While I am the stay-at-home mother of six beautiful children, my husband works in a field that requires us to move frequently. The first time we had to move, it was just the two of us, and while it seemed stressful at the time, that ended up being the "easy" move! As our family has grown, the moving process has become much more time-intensive, and I learned that if I don't create a moving "to-do" list and go through it step by step, I forget to get important things done before we move. I know there are other families of all sizes out there facing moves soon, so I thought I would make a blog to share my moving and storage tips with everyone who needs them. Come back often, especially if you are moving in the near future!
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5 Tips To Help You Save Money On Packing
Liam Morales
Moving can be expensive, and there are all kinds of tips online related to how to save money on your move. They range from selling everything you own to more reasonable tips such as driving your own moving truck. However, if you really want to save money, you may want to focus on key areas and figure out how to save in each of those areas.
To that end, this post looks at how to save money on packing. Here are five money-saving packing tips to help you.
1. Pack By Yourself
Paying a moving company to handle everything for you can be very convenient, but you pay for that convenience. Even if you have a truck transporting all of your possessions, you should just pack on your own. That saves money.
The only exception to the rule is if you really don't have time. If you're paying the movers less than you make per hour, you may actually save money by working and outsourcing the packing.
2. Find Free Boxes
You don't have to buy moving boxes. If you're willing to devote a bit of time, you can actually find quality moving boxes without spending any money at all. The best places to look are liquor stores, bookstores, and supermarkets. Those boxes have to be sturdy to hold glass bottles, heavy tomes, and all kinds of groceries.
Don't just walk into a store expecting to get boxes. Instead, call ahead and ask to speak to the shipping and receiving manager. In most cases, if you're polite, these professionals will be willing to set aside some boxes for you.
3. Use Recycled Paper for Packaging
Once you have the boxes, you need to start filling them with items. Also, try to put heavy items in smaller boxes, and save the big boxes for lightweight items. Imagine, if you have a huge box, it's going to be easier to lift if it's full of blankets rather than books.
To ensure your items don't break in transit, you need to use some packaging materials. You can buy packing peanuts and bubble wrap, or you can save money by using newspapers. If you're one of the over three-quarters of Americans who doesn't read a print newspaper, you may need to look for recycled paper.
If you live in a neighborhood where people put out their recycling weekly, go up and down the street, and grab some recycling. Otherwise, just save your junk mail for a few months before the move.
4. Mix Clothing and Towels With Glassware
Generally, to stay organized, you want to pack like items with like items. However, if you're trying to save money, you may need to mix and match while packing for your move. Wrap socks around glasses, cushion plates in hand towels, or roll up small bits of clothing to put inside wine glasses.
Make sure to use lots of cushioning. Remember if your items break, replacing them will cost more than it would have cost to buy packaging materials in the first place.
5. Don't Buy Sharpies
It's important to mark your boxes so that you know where they go in your new home, but you don't need to invest in a new sharpie. If you don't have one lying around your home, just use a pen. If you need it to show up better on the box, tape a white piece of paper to the box, and write on that.
Want more tips on packing or moving in general? Want to get a quote for renting a moving truck or hiring movers to handle everything? Then, contact a professional moving company near you.
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