Moving house yourself, or with a bunch of your friends, is certainly budget friendly, and kind of cute in a student sort of way. But when you’ve graduated from a single room in a student house to a three bed semi complete with kids and cats, it can sometimes be advisable to bite the bullet and get the professionals in.

Professional movers will have you out of your old home and into your new one in a jiffy, and the investment can be well worth the extra spend when you consider the amount of time and stress you will save. However, don’t think that just because you are paying for their service you can just rest on your laurels and let them do the hard work. If you want to minimise extra expenses and ensure your move goes smoothly, there are still some jobs to be done.

  1. Unplug all your appliances
    Because some electrical equipment can be damaged through sudden shut down, your movers will need to ask your permission before they unplug each and every one of your appliances. This will slow down the moving process and mean more expense, so take the time to do this yourself. It will also give you the opportunity to cable tie or bundle wires together to avoid any damage or losses in the move.
  2. Pack yourself
    Professional movers will pack for you, for a price. But do you really want this? Packers will be going through every single item in your possession, and this can feel like a bit of an invasion of privacy, not to mention the high cost associated with having them do it for you. Do your own packing and not only will it give you the opportunity to throw away or give away some of the clutter you no longer need, it will also mean you can pack things the way you want to. Make sure you label boxes clearly for each and every room, and it helps sometimes to briefly list key contents, such as ‘mugs’, ‘TV remote’ and ‘toilet roll’ so you can quickly find your essentials at the other end. If you have boxes and boxes of things you won’t need for a while, consider running a few of them down to a cheap self storage unit so you’ll have less to worry about on the big day.
  3. Clean up
    Your movers will be able to do a safer and more efficient job if they can get around the whole house safely. This doesn’t mean you have to mop and vacuum every room, but at least make sure there is a clear pathway from one room to the next and no toys, shoes or leads trailing around that might be the cause of an accident.