Whether you’re moving into (or from) your own St Kilda home or renting, moving can be not only stressful but also very costly. We’re giving you 9 tips for optimising your St Kilda moving cost. Following these tips, you will be able to save on moving costs. What you decide to do with extra cash in your pocket and time is up to you, so let’s save you some cash!
1. Move during weekdays
Where possible, plan your St Kilda move on a weekday. Most removalist companies in St Kilda or even Melbourne metro area will have some form of surcharge for moving during the weekends. Yes, everyone thinks the same. Most people prefer to move during the weekends. There are only two weekends per weekly cycle and five weekdays. Simple supply and demand dictate that weekend moves will incur additional charges.
If you have no choice but to move on a Saturday or a Sunday make sure that you’re getting the hourly rate for weekends. Many movers will simply advertise their weekday rate, and hide away small print somewhere which will read something like “*additional costs on weekends.” Thus, plan for moving during the week to optimise your St Kilda moving cost.
2. Move less, and you will pay less
The more items you have to move, the more you’ll have to pay. Sounds straight right? There’s more to it. Extra box or two might only make a few minutes of difference surely, but what if you could make the difference between hiring a 2t truck and a 4t truck? Or what if you only had to make one trip versus making two trips? We’re now talking hundreds of dollars in difference. Now that I have your attention…. Try to take this opportunity to become a minimalist.
Throw away what you don’t use or wear. Even if you weren’t to become a minimalist, you can definitely benefit from getting rid of items that you no longer wish to use. It’s logical right? Why pay to have an item moved when you won’t have any uses for it? Why not try to sell them at a garage sale? What about selling it off on eBay or a gumtree?
People will probably be up for paying for the shipping of your items. Isn’t that a lot better than having an item that you have no use for and increasing the moving bill? If you haven’t got the time and patience for a garage sale or eBay sales, why not turn your items into cash by visiting a pawn shop? Pawn stores work as a middleman so you won’t get the top dollars, but you’ll certainly be saving time and effort.
Think of it as someone else selling your items for you for a small fee, and you get the cash in advance even before the items have been sold. Sounds like a winning formula does it not? If all else fails you can give them away to friends and family or even donate them to charity.
3. Don’t fall for the bad guys
One of the biggest mistakes you can make is falling for the bad guys. I mean the dishonest and misleading removalists companies down in St Kilda. Your moving job can quickly turn into a nightmare and you may even end up with an inflated bill if you are not careful. Unfortunately, there isn’t much that can be done other than doing your homework by learning the 6 warning signs of dishonest movers.
Another big mistake is asking for your neighbour Joe and his cousin to take care of the move just because they own a van. I’m sure Joe and his cousin are “Top blokes,” whenever you have them around for the barbeques, but without insurance will they be able to reimburse any items that get damaged during the move?
What if it was your new TV? or your fridge? or your sofa? Or any other item that is likely to cost more than the amount you’ll be paying for their help. Do yourself a big favour, always go with the fully insured removalists and pass on the weekend warrior movers. Your St Kilda moving cost could significantly inflate if falling for a moving scam. Watch the video on how scammy movers behaved and held items as ransom.
4. Choosing a local removalist can help cut down the moving costs significantly
This is one of the least known moving cost factors outside the moving industry, but location of your removalist often has the greatest influence on your final moving bill, provided that you’re hiring honest movers without any hidden fees. Of course, the removalist team needs to be paid for their time, and the truck needs gas to move. However, some businesses like to charge an exorbitant amount of money to just show up to your St Kilda property on the day of the move in the name of “because we need to pay the boys.”
You can potentially be paying the advertised hourly rate even before your removalists show up at your door. Does this sound fair? I didn’t think so. If you choose a local removalist down in St Kilda, it shouldn’t cost you anything for them to show up at your door on the day of the move. Easy Peasy Removals has a depot down in St Kilda. If you’re moving into or from St Kilda within Melbourne metro, it will cost you absolutely nothing in “depot fees” or “fuel surcharges.” Use a local removalist that doesn’t charge excessive extra fees, and you will be saving on your St Kilda moving cost.
