When relocating to another state on a tight budget, you need to find every way possible to cut your costs. A good way to start is to find cheap moving supplies. Try asking around your neighborhood for some – many markets and shops have cartons that they don’t need nor use. Call your friends and ask for markers, paper, and bubble wrap. But if you want to avoid doing all of this, hire a moving company that will bring the materials with them.
How Many Supplies Do You Need?
Before the formal process of packing starts, you will want to create a budget and a checklist for moving to a new state. Make sure to estimate the number of materials you will need to pack everything you have.
If you are on a tight budget, you would not want to overbuy boxes, tapes, and other materials. Before you even start packing for a move, you should declutter. Make a home inventory, write down all of your items, throw away the broken ones, and you can sell at a garage sale and donate the rest that you don’t need.
This will lower the number of materials you will use. Or, if you are hiring a company that offers packing and unpacking services, having fewer items to put in boxes means a lower final quote.
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Donating Is a Way to Declutter
Decluttering is one of the first things you should do when you start sorting your stuff out. If you are relocating from Miami, a warm and sunny place, and moving to colder Seattle, you should leave behind some of your summer clothes. If you find double coffee makers or toasters, and they are in a working condition, think about donating old appliances. The same goes for furniture you no longer need or use.
What the Basic Moving Kit Should Include
When you figured out how many items you are left with, after all the decluttering, it is time to make a checklist of materials you will need for successful packing. The basic kit should contain things that will protect all of your belongings. So make sure that you have:
- Boxes of various sizes
- Plastic bins
- Different kinds of tape – shipping, duct tape, double-sided
- Scissors and cutters
- Stickers and colored markers
- Gloves
- Ropes
- Bubble wrap, foam peanuts, and other cushioning materials
Cheap Moving Supplies – Be Creative with the Things You Have
We all have many items lying around your home that we can use as packing materials during the move. Look around for suitcases and duffle bags. You can pack fragile items and clothes in them. Suitcases are especially useful for transporting more massive objects since they have wheels.
If you are taking your dressers with you, another creative storage idea is to leave the drawers filled with clothes or utensils. Just make sure that in the end, the dresser is not too heavy.
If you are using professional moving services, notify the crew that the drawers are filled with belongings so that they are extra careful while handling it.
Blankets Are the Best Padding Material
Blankets are something all of us use and have in our homes. So why not put them into good use while relocating? They could be an excellent padding material. They will protect your fragile objects from vibrations and impact during the move. Do you have to pack a mirror or a picture for transport? Wrap them up in bubble wrap and lie them down on blankets, increasing the protection.
Contact Firms That Sell Various Products
Many places offer various materials you can use to pack your stuff. If you are not up for going to the shop, you can order them online.
If you don’t have enough heavy-duty and durable materials in your home, browse through sites like Craigslist or Amazon and you will find everything you need. Just make sure that you get enough – you don’t want to be left without tape or padding materials in the middle of boxing up.
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And if you are hiring a professional moving company, there is a good chance that they have boxes and packing supplies in their offer.
What Kind of Box Do You Need?
When making an inventory of your belongings, take note of many different shapes and sizes your objects come in. You cannot put the fridge in a small crate. It will be physically impossible. That is why you need different-sized boxes.
Also, think about getting sturdier, more durable boxes, the ones made out of plastic and wood, as they offer additional protection to your fragile or valuable items.
Don’t Forget a Mattress Bag
Have you been wondering how to move a mattress? They don’t seem like problematic objects to move, right? Well, if you are doing it yourself, you need to think about protecting your mattress just like any other item from your home.
Use mattress bags to move it. Those are heavy-duty plastics that protect your object from dust, dirt, and physical damage. This is especially important if you are using a storage service and planning on leaving your mattress there for the time being.
Renting Boxes
Are you a person that is passionate about protecting the environment? You recycle cardboard, but there are plenty of materials that are not that easily recycled. Tapes and plastics are among them. To additionally protect your surroundings, make sure that you rent reusable containers. After you are done with relocation, all you have to do is return them.
Find Free Boxes and Other Related Supplies for Every Item You Have
The relocation process can be pricey, so nobody would blame you if you wanted to save a couple of bucks. And what better way to do it than obtaining free materials that you can use in your relocation process. Take a walk around your neighborhood and ask local vendors if they have boxes they don’t use that you can take. Places like supermarkets and liquor stores will probably have some materials you can use.
Also, contact your family and friends and see what kind of items they have that you can use. Not having to buy necessities will save you some money.
Return When You Are Done
Learn how to unpack efficiently. Once you’ve settled in your new apartment, you should think about returning the materials you can. Empty boxes could come in handy to somebody from your family if they are planning on moving. The same goes for markers, bubble wrap, paper, and other padding materials.
Added Benefits of Hiring a Moving Company
Think about all the good things you will get if you decide to hire a trustworthy moving company to assist you in the process of relocation.
Movers bring a highly trained crew that will pack your belongings and handle them with utmost care. Also, they bring the best and latest equipment and materials so that you don’t have to worry about that either. With reliable movers, all you have to do is sit back and relax while professionals handle your relocation.
