These money-saving tips will help you to move house on a budget

_credit

Buying a property is quite possibly one of the biggest purchases you could ever hope to make. That being said, you also have to make sure that you cut down on your expenses elsewhere, so you do not end up burning through your budget too soon. Moving house can cost a lot of money too. After all, you have to pay for surveys, conveyancing, removals and more. When moving into your new home, there are a few ways to make sure that you are not throwing your money away. If you want to find out more, then simply read on.

Clear clutter

First things first, you have to make sure that you’re doing what you can to cut down on the number of packaging boxes you need. This will cut down on the number of removal services you’ll need, and it will also help you to cut down on costs if you know that you need to put some of your items into storage as well. As a general rule, the less you have overall, the less you’ll have to pay. Not only this, but you may find that you’re able to make some money by simply selling your items online too.

Find a removal team

When it comes to removals, the first thing you should do is compare prices. This will help you to make sure that you’re getting the best value for money. If possible, try to hire someone local. If you can choose someone who’s nearby and reputable, and if you can get quotes from a range of different removal companies, then this will help to ensure that you’re getting the best experience at a price you know you can afford. If you don’t need to move a large amount of stuff, you may find that a man and van is enough.

Book promptly

If you can give a lot of notice when moving house, then this will help you out a lot in the future. Removals teams can easily get booked up super quick, and this is especially the case if you’re moving during peak season. This could include if you’re moving during the summer or over a bank holiday weekend. If you book in advance, this means that you can budget, and it also means you can let everyone know about any last-minute changes too. If you’re able to move during a quieter period, you may be able to save even more money.

Do you get a discount?

Some removal companies will give you a discount if you’re a student, a key worker or a member of the armed forces. If you can, you should look to see if you can get a discount so you can then get the best result out of your experience. Now would also be the time for you to see if you can get some extra help from your removals company. Sometimes you may find that you do not have to move as much as you think, and this can save you a lot of money overall.

[disclosure*]

A rare day

Today has been a rare day; indeed, it’s been a rare week and more. We spent many hours watching the funeral of Queen Elizabeth II on the television. Despite us not being royalists, we greatly respect and admire the late Queen.

It was all so moving; the readings, the slow procession of uniformed troops through London, the sound of the massed pipes and drums, the crowds, the Queen’s favourite pony, the corgis and most of all, the lone piper at end of the Windsor service. Who does ceremony and pageantry as well as the British?

Image: © Chris Levine

Designer Desire: Juliette Belarti

Juliette Belarti is known for colourful ceramic tile designs usually seen on mid century modern coffee tables, nests of tables, home bars and door pulls.

So little is known about this artist, that there’s speculation that there isn’t actually a person named ‘J. Belarti’. It’s thought that it could perhaps be the work of a number of different artists or of a single person – the Belgian artist, Julien de Covemaeker.

I’ve found someone online who has helpfully shared photos of the pages of a Belarti catalogue. After some very slow and painstaking work, I’ve translated a couple of the passages of text from Dutch to English. Apparently, the first freehand decorated tile-topped coffee table was created in 1957 for a musician friend. The original Belarti ‘studio’ was in a garage and a very small kiln was located in a cellar.

After two years, the firm moved to larger premises in Mechelen – a city between Brussels and Antwerp in northern Belgium – and grew from strength to strength; becoming an équipe (crew) and gaining an international customer base.

Whoever Juliette Belarti may be, examples of work by this company or individual artist are readily available – try eBay, Etsy and Pamono.

Image credits:
1stDibs | Design by Davies

Price Points: Induction hob adapter plates

For a couple of years, we’ve been using a 2-ring induction hob during the warmer months. We tend to leave our wood-fired range from the late autumn through to the early spring. When we bought the hob, we had to buy a set of cream cast iron saucepans as our stainless steel and aluminium ones don’t work on it.

Just this week, I made a discovery – induction hob adapter plates! They allow you to use these aforementioned, defunct pans. You place it between your hob and your saucepan, and it transfers heat from the former to the latter.

Reading through the customer reviews of lots of different adapters, there’s a chance that it could mark the surface of your hob. A few people recommend that, to avoid this happening, you don’t need to have the power up as high as you usually would. Also, users report that pans take a much longer time to heat up than expected. This also means that you’ll be using a lot more electricity than if you simply use cast iron pans.

For me, I’d find one of these induction hob adapter plates useful when I’m making preserves. My jam pan is large and made of aluminium – so the larger the diameter of the plate, the better; the Trabo, therefore, fits my bill.

For many other people, from the reviews I read, miss being able to use their aluminium Moka coffee pots. Bialetti produces a fab adapter that’s perfect for their (and other brand’s) pots. At 13cm in diameter, it would also be suitable for smaller saucepans such as milk pans.

A preferred function for me would be a detachable handle – otherwise I could imagine it getting in the way when trying to cook. Again, the Trabo example offers this option.

Runzi induction hob heat diffuser ring plate: £20.99, Amazon

Bialetti coffee maker induction hob plate adapter, 13cm: £22.00, John Lewis

Trabo induction converter: £44.00, Divertimenti

26cm removable handle with safety button

shop induction hob adapter plates

Some of the links on our blog are affiliate links. We may receive a small commission - at no cost to you - if you click through and make a purchase.
Prices & links correct at time of publication.

Trabo induction converter
£44.00

Bialetti coffee maker induction hob plate adapter, 13cm
£22.00