It’s no secret that moving is an expensive endeavor – so you’ll, of course, be looking for any possible way to cut down your moving costs.
It is also no secret that “packing on the cheap” is one of the best ways to reduce moving expenses – so you’ll, of course, want to take advantage of that money-saving strategy.
But how to pack for a move cheaply? The answer is simple enough – do NOT pay for packing services and do NOT pay for packing supplies.
You can pack your items for moving safely and efficiently without incurring any costs. You just need to think out of the box – and to be ready to invest a lot of time and hard work in the packing job.
Read on to find out the cheapest way to pack for moving, so you can make your next relocation as economical as possible.
Pack your items yourself
Hiring professional packers will save you plenty of time and effort – and will ensure the safety of your items during the move. The pros will do all the hard work for you, will complete the job within several hours, and will provide your belongings with the best protection possible.
Professional packing services, however, are quite expensive – the national average cost to hire packers is $60 per hour per packer, so you’ll need to pay about $450-$600 for packing labor if you want to have a 2-bedroom home professionally packed for moving. (See also: How much does it cost to hire packers)
So, to save on packing costs, you can forego professional packing and pack your items yourself. It won’t be easy, but it will help you lower your total moving bill by a significant amount.
Just make sure you start packing as early as possible and spend a couple of hours on the task every day (so you can finish the job on time) and use safe and efficient packing techniques (so you can ensure adequate protection to your belongings). Be careful to avoid rookie packing mistakes that may result in damaged items or wasted time and, thus, in lost money.
Bonus tip: It’s a good idea to do most of the packing yourself, but to leave your most delicate and most valuable possessions to the pros – so you have peace of mind that your cherished belongings and special items will survive the move intact and unscathed. The extra dollars you spend will be worth it.
Get free moving boxes
If you’re going to do your own packing, you’re going to need packing materials – cheap packing materials, so you can reduce your moving expenses even further.
Your first task is to find cheap packing boxes – you’re going to need a great number of moving boxes to take all your belongings to your new home, so even though they’re not very expensive, the total price will skyrocket if you simply buy them all brand new. (See also: How many boxes do you need for moving)
Fortunately, you don’t really need to purchase new moving boxes – you can easily get used packing boxes for free:
- Ask friends and acquaintances if they have any unneeded boxes left at their homes from previous moves;
- Check specialized websites (such as Freecycle and Craigslist) to see if anyone in your area is giving away moving boxes;
- Visit local retail stores at times when they receive shipments and ask to take the empty boxes they need to dispose of.
Click here for more detailed information on where to get free moving boxes.
Using free moving boxes will help you save on packing materials, but keep in mind that second-hand boxes won’t provide as good protection to your items as brand new moving boxes will. (See also: Risks of using free moving boxes)
The same is true for all other kinds of packing supplies as well – you can get bubble wrap for free and may even be able to obtain packing peanuts, foam sheets, and other packing materials at no cost (in the same ways as you can get moving boxes for free), but they will be compromised from previous use and won’t provide quality protection to your belongings.
Use the containers you have in your home
As already mentioned, you’re going to need a lot of packing containers when moving to a new home. These containers, however, do not all need to be cardboard boxes – you can use various other things – things that you already have at home and will be moving to your new place anyway – as moving containers:
- Suitcases, backpacks, and all kinds of travel bags, fabric bags, heavy duty plastic bags, etc.;
- Plastic storage containers;
- Baskets and hampers;
- Buckets and bins;
- Crates and liquor boxes, etc.
You’ll be able to pack a great deal of things in these improvised moving containers – so the number of cardboard boxes you’re going to need for your move will decrease significantly. You may even be able to pack without boxes at all – the “champion” method among the cheap ways to pack for a move.
Leave non-breakable items in their drawers
Furniture drawers are designed to hold stuff and are sturdy enough to keep their contents safe during transit – so they, too, offer a good, frugal packing option.
When packing for moving, you can simply leave your small, non-fragile items (clothes, towels, linen, office supplies, etc.) in their drawers and transport them to your new home as they are. This will not only cut down the number of boxes you will need (and, thus, help you save on packing materials), but will also save you time and effort when packing for your move.
Just make sure you take the drawers out of the furniture (otherwise the furniture will be too heavy to carry) and cover them with plastic wrap to keep their contents secured during the relocation.
Related: How to pack drawers for moving
Pack in garbage bags
Another good method to reduce your packing expenses is to pack some of you items in garbage bags.
Soft, lightweight items like pillows and cushions, linens and towels, clothes and plush toys, etc. can be safely transported in heavy-duty trash bags that won’t tear up too easily – and since garbage bags are very cheap, using them as packing materials is extremely cost-efficient.
Good to know: Clean garbage bags are especially useful when moving hanging clothes – you can simply pull a trash bag down over a group of hanging clothes (as they’re in the closet) and secure the bottom of the bag with its drawstrings or with packing tape. Your garments – together with their hangers – will be ready for moving.
Additional useful information: How to use garbage bags for packing and moving
Use alternative wrapping and cushioning materials
When packing for a move, you will need not only moving containers, but plenty of wrapping and cushioning materials as well. While packing paper, bubble wrap, packing peanuts, foam padding, and other professional packing supplies are, of course, the best choice, they come at a cost.
To reduce your moving expenses, you will want to avoid that cost – here are some cheap packing ideas to help you do so:
- Wrap fragile items and easily-scratched items in soft towels or clothes – instead of bubble wrap;
- Put glasses and other small breakables in clean socks – instead of wrapping them in packing paper;
- Line the bottoms of your packing containers with old towels, sweaters, pajamas, or other soft clothing – instead of using packing paper or bubble wrap;
- Rip and ball up old newspapers – use the paper wads instead of packing peanuts and/or crumpled packing paper;
- Use balls of yarn and/or shredded paper to provide extra cushioning and padding inside your packing containers – instead of packing peanuts, foam sheets, bubble wrap, and other professional cushioning materials;
- Use dollar store balloons – or small sealable plastic bags – instead of professional packaging air pillows and air bags;
- Use your home blankets instead of moving blankets.
See also: Packing materials for moving you already own
Reuse packing materials
If you’re moving locally, you’ll be able to make multiple trips to your new home – not only on moving day, but also before the actual relocation.
In this case, you’ll be able to use the same packing supplies several times – you can transport a dozen of pre-packed boxes in your car every time you visit your new place, empty the boxes, get them and the cushioning and padding materials that were in them back to your old home, and use them again. This little trick will help you save a lot on packing supplies.
Good to remember: All the above cheap ways to pack for a move will help you reduce your relocation costs. Your most efficient money-saving strategy, however, is to declutter your home and purge your possessions before the move – not only will you need fewer packing supplies (and will, therefore, spend less on packing expenses) when you have fewer items for moving, but your relocation will become much cheaper (moving costs depend on the size of the move).
To sum it all up – the cheapest way to pack for moving is to pack yourself, pack only what you really need and love, use cheap packing supplies, and take advantage of clever packing tricks. Good luck!
