Beyond the boxes: unexpected costs when I moved house
Caxton Local Media journalist, Candyce Pillay, says she calculated the cost of the movers, the boxes, maybe even factored in a cleaning service. But what about the new fibre line? The takeout meals during unpacking week? Aaaagggh!
WHEN I moved house recently, I thought I had budgeted for everything. The boxes, the movers, the van, the deposits. I even made a checklist. But what no one tells you is that moving isn’t just financially draining; it’s quietly, constantly leaking your money through the cracks.
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It starts small. You’re knee-deep in boxes at midnight, sorting what feels like an endless pile of things you didn’t even know you owned. You’re too tired to cook. For a few days … okay, maybe a week … you live off takeaways and supermarket meal deals. It adds up. So my advice is budget for this or freeze meals in advance. Lesson learnt.
Then comes the move-in. More exhaustion, more takeaways and the first grocery shop to restock the basics: oils, spices, cleaning supplies. It’s like setting up life from scratch, and the bill at the checkout is a small heart attack waiting to happen.
Now let’s talk Wi-Fi. I had to switch providers because my old one didn’t service the new area. I paid a reconnection fee and then I had to upgrade the line speed to match the complex where I now live – they only do one line speed. More time, more money. Sort this out before you move. Find out all the nitty gritty so you’re not caught off guard like me.
But the cost that really got under my skin? The agent’s fee. R1900. Poof! Gone. I still don’t understand why I had to pay this. The property owner hired the agent. The agent works for them. So why am I footing that bill? Where’s the legislation that says this is the tenant’s responsibility? Is it a by-law? A loophole? Or just a tradition we’ve all just agreed to suffer through? It feels like a tax for having the audacity to move.
And of course, there are the forgotten essentials: the shower curtain that doesn’t fit, the missing screws for furniture you’ve disassembled too many times, the new keys you have to cut, and the cost of extra access tags and remotes.
The truth is, moving home is a thousand small decisions and unplanned expenses, each one nibbling away at your time, energy, and bank balance.
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