5. Make your move in St Kilda more affordable by collecting your own packaging material and boxes
You absolutely do not need to spend a single dollar on packaging materials. (with the exception of duck tapes) There are plenty of ways for you to collect boxes and other packaging materials in advance leading up to your relocation. Most work will go through some sort of supplies and talking to the right person, you should have access to plenty of boxes. You can walk into shops and straight out ask for them in the name of recycling.
It’s really case by case, but I was able to get boxes from big-name stores like Kmart to small milk bars. You also do not need bubble wraps. They’re not a necessity unless you’re packing items commercially, sending them out to your customers. Your towels, and clothes that you do not wear will do just as good of a job. You will be saving up to a couple of hundred dollars by not purchasing any boxes and packaging materials. Be creative and make your St Kilda move more affordable!
6. Study your council rules – avoid fines and save on general clean up
Depending on the council you’re in, you will have different options for getting rid of old furniture and white goods. Councils will pick up your old unwanted/broken furniture and other items either through a booking or during a set hard waste pick up dates. The kind of items that you can leave at your curve for pick up can vary slightly from council to council but usually toxic wastes and tyres are not allowed and you may end up with a fine.
So study up on the general/hard waste pick up for your council area to avoid any fines, while getting rid of unwanted items for free. Your other option is to hire a tip, and of course, it is a much more expensive option compared to the free one. Here’s a link to the Port Phillip council information regarding hard waste for those of you moving from or into St Kilda. Get rid of some items to keep your St Kilda moving cost down.
7. Get help from family and friends to reduce the St Kilda moving cost
Get help from family and friends where possible! St Kilda is a beautiful area and you’re probably only 5-10 min walk away from a good swim in the ocean. Request help from family and friends. Go for a picnic down the beach or even a swim to cool off your sweat after the move. It really is a great incentive for your family and friends to get involved and everybody is a winner!
8. Do small things to save time and reduce cost on the day of the move – dismantle beds and undo white goods the night before
If you’re able to dismantle your beds and disconnect white goods you’ll be saving plenty of time on the day of the move. Your movers don’t usually mind at all to dismantle beds or disconnect hoses from your washing machine, but if you have already done all the dismantling, you’re saving the removalist team’s time from doing smaller tasks. Remember that you’re hiring removalists so that they can lift heavy items, you don’t really want them to be undoing the hose from the tap, as you can do this the night before without any difficulties.
Save their time dismantling and you’ll save money on your final bill. If you choose a removalist like Easy Peasy Removals, the savings will be greater. Easy Peasy Removals bill you by the minute after the minimum charge of 2 hours. If you need more tips for your moving day the following link might be helpful to you. Moving tips to save on your moving day.
9. Hold off your purchases until you’ve relocated
It’s so easy to purchase items nowadays. All you need is your smartphone and items can be ordered in seconds! Services like eBay and Amazon make it almost too easy! However, it might be better to hold off your purchases until you’ve relocated, especially if the item is of a considerable size. Whether you’re purchasing a new sofa or a new vacuum cleaner, once your items land at your doorsteps, it will now cost you in terms of truck space and also in terms of your removalists’ time.
It could even make the difference of having to only do one trip, or doing two trips. Once you’ve gotten the quotes, try to hold purchases off until you’ve relocated. Or if it is possible you can even have it delivered to the new address. This applies to smaller items too. You may be wondering that small items like books, or watches should not matter, but the truth of the matter is – if you’re not going to use it now, then most likely your watch or your book will end up in a box somewhere, and unless you are absolutely amazing at organising and packing it can take some time to find your newly purchased book or the watch.
Conclusion
It’s always nice to be able to keep the St Kilda moving cost low. Following the 9 tips we have provided you with, you will be able to reduce the time and money that goes into your move. So next time you move in or out of St Kilda, make use of these tips and save on your St Kilda moving costs. If you’re still hungry for more moving tips, head to our moving tips section.
