Moving can be expensive even if you’re doing the bulk of the work yourself. Things like packing material, boxes, and tape can add up, especially if you have a lot of stuff to pack. This doesn’t include the cost of local or long distance movers.
Since everyone loves to save money, consider looking around your house for items you can substitute for traditional moving supplies before you prepare for the move.
Here are a few ideas of where you can look to find everyday things around the house that can help you during your move.
The Kitchen
Within your kitchen, there are plenty of items that can break easily or that are difficult to pack safely, such as knives. When packing to move kitchen items like dishes, glasses, and China, most people reach for the mountains of peanuts or bubble wrap. However, instead of using those packing materials to pack up your delicate dishes, try using reusable wrappings such as towels or tee shirts. When the box is packed, try using throw pillows to keep everything stable and safe.
The Library
If you’re an avid reader, then chances are you have a big library of books that need to be boxed for your move. You can save money if you bind the books together with rope or bungee cord instead of putting them in a box.
The Bedroom
Instead of removing clothes from the dresser only to put them back in once you arrive at your new home, consider placing the clothes in trash bags and leaving them in the drawers during the transit. Once you arrive, put the drawers back in the dresser and remove the clothes from the bags.
Forget the Boxes
Trying to find the necessary boxes around your house to complete your packing can be a pain in the butt. When you’ve exhausted your supply of boxes, it’s tempting to go to the office supply store or storage center to purchase more. If you want to save money, try hitting up your local grocery store or dollar store. These stores are always getting new shipments and throwing away their boxes. Most stores are happy to let you rummage through the box selection before they trash them, or will hold boxes back for you.
Also, if you know people who do a lot of online shopping, ask them in advance to save the packing materials; this saves you the money by preventing you from having to buy your own and is better for the environment.
Rent a Container
To be kinder to the environment, consider using a reusable moving tub in place of cardboard boxes. Most storage centers have these tubs for rent, and the cost is comparable to what you’d pay for boxes.
Tale of the Tape
It’s important to tape the bottom of your boxes securely, but the tops, not so much. If the items in the box aren’t breakable, don’t waste tape on the top.
Liquids
Put soap, detergents, shampoos, and other liquids in an open face box available at your local warehouse store instead of putting them in a cardboard box where they can leak and cause a mess.