10 Cost Effective Ways to Pack

Finding your new beautiful home or apartment was the easy part. Now it’s time to pack. Don’t panic, even as you sort through all the stuff you’ve been acquiring over the years packing is the best excuse to clean, declutter and simplify your life. Use these 10 cost effective tips to pack quickly, stay on budget and get organized before your move.

Packing Tips for Moving

1. Declutter before the move

Start going through all your stuff at least two weeks before your move. The sooner you get started the sooner you’ll be finished, and the less stressed out you’ll be. Work on one room a day and start with the biggest items you want to get rid of like heavy furniture or anything hazardous. Get a junk removal company or haul away service to dispose of these items. Keep in mind that Strongmove offers bulk disposal for our customers as part of the move.

2. Don’t pay for boxes

Although Strongmove always has your back with packing materials, sometimes the best way to cut costs is to source boxes for free. Boxes are the building blocks of moving, which is why they can get pricey if you’re not using professionals to pack them who know how to make the best use of the space. There are many ways to find boxes for free:

o Find boxes from your office or workplace; printer-paper boxes are strong and great for small or medium sized items.

o Ask friends or social media groups for boxes from a recent move.

o Check Freecycle and Craigslits’s Free section or take a look around your neighborhood on recycling and garbage day.

o Ask around at your local liquor stores; boxes strong enough to hold glass bottles filled with liquid can certainly handle your light knickknacks.

o Check around behind strip malls or large stores. The back alleys behind stores like Ross or Marshall’s are often littered with unused boxes.

You can also earn a little money back when you’re done by reselling them to companies like Container Exchanger and Box Cycle. You can earn up to $0.50 to $1.50 per box! Every little bit helps.

3. Send your books through USPS

This tip works best for medium to long distance moves, but boxes containing books are among the heaviest to move. Once you’ve sorted through your books to determine which to keep, donate or sell, box the rest up and send them via Media Mail through the U.S. Postal Service.

They’ll take a little longer to arrive, but the price is unbeatable. A 20-pound box of books only costs around $12 to ship. This can result in a lot of savings as your book weight adds up to a lot of extra moving labor time.

4. Deduct your expenses.

Unless you’re a tax professional, many people may be unaware they can qualify for additional tax deductions as a result of their move. Even if you didn’t have a job lined up before  your move, or you didn’t start one right away after moving you may be able to claim moving expenses.

5. Pack in the right order

Start with the least used areas in your home, such as a storage area, garage or guest room. Slowly work your way to the more commonly used areas like your bathrooms and kitchen. Pack one room completely before moving on and don’t forget your high-ticket items and valuables, like jewelry. These types of items may be something you don’t want packed or loaded onto the moving truck. Keep these items of great importance and sentimentality close by and with you during the move so they don’t get lost in the shuffle.

6. Use plastic wrap on liquids

You know how when you purchase liquid items from online stores like Amazon they come with the top sealed in plastic wrap? This is a great technique to make sure the item does not leak if it gets tipped over during the move.

7. Pack your clothing

You have some options to pack your clothes. Consider buying a few wardrobe boxes. Strongmove can rent them to you for $10 each. You can purchase them for $20 or more in a container store. These wardrobe boxes have bars, so you can easily transfer hanging clothes into the box, still on hangers, so packing and unpacking your closets is easy breezy! Budget tip: Try the trash bag method. Poke the top of your hangers through the bottom of a trash bag and pull the bag down over your clothes, securing the opening on the bottom with a tie.

8. Use towels and clothes as packing materials

Towels, linens and other small clothing items make good filler for boxes. Use washcloths and socks instead of packing peanuts to keep your small breakables from shifting in boxes and wrap fragile items in thick towels to provide extra support. This can save you money on packing supplies!

9. Pack for your new house, not the old one

If you know the floor plan and layout of your new home, label all your boxes with directions for where they go, not where they came from. Directing the movers on which box goes where will be a lot easier and unpacking will be simple if all your boxes end up in the right rooms.

10. Hire professional movers

This service costs money, but if you’re on a tight deadline and can afford it, call in the professionals. Moving companies like Strongmove have full-service packing options. We will box up all of your belongings, so you don’t have to. We can do the job quickly since we pack and move homes every day. Call us today at 1-800-617-0629 to schedule your free estimate.

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