Everyone knows that moving house is an expensive business so many house movers will consider renting a van and doing it themselves. My neighbour is currently in the process (and has been for weeks) of organising her own house move. She’s had several garage sales and been selling excess possessions through the small ads of our excellent local paper.
Having only lived in her house for a couple of years I’m surprised at how much stuff she has to get rid of but then she does have 3 young children and they can accumulate a mountain of toys and equipment over a 2 year period.

 

Because I will be moving soon (still looking – don’t ask) I’ve been wondering about organising and doing my own move – I am tempted by my neighbour’s tales of how much money she will be saving and how it is an opportunity to sort out what she really wants to keep, but the difference between her and I is that she has only been in the house next door for a mere 2 years compared to my stint of 20 years in my current home, and she has also moved regularly over that same 20 years – in fact, roughly every 2 years as her husband’s job takes her all over the country and sometimes abroad. So she has never been anywhere long enough to truly accumulate the sheer quantity of possessions that I have.

I should have stuck to my plan of a few years ago, not bought those extra storage units and embraced minimalism as a way of living. Sadly I didn’t and I now have to face up to the fact that I have a cluttered house and need to get it organised before moving. So is it worth doing your own house move – I personally think the answer depends on how long you have lived in your present home, how many children (if any) you have and what sort of lifestyle you lead. Do you love a lack of clutter or are you a hoarder?

For a typical family, who have lived in one place for a number of years and aren’t living a minimalist lifestyle I would say it just isn’t worth the hassle and hard work of doing a house move yourself unless you are really strapped for cash. But if you are single or a couple with no children and have moved fairly regularly then the move could be easy and it might be worth the savings you will make.

You decide, but why not let us know your moving stories – good or bad – they might help the rest of us to decide where the tipping point lies between the hassle and the money saved in doing a house move yourself.