How to Turn Household Stuff Into Packing Materials for Moving

Each move starts with certain reasons to move. You’re sitting in your chair, sipping hot coffee from your favorite mug, Googling best hiking towns and “long distance movers near me,” and sprucing up your LinkedIn profile so you can get a job in another state before relocating there. Then it hits you – the move is going to cost – a lot. And while you’re already starting to consider how to save money to move by cutting down on various expenses, you can get some ideas for the cheapest way to move out of state from our guide, too.

First of All, Figure Out When to Start Preparing

Relocating to a completely different location is a perfect opportunity to change some other things in your life. You can view the move as a fresh start and as the right moment to adopt some good habits. It’s also a chance to downsize for a move and get rid of piles of junk. Although you shouldn’t begin prepping your belongings for a move up until two weeks ahead of the big day, there are a few things you can do so you can move efficiently. The first stop on your packaging schedule is to scan your household and decide what to keep and place away seasonal clothes and shoes.

You’ll Need to Purge Around a Bit

Decluttering is always both calming and beneficial, even if you are not relocating but instead have decided to clean up your life a bit. It’s calming for simple reasons – some surveys have shown that 54% of US citizens are overwhelmed by the amount of clutter in their homes. On top of that, the US Department of Energy has reported that around one-quarter of Americans can’t park a car in their two-vehicle garage because of the clutter. So removing and donating unwanted items will reduce your stress levels. It’s beneficial to the charities where you plan to donate old appliances and to your budget as well, because the fewer of your possessions long-distance movers have to transport, the less it will cost. You can also add some money to the piggy bank if you throw a successful garage sale.

Packing Materials for Moving Right Out of Your Home

However silly it may sound at first, your home is full of different stuff you can use to package your belongings and thus save money on packing supplies for moving. Sure, there are a lot of cheap relocating supplies to be found out there, but it’s possible to package everything for free. So, what’s the best way to get packed without spending a dime? It’s fairly easy to answer that – by using your household stuff. Everywhere you turn, you will find some items that can be used to store other things. Laundry baskets, toy crates, bags, and suitcases – these are all decent substitutes for high-quality boxes, while all the household softies are perfect for cushioning.

If You Have a Suitcase, You Won’t Need No Box and Packing Supplies for Books

Whether you’re a bookworm or simply have a modest collection of books, you are probably aware that they will be easy to secure but not at all easy to carry. That’s why, even if you do decide to buy a couple of boxes, it’s best to place your novel collection into a suitcase. Suitcases can uphold many heavy objects, and they are easy to move around because of the handles and wheels.

Garbage Bags Can Be a Handy Packing Material for Moving

And now you’re most likely wondering how to package clothes without any boxes. However shocking it may sound, a garbage bag is a perfect tool to take care of your wardrobe. You can leave everything on the hangers, pull the bag over from underneath, and simply tie it around the hangers. This trick will also simplify the unpacking process in your new place.

Use Original Packaging for Electronics

We couldn’t imagine today’s world without different kinds of electronics and appliances in our homes. But they can be quite sensitive to transport, not to mention that they are usually valuable and expensive. That’s why it’s best to place them in their original packaging with the Styrofoam that’s a perfect fit, and the package just the perfect size, so nothing would shift inside.

Taking Care of the Kitchen Isn’t Easy, but Here Are a Few Tricks

What most people dread when it comes to packaging is taking care of the kitchen. Our cooking areas contain a lot of various things – from big and small appliances to irregularly shaped and sharp objects. But, here’s how to pack kitchen items without buying the supplies:

• For all those wondering how to pack plates because they believe packaging fragile items couldn’t be done without bubble wrap, foam peanuts, and other cushioning materials. Things like old t-shirts, towels, and kitchen cloth are found around our homes. The plain household stuff is all great as cushioning mats. Just ensure you place enough on the bottom of the package, and layer them between when you pack dishes.
• There’s an awesome hack when it comes to all those small bags and jars of spices from your kitchen cabinets. When you begin to pack pots and pans, you can stack all those smaller objects inside and put the lids on top. This way, you’ll save up on space significantly.
• Socks are the most unlikely object for packaging, but it’s actually quite a useful one. Instead of wrapping each mug and glass with paper, place them one by one into socks. They can also be used for stuffing and cushioning.
• Right after you envelop the knives with some old newspaper, place them inside an oven glove for safety. That will ensure no harm comes to other stuff packed beside them.
• If you have some pots left that aren’t filled with spices, stack them on top of each other by width, with the widest on the bottom. Make sure you align the handles for easier packaging. Stack no more than three because they’ll be easier to carry.

