8 Tips to Find the Cheapest way to move Your Furniture

What is the cheapest way to move my furniture?

Long distance, around the corner and an affordable final tally – is it really cheaper to move your furniture yourself?

You might think it is. Grab a couple of friends, get a bakkie or trailer and away you go. But it’s not always that simple, is it?

Most people don’t have a bakkie or even a trailer – so you’re going to have to rent one. What if your friends wake up on moving day and REALLY don’t feel like helping, or if “something comes up”? 

What about insurance? If something happens like you reverse into a tree or some of your furniture falls off the bakkie while you’re bombing along on the highway at 120 km per hour?

Consider the time you may need to take off work in the days leading up to your move to pack and organise everything. Those are days you can’t use towards your holiday in December.

So is a moving company not better?

Well, they could be…

8 Tips for moving cheaply

Make a plan

Planning ahead is an important exercise when moving and will go a long way to ensure you’re able to move without breaking the bank. 

Do your research

Planning ahead also lets you research and compare different moving companies in cape town‘ or rental trucks’ reputations and quotes. By comparing these you’ll be able to get the best quote that works for you and your move.

Get Flexible

Being flexible with when you want to move can go a long way in cutting down the costs of moving

• If you move during the week it might be more affordable than moving over a weekend – surprise surprise, that’s when most people choose to move so they don’t need to take time off. 
• It might also be more affordable to move during autumn or winter.

Declutter your house (and your life)

When it’s time to move house it’s a great opportunity to get rid of some belongings you no longer use or need. Like that thing sitting in the box on the top shelf of your garage you last used 4 years ago but somehow still hold onto. 

Another consideration is the home you’re moving to. You might not have the same amount of space and so getting rid of these items will save you paying the costs to move them.

• Sell any unwanted items or items you no longer use like clothing, electronics and furniture by holding a garage sale or listing it online.
• Donate items to one of the many charities and local thrift (or hospice) shops, especially if they are still in good condition. These organisations either distribute these items to people in need or sell them for an income which goes to people in need and they would be all too happy to receive your donations.
• If in doubt, bin it. Sometimes it’s just not worth the hassle – especially if it’s something that’s torn, broken or outdated. 

Do your own packing 

If you’ve got the energy and time, you can save money by packing your belongings yourself.

Packing smartly also helps save money:

• Use free packing supplies like old newspapers
• Use towels, clothing and blankets to protect breakable items instead of using expensive bubble wrap
• If you do the planning phase right, it’ll also help you gather your packing supplies like boxes or bags, packaging paper or newspaper, bubble wrap of towels and blankets, packing tape and markers to mark where your belongings should go in your new home.

Keep on trucking (but be warned!)

Renting your own moving vehicle like a bakkie or trailer could be more cost-effective than hiring a big truck. This also means you’ll need to bribe a couple of friends with the promise of food and beer to help you pack and unpack your belongings into your new home. Not to mention if anything goes wrong on the road, you lose all your belongings and have to fork out loads of cash to cover the legal liability of replacing the rental truck.

Courier it

Maybe you won’t need something right away – it might actually just be easier to send via courier – taking the longest option and sending it store-to-store, or to a nearby friend or family member to take delivery for you until you get to your new home. This can save you space (and money) on your moving truck

Only the essentials

A great idea is to keep a bag or suitcase with you that’s packed with any important items you’ll need during your move. This bag should have a few changes of clean clothing, toiletries, medicine and important documents. This will save you from having to trawl through your boxes while you settle into your new home and save you from needing to go buy stuff that’s already (probably) somewhere in your boxes.