed frames and disconnect the hoses, but why have your removalists do these simple tasks when you’ve hired them to do the heavy lifting for you?
If you have some time left after dismantling the beds, you can go around taping the power cords to your electrical appliances so that they’re easier to carry.
Saving time and money on the day of the big move
Place boxes near the entrance, or near where the truck will be parked. It’s a small and simple enough task but will have a greater impact than you think. Let’s assume that on average you’ll save anywhere between 30 seconds to one minute on each box by placing them near the entrance. Multiply the time saved by the number of boxes that you have. You will save a significant amount of time and therefore, you’ll reduce your moving cost.
Do ensure that the parking area in front of your home or your driveway is available for the removalists’ truck. Your removalists will also appreciate this gesture, but more importantly; The closer the movers can park to your entrance, the less distance they’ll have to travel – save time and thus reduce your moving cost once again.
Ready to reduce your moving cost to a minimum?
I’ve shared with you 7 guaranteed ways to reduce your moving cost in Bayside. If you live in the Bayside area, see if you can follow through all of the tips I’ve shared, you’ll be saving time and money. It will cost you nothing!
