Here are some ways you can help out a budget-conscious friend who needs to move.

Chip in for a removals service

Even though you might think that the simplest way to support your friend in this situation would be to help them transport their things to their new property, it could actually be better to chip in for a removals service instead. The reason for this is as follows: whilst you might have plenty of enthusiasm and be more than willing to help your friend carry their furniture, appliances and boxes, you won't be as skilled as professional removalists, nor will you be able to provide the lifting equipment that they have access to.

As such, in spite of your positive, can-do attitude, you may unintentionally make your friend's move harder, rather than easier. If for example, neither you nor your friend knows how to safely lift large kitchen appliances, you could drop their fridge-freezer or cooker, break it and put them in a position where they have to buy a new expensive appliance when they can't really afford to. You can avoid doing this, simply by giving them some cash to put towards a removals company's fee. The removalists will transport your friend's items quickly and professionally, without doing any damage to them.

Visit their home a bit more frequently during the fortnight before their move

A couple of weeks before they're supposed to move, you might (with your friend's permission) want to start visiting their home a bit more frequently. When going for a visit during this period, you should bring with you a few boxes, some rolls of bubble wrap and a few sticky labels. If they're short on cash, they'll appreciate you supplying them with these packing materials and will be even more appreciative if you help them to fill and label a few of these boxes with their belongings whilst you're visiting them.

Doing this will ensure that they don't, for example, have to wait until the day before their move to pack because they couldn't afford to buy their packing materials until that point. Packing at a slow and steady pace will not only leave them less stressed but will also mean that when the removals team collects their things, their items will be ready and waiting, and will be packed neatly in a way that will enable the removalists to carry them easily.