Moving house can be a pain in the rear at the best of times. It's time consuming, stressful and expensive if you're not careful. There's always something that's not packed in time. What do you throw out, what do you keep? Do you have space for all of this? Do you do it yourself, or do you pay someone to do it? There are so many questions, but here are some tips to help you out so it's not such a shock when it comes to the big move.

Packaging and moving: How are we going to shift it all?

The last thing you want to be when moving house is unprepared. Second only to that is being under-resourced. Be sure to plan it all out long before the moving day. Choose early on if you're going to hire a removal company or move it yourself.

But you'll also want to have enough boxes and wrapping materials. The worst feeling is getting to the packing stage and not having enough boxes to carry everything. You'll want boxes of different shapes and sizes and you'll need to be clever when it comes to filling the boxes. Think of the old video game Tetris. Fit the most items into the smallest spaces. Also, be sure to go out and buy bubble wrap for your valuable items. You might see it as an unnecessary expense, but it's a hell of a lot cheaper than replacing broken valuables.

Shifting the valuables: It's expensive, I can't afford to lose this!

Chances are you threw out the box it came in, right? Don't worry, most of us do, but that doesn't mean you've got to hold it in your arms during the moving process, far from it. You also won't be playing roulette by leaving it in the boxes with the rest of it. There are a few tips that you can use to protect your valuables.

Keep it away from the edge

If you're worried about the box taking a few bumps and knocks, there's a way to avoid this. Keep the valuables from the edge of the box. Literally. Don't let it touch the cardboard at all. Wrap your item with bubble wrap or a suitable equivalent. But don't stop there, line the box with it too. That way, if the box takes a knock or two, the padding is the first point of contact, not your valuables.

Stop it moving

If you look at the type of packaging that your TV or PC came in, you'll notice that there was a lot of polystyrene holding everything solidly in place, right. This is because nothing valuable is ever going to benefit from being bumped or shaken about. And if you can't avoid bumpy roads during the move, the last thing you'll want is your precious vase or pricey electrical items jumping and bumping about in their boxes in the back. So pack your boxes full, place valuables in boxes along with other heavily padded or soft items to limit the space for movement as well as ensuring that if they do hit something, it's something soft.

Man vs Van: Move yourself or hire someone?

There's always the debate of "do I move this stuff myself for free or do I pay someone to do it for me?" and on face value, it sounds simple, doesn't it? If you can move it yourself, then do it instead of paying someone. Right? Well, not always. There are things to consider, hidden costs for example.

A removal company will have vehicles of different sizes, so you'll always be able to get moved in one trip. If you don't have a particularly large car or van yourself, your move could take up a lot of time doing round trips.

And of course, round trips use petrol, which isn't getting any cheaper, is it? Factor the cost of fuel into the move as well as the time you'll spend going back and forth. Is it better to do it yourself or just call someone?

Finally, there's the extra manpower. You'll be hard-pressed to find a Next Level Removals company that won't help you shift your stuff onto the van as well as getting it all off and into your house. Not only that, but some will allow you to request extra hands for a small additional fee.