An additional tip is to leave the silverware and other cutlery on a tray and simply envelop it up with a piece of plastic wrap and secure it with tape.

Additional Hacks and Crafts for Your Packaging

If you think we’re out relocating hacks, you’re wrong because we have a few of those left in our sleeve. Suppose you have already considered not to package liquids because the movers won’t take any flammable or otherwise hazardous materials. In that case, there’s a way to bring them with you and not spill anything. The best way to package liquids for relocating, especially the already opened packages, is to take plastic wrap and place it under each lid. It will ensure liquids won’t spill during transport.

We can prepare the jewelry for shipping in two ways. The first option is to package necklaces by placing them between sheets of plastic wrap to ensure they won’t tangle. The other option is to place most of your jewelry inside egg cardboard boxes because it’s a cheap and easy solution found in most homes. The following video offers many tricks and tips for easy packaging.

You Can Take Care of Furniture by Yourself, but It’s Best to Leave It to the Professionals

Disassembling bulky furniture pieces so they can be transported easier is one of the best packaging strategies. As soon as you dismantle a piece, place all the belonging hardware parts into ziplock bags, take some tape, and stick them to a corresponding piece. The next step is to take blankets, sheets, and other large household softies and use them to envelop each piece of furniture. You’ll also need to secure these blankets with tape so that they won’t move during shipping and allow the furniture to get scratched. Keep in mind that in order to have your furniture unscratched, it’s best to let the cross country moving company take care of it.

The Dressers Will Be Prepped in No Time, But if You’re Not Handy, Call In for Help

One of those relocating tips that will help you save on costs and on time as well is not to sweat it when it comes to packaging a dresser. It’s as easy as pie – take out each drawer without removing its contents and wrap it up thoroughly with some plastic. After you’ve enveloped them in a few layers, place them back inside the drawer, and add some more layers over the whole piece so nothing will shift. Although, if you want to be 100% sure that the drawers are packed correctly, and the dresser is secured, leave it to the long-distance moving specialists.

Want Some Free Packing and Moving Supplies? Visit Local Stores

If you don’t have enough suitcases lying around your home, you should visit your local stores. Retails, liquor stores, and your local bookstore have plenty of used cardboards which they will gladly give up for free. You can also ask if they have any cardboard dividers, as they are excellent for securing glasses inside a box and dividing plates so they won’t smash one another. One more tip – remember to set aside at least one box where you can place your relocating essentials. They include basic toiletries, kitchen utensils and some dry and canned food, a change of clothes, chargers, and other stuff you deem important.

Boxes and Packing Supplies Can Be Found Online, Also for Free

If you don’t have enough time to scout the local stores in search of cardboard crates and other supplies, you can always turn to the internet. Cardboard boxes can usually be reused from five to seven times until they get beyond useless, so freely look for the used ones on Freecycle or Craigslist. Later, you can get rid of them the same way, through this website. But no matter where you get each box, one of the most important tips (besides investing in long-distance moving services) is to make labels for relocating boxes. You can add them as you fill the box, according to the room the stuff belongs to, or color code them with some washi tape. If you do the same with the doors at your future residence, it will ensure that the unloading of the truck runs as smoothly as possible.

Contact a Reliable Long Distance Moving Company to Take Care of Everything

If you think that you won’t be able to catch up and handle everything on time, you can always contact reliable cross-country movers and agree on what type of options you want to pick for your move. Along with state-of-the-art auto transport service, they provide you with storage service, but most importantly, different packing services that will take this dreaded process off your back.