Tips for saving money on your move
by Lowri Turner in the Telegraph

1   Start decluttering at least six weeks before you move.  Take everything out of every cupboard and be ruthless.  If you haven't used it in a year, give it away or send it to the charity shop.  This especially applies to kitchen gadgets.


2   Donate as much furniture as you can (the British Heart Foundation has a nationwide network of second-hand furniture and electrical stores - and they collect).  Furniture often looks wrong in a new space and the less you have, the cheaper your removal service will be.


3   Try selling unwanted items online.  Branded clothing is snapped up and is cheap to post - as are console games and DVDs.

4   Set your children a one-box challenge.  Give them one box only that they can fill with stuff to move (excluding clothes).  Anything not in the box goes to Oxfam.

5  Always buy furniture that folds or comes in parts.  Old-fashioned drop-leaf tables are good, as are divan beds that zip together.  Avoid flat pack furniture as it rarely survives dismantling.

6   Save your cardboard boxes.  They can be expensive and if you know you'll be on the move within five years it pays to store them.  Alternatively, look on preloved.com for people selling boxes cheaply (or freecycle for people giving them away).

7   If you're going to rent, avoid shelves that need to be bolted to the wall.  Choose vintage 1970s media units instead as they can simply be picked up and put down again.

8   When you have your moving-in date and you've measured your rooms, buy a basic set of furniture and organise delivery for the afternoon of your moving day.

9   Invest in floor and table lamps rewiring a house to get the lighting right is expensive.  Lamps give you flexibility and may be a lifesaver if the last owner ripped out the fittings (see above).

10   When you move into your new place, unpack every box asap.  Do not on any account put anything in the loft.  Once you do that, you're storing up trouble for your next move.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/authors/lowri-turner/