5 tips to save money when moving houses this January

January demands a lot of money for most people and moving houses in 'Januworry' is a top priority for most people, so here are some tips for saving money when moving houses
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Mkhuseli Vangile, managing director at Simple Movers, provides a list of five things to do to save money when moving house on a tight budget in this month of Januworry.

  1. Use a moving company that offers "one-stop shop" services

    Choose a service provider that does more than loading, transportation and offloading. You spend more money when you hire people to help you pack and clean both houses than when you buy your own packing material and also hire a handyman to disassemble and assemble your belongings such as TV stands, beds, wall units etc. Moving companies should be able to offer you packing services, cleaning of your houses, transportation services and unpacking in one consolidated price to help you cut costs.

    "Clients spend more money when we only service them with transportation. They spend a lot of money when they pack, clean their houses and unpack for themselves simply because they do not get the discounts we get from our packing material suppliers. Secondly, it saves clients a lot of money to opt for consolidated billing. You don't have to spend money travelling to buy packing material, you don't have to spend money hiring people to pack for you, you don't spend money hiring people to clean for you. These small things make a big difference when it comes to cost saving during moving houses," says Vangile.

  2. Move during the month and not month end when you can
  3. Avoid moving month end simply because month end is peak time for most moving companies. Automatically, moving companies want to move clients that will bring in a lot of money, therefore, their first preferences are the highest bidders. Normally, when you move during the month, on quiet times you get the best prices and best services from moving companies.

  4. If you must move month end, pay for your moving during the month

    The loophole in moving month-end is getting your moving quotation during the month and pay for your move during the month. You will not be charged peak time prices if you secure your move during off-peak times. It sounds like a small thing to do but it saves a lot of money and has lots of benefits for you as a consumer.

    "No moving company will come back and change your moving price once paid for during off-peak. Beat the system and save" Vangile says.

  5. If you moving to another province, choose shared loads

    Shared loads are loads where a moving company combines different residential belongings in one load on a big truck. This can save consumers a lot of money because a moving company makes more money in shared loads than in an individual load. For example, a moving company can charge you R19,000 to move your two bedroom apartment to Cape Town from Johannesburg (actual average cost). With shared loads, you can pay as little as R4,500 since a moving company will probably charge R4,500 to five different two bedroom apartments. Vangile explains.

    Vangile says "shared-loads save money for consumers yet their biggest disadvantage is the fact that a consumer does not have the right to determine when their belongings arrive at their preferred drop off point. The moving company has to find other loads to go with your load before they can transport your belongings. This process can take weeks and if you lucky a couple of days"

  6. Reduce your inventory list

    It's the new year, sell or donate old items you don't need. When you have more items you pay more during your move. Now ask yourself, do you really want to spend money moving old things you don't need? You can save money and make money by just getting rid of your old things.

    "We understand that some of the items our clients keep in their homes hold sentimental value and so do not want to get rid of them. In that case, a client is willing to spend money to move around with those items. But if you can get rid of unnecessary items, especially big items that require a big truck to move, get rid of them and save money" concludes Vangile.

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