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There is no doubt about it, moving costs money. That is why many people ask friends to help them move. They think it will help them to save on the cost of hiring professional removalists. However, this is not always a good idea; what you save can be lost in other ways. And you can run into many different problems.

• For a start, friends are not getting paid to do this. That means they may not show up if they get a better offer or if they have other more urgent family businesses to attend to. And they may not bother to let you know they are not coming. So you will be stranded with a lot of furniture and no one to load it, even if you hire a truck.
• You need to have a licence and experience to drive a hire truck. If your friends offer the use of their ute or one-tonner, remember it probably won’t have a roof. What if moving day dawns and it is rampant rain? Even a light shower can ruin furniture and bedding.
• Do your friends have training in how to lift properly? If they put their back out and lose work due to injury from lifting your goods you will certainly feel bad about it.

People have to move for many reasons and often move out of and into a rental home rather than their own. One of the main costs of a move is the bond. You cannot move into a new rental without paying a bond – and if your present rental is not left in spick and span condition, you won’t get back the bond you had to pay before moving in.

When it comes to the bond, it’s a good idea to look ahead. This will to some extent ensure that you will get the bond back when you leave. How? Not all rental homes are in a pristine condition before you move in.

They may have:-

• Stains on the walls or carpets
• Broken fittings
• Lights that don’t work
• Dripping taps or cistern
• Scratches on the flooring
• Cracked windows or torn flyscreens
• Loose towel rails or curtain fittings
• Ovens that don’t work
• Cracks in the walls
• Broken tiles or pathways

If you move in and take no notice of such things, when you move out you will get the blame for them and lose your bond. So what can you do? Read More

While much information can be found on how to pack and move your stuff, not so much is written about moving your family. For little children, a move into a strange house can be scary, especially the first few nights. Children of any age are always affected by the moods of their parents, so if you are stressed out and irritable they will pick up on this and may become badly behaved as a result.

Here are some tips on how to move your family without going crazy:

• Make sure you explain to children about the move. If they have to move schools and lose friends, they may be very unhappy. Give them a way of keeping in touch – phone calls, exchanging email addresses or street addresses, whatever is appropriate to their age.
• When packing their toys and room, leave out their favourite one or two toys to take in the car and have with them when they arrive. Little children should keep their favourite soft toy.
• Don’t get rid of their stuff without their permission – or at least, their knowledge.
• Get them involved in the moving and packing process. Having jobs to do makes them feel important.