It’s no secret moving can get expensive quickly. Between purchasing packing materials, hiring a moving company (or renting a truck and paying for fuel), renting moving equipment, and lots of little incidental costs, you could easily spend hundreds or even thousands of dollars on your relocation. And if you’re making a long-distance move, your costs will only increase.
But moving house doesn’t have to put a huge dent in your savings — when you’re willing to get a little inventive, you can easily save yourself quite a bit of cash. If you’re moving on a budget and looking for ways to save, paring down the amount of packing materials you need to purchase is a great place to start.
Here are six budget-friendly packing ideas that can help you save money on your next move.
1. Find Free Used Boxes
If you’re moving lots of stuff, you’ll need quite a few boxes to get the job done, and all of those boxes can get quite expensive if you buy them new. Luckily, folks who’ve recently completed relocations often give away boxes on online marketplaces like Facebook and Craigslist. You may also be able to find sturdy, used moving boxes on neighborhood apps like NextDoor.
If you can’t find any boxes online, you can always try the old-school box-finding route: Stop by box stores or grocery stores and ask the manager if you can take any old boxes they’d otherwise toss in the recycling bin.
2. Use Plastic Shopping Bags for Wrapping and Cushioning
Have you been saving plastic shopping bags with every intention of bringing them to your local public recycling bin? If so, don’t recycle those bags quite yet — use them to wrap up and cushion delicate items instead! If you have tons of bags, you may not need much bubble wrap at all, depending on the amount of fragile stuff you need to move, of course.
Just make sure you use at least a couple of layers of bags if you’re wrapping glass or ceramic, and be sure to scrunch up bags and pack them between each fragile item, too. When you finish unpacking at your new home, then schlep those bags to the nearest recycling bin, along with any other recyclable plastic packing materials you may have used.
3. Pack Your Luggage
If you have empty suitcases or duffle bags, pack them full of stuff before you load them onto the moving truck. Stuff them with clothes, towels, or other linens, or, if you have hard-sided suitcases, you may even be able to pack more delicate items inside. If you don’t pack those bags, they’ll only take up space, so put them to good use instead.
4. Keep Dresser Drawers Full
If you have a dresser (or more than one), don’t empty the drawers before you load the truck. Instead, pull the drawers out, leave the clothing inside them, and load the frame of the dresser onto the truck.
Then, load the full drawers onto the truck and slide them back inside the dresser for transport. When you arrive at your new home, unload the drawers first, then take the dresser frame off the truck, and pop the drawers back inside. Your clothes will still be folded, so you won’t just save some cash on packing materials — you’ll save yourself time, too!
Check out these other helpful tips for packing your clothes that can save you time and money.
5. Pack Hampers, Laundry Baskets, and Bins
If you have baskets, hampers, or any other empty basket-style receptacles, you can use those items to hold anything that’s not breakable during your move. Stuff clothing, pillows, linens, dry goods, and anything else inside and use the built-in handles to easily transport everything onto and off of the moving truck.
6. Use Home Blankets in Lieu of Moving Blankets
Got any old blankets or sheets you’re not overly fond of? Use them as moving blankets to protect large items during your relocation.
If you’re moving anything that could get scratched (like appliances or furniture) you’ll want to wrap it with something protective before loading it onto the truck. If you buy brand-new moving blankets, you’ll pay about $15 for each one, so if you're moving lots of scratch-prone stuff, this hack alone could save you hundreds.
Check out these other money-saving packing hacks that can save you time, too!
Looking for a Trustworthy Moving Company Near Minneapolis?
Want to take back your time and leave the tedious packing process to the pros? Then get in touch with our team at Ace Moving & Warehousing to learn more about our full packing and moving services! We specialize in local, interstate, and international relocations and offer a wide variety of customized moving services that can help you take the stress out of your move.
Ready to learn more about what we can do for you? Need a quick moving quote? Then give us a call today at 763-755-2045 or request a quote online, and we’ll get in touch with more info!