Tips For Cheaply Moving Home As A Student

Moving home is expensive for everyone, especially for students. Students in London tend to move around a lot from home to halls, from halls to a shared house, then back home again. It's a pretty changeable lifestyle when you're a student which is why you have to become pretty great at moving because you just happen to do it so frequently.

There are tons of ways you can save money when moving home as a student, here are just a few of them:

Mates Rates

Get everyone and anyone to help you. Don't be afraid to trade cups of tea and favours for help moving, you need the help and this is when those closest to you should be available. Your family should be your first port of call as your parents probably have a bigger want and need to care for you than most of your mates, plus they like to help out however they can and may well be offended if you don't ask them first. Then it's time to call in the heavies - your mates. Plenty of them will be moving as well so simply call it 'helping each other out'. You carry my box I'll carry yours sort of thing! Everyone is in the same boat so hitch lifts and lifting help wherever you can, just don't forget to say thank you and offer your services back, otherwise you won't be getting much help next time!

Use What You Already Have

Where possible, try to avoid buying packing materials and use what you already have. Wrap clean kitchenware in scarves and clothes and ask friends to save up newspapers for you to wrap things in. Don't bother buying packing boxes either, get down the local supermarket and ask them for spare boxes. Many shops have to pay to get their cardboard removed so will be more than happy to give you their spares. Top Tip - banana boxes are particularly strong and often come with lids so ask for those as a priority!

Have A Sale

Use moving as a chance to sell some of your unwanted items for extra money. Not only could this save you money on your move (saving fuel costs for car trips etc) it could make you money! Car boots are always an easy way to make a bit of spare cash on a Sunday morning (in some places pitches are just £5.00 for the whole morning!) or there are auction sites available to, not to mention recycling shops where you can weigh in old clothes.

Don't Buy New

If you're moving out for the first time, this is not the time for you to be buying loads of new and fancy items for your new home. You want clean and comfortable, not designer, so go mad on shabby chic! The best way to do this is by frequenting the car boots every Sunday in the lead up to your move. You can get plates for 20p, cool ornaments for £1.00, board games, clothes - anything you can think of! When you're a student you can get away with being as wild and as out there as you want - so do it and grab yourself some second hand bargains!

Self-Storage

If you're downsizing or moving somewhere for a short time, use cheap storage units in London or other major towns and cities for convenience or, if you want to keep your costs down, try one of the cheap self-storage units outside the major conurbations that will come and collect your things for free. The rates charged by self storage units are variable so compare prices and services first but this is a great way to find secure space for your stuff if you need to stay in a friends room for a bit or at home for a bit while you save or look to find better digs.

Leave Time

Leave plenty of time to get yourself organised. Pack up your stuff for storing well in advance and try to label it so you know what is in every box. If you're putting items in self-storage in bedford or another major city or town between moves you need to make sure you lay out your self-storage unit well so nothing gets broken or damaged through collapsing stacks or dust infiltration. If you're already studying then time management should be second nature to you, so there's no excuse for being unorganised!

The author has written and published articles on a wide range of topics including Small Business Advice, Tax and Accounting, Interior Design, House Renovation and Project Management.