How Much Does it Really Cost to Move?

There aren’t too many people in the world who can say that they love moving. Well, except for some removalists who found their true calling in the moving industry. But apart from that, moving is just one of those things which you are glad doesn’t have to happen all that often.

Looking for a new home is fun. Shopping for new homewares is fun. Even organising your new room is fun. But moving house? Not fun. There’s all the packing, and the organising, and the money… well, that leads us very nicely into what this piece is all about: the costs of moving, whether hidden or not so hidden.

Finding a new home requires some budgeting, so here is a list of all the possible financial obligations you’ll be facing.

Boxes

When you think of moving, you often think about all the things you have to pack – but do you ever think about what you’re going to pack them into? Boxes. Yep, lots of boxes. And guess what? You always need more boxes than you think you need. You can hire boxes or buy recycled ones, or just buy new ones. At Box Factory, we stock a range of boxes and moving packages suited to every possible house size.

We also stock packing materials, so if you’re worried about your precious items, we can ensure that they are protected.

Cleaning

You need to both clean your old place and make sure your new place is up to scratch before you plonk all your furniture into its new place. A good trip to the supermarket for supplies will ensure that you have wipes, cloths and whatever else you need. But it will set you back a bit – so be sure that you count the cleaning into the total cost of your moving estimate. You can get a fair bit done without too much fancy cleaning – but remember that you’ll need to get carpets cleaned too, so factor that in as well.

Removalists

When thinking about moving, this is often the biggest cost associated with the whole endeavour. You can try and save money by doing it yourself, but there is a huge amount of strain and stress on your body when lifting in ways you don’t usually lift. And if you injure yourself or break something when moving, you’re not covered by insurance (unlike the movers, who most definitely are).

It depends on how frugal you are being, but it’s often best to hire some movers for the heavy stuff and then do the small trips yourself.

Food

The saucepans are all packed away, remember? So the only option is UberEats or Menulog or any of the other delicious options at your fingertips. Plus, if you have any mates who have helped you to move, it’s pretty much required of you that you put on a slab of beer and a meal one night to say thanks.

Utilities

The reconnection of your utilities and internet doesn’t come with much of a fee, but it does have a fee. Boo, power companies! This is particularly annoying when you switch to the same company.

Random Things

Taking a day off work to move and pack is a cost (especially when your day of leave could have been better spent doing anything other than moving). Decorating your new home to match the layout and design is a cost – though we try not to count it as it’s a ‘necessary expense.’

The conclusion is: moving is a necessary expense, and so long as you try to save money where you can by buying recycled moving boxes, or by doing some of the moving yourself, you’ll find that it’s not too painful.