I have always disliked moving.
I mean, I like the idea of moving into a new apartment and I look forward to settling into a new home. What I don’t particularly enjoy is packing everything I owe, tidy up my old place and move all my belongings into my new home, often across town. The whole process can be very distressing. My current apartment is my 5th home in the past 6 years or so. This is what happens when you don’t own a place; you keep moving from one place to another, and I find this experience exhausting and hard to enjoy.
I have lived in my current apartment for just under 2 years. I love my flat, it feels like home and I have an amazing flatmate who has become my very good friend. On the other side, the rent on my current place is quite high and since I’m doing everything in my power to get out of debt and start saving for my future, I have no choice but to move out to a more affordable place and this is heart breaking. That said, I have to admit I am very much looking forward to spending less money on rent and own less stuff. That’s right. No more stuff.
FREE UP SOME SPACE
I have come to realise that if I truly want to change my financial life around and start afresh heading to my bright financial future, I need space. Literally. With so many things lying around and collecting dust, I actually feel there is no space to breathe. I also realised that it would be so much easier to move if I owed less stuff. It took me three full days to declutter, and I was ruthless. I got rid of many items of clothing and many pairs of shoes. Some of the things I had to throw away as I knew charities would not want them (they are very picky) and some I set aside for the charity shop which I plan on visiting this coming Saturday. I am going to sell most of my designer items, I have dresses that I only wore once or twice and I don’t think I will ever wear again. All my books and DVDs are also going. I will keep one or two of my absolute favourites but this will be it. It took me one full day to go through (and shred!) all my paperworkand it was painful to look at my old bank statements. I am so glad they are gone and I will never see them again. Ever.
My bedroom looks completely empty now. I feel liberated, I really do. It is amazing how clutter can become such a heavy emotional weight. Especially old bank statements with unhealthy balances! This is one thing I would definitely recommend – get rid. Make room for something new, something that will not carry a negative balance. I am proud to say that all my belongings now fit into 5 big boxes plus my telly and 2 big suitcases. It still sounds like too much stuff, but it’s good progress, I used to own twice as much.
SAVE ON MOVING EXPENSES
As my moving day is fast approaching, I decided to think ahead of ways to save on moving expenses. I will not order a removal service this time around (it cost me £200 to move 2 years ago), I will take a taxi (most likely a people’s carrier to fit all my stuff in which should not cost more than £25-30, yep I’ve already made some calls). Also, I will not be buying any moving boxes. Instead, I went to my closest supermarket yesterday and 5 minutes later walked out with 3 big boxes (I already have 2 storage boxes at home). Frugal or what?
Needless to say, I will not hire a professional cleaner, I will clean the place myself. That said, I only need to take care of my bedroom and my bathroom, and this is pretty easy and will not take much time. I am not sure what I would do if I had to move out of a big house. A bit of cleaning I can handle, but cleaning a big house (and not just cleaning but making it shine!)… errmm, no, not so much.
In my old days, I was way too busy living my life and would normally start packing 2 days before the move which often led to unnecessary stress and headaches. This time, I am so glad I started decluttering and packing one month in advance. I feel relaxed and in control, and most importantly in charge of my money as I know this move will not cost me much (fingers crossed)!
When was the last time you moved? Did it cost you much?