How to organize moving on a shoestring budget
In an ideal world, we’d all have limitless resources for moving. After all, buying a new house in the first place already cost a small fortune, right? Still, that’s not how reality works, so most of us have to make do with the small budgets we have. But don’t worry - that also means there are tons of tried and tested ways to make moving on a shoestring budget possible. Whether we’re talking about International Removals to Germany or anywhere else, the same tips apply. Here’s how you can organize your move on a tiny budget!
Make a budget
The golden rule for any plans that involve money when you don’t have a lot of it! Before you make any other plans, you need to know exactly how much money you can spend, and only then decide how you spend it. Consider various expenses, such as gas, packing supplies, as well as food and drink for your moving crew or family and friends who will be helping with the move. You’d be surprised how much those little things can pile up!
Reuse packing materials
If you’re a few days before moving, this tip is probably coming a bit too late, but do keep this in mind for future reference anyway. You can actually stack up on quite a lot of packing materials, such as styrofoam, paper, bubble wrap, by keeping it from other packages you’ve received in the past. Whenever you think about throwing out an old newspaper, magazine or letter, instead you might want to put them in a box somewhere safe, so that once the time to move comes, you’re all set with the materials.
Sell what you don’t need
It may very well turn out that some of your old things won’t fit into your new place. Or perhaps you just can’t let go of that one piece of furniture that really no longer works for you. Whatever the case may be, a move is a good opportunity to get rid of some old stuff. This will not only help you clean up your life a bit, Marie Kondo-style, but you might just get a few bucks of it that will help fuel your meager budget!
Ask around for boxes
There are more cardboard boxes floating around than you might think. Your friends have them, your local pharmacists have them, bookstores, grocery stores - you name it. The best part is that they would have disposed of the boxes anyway, so they’ll give them away to you for free if you ask nicely. If you’re smart about this and know where to look, you shouldn’t have to buy a single cardboard box in your life.
Save on padding
Padding is important, especially for more fragile objects that may break within a bigger bag. But if you’re out of bubble wrap or styrofoam and can’t really afford to buy some at this point, the good news is that you don’t really need to. You’ve probably already got some t-shirts, socks and sweaters lying around that can double as makeshift padding for your fragile belongings - use that to your advantage!
Look around for coupons
It’s tempting to do all of your moving-related shopping in one store, but if your budget is low, it’s actually a much better idea to take things slow and look for deals and coupons. This will save you a lot of money in the long run.