Whether you are moving interstate or intrastate, DIY packing is a cost effective way to start off on your relocation journey. It allows you to reduce your overall moving budget.
How, you ask?
By simply working with what you have, you will end up making major savings.
To put this into perspective, the average cost of buying packing supplies for moving a one-bed apartment can cost up to $400. That’s no chump change.
While using cardboard boxes you may already have with you is always a small win, there is the actual packing process to think about which we need not say is no job for the left hand.
A lot of time and planning time goes into it. Matter of fact, this is the aspect of moving that takes most of your time. Good thing is, most professional movers and packers offer packing services so that’s always an option should you decide against DIY packing.
But if packing doesn’t faze you, we have some DIY packing tips that should help you better prepare for moving day.
Start packing early
Start sorting your items at least 6 weeks before your planned move.
Items that you don’t use regularly should be packed first. Consider donating household stuff that you no longer need to charity or sell them on platforms like eBay, Craigslist, Gumtree, Etsy and the like – or even at the flea market.
Items that you use frequently should be packed last.
The rule of thumb when packing is that the heavy stuff goes to the bottom, so avoid placing any heavy items on their lighter counterparts to avoid denting, breaking or damaging them.
Protect fragile items
You should make sure that all your fragile items are properly protected. One way to do this is to incorporate plenty of padding, something you can always accomplish with towels, clothes or linen, if you want to trim the cost of moving supplies even further.
The alternative is to use old papers, newspapers or magazines. If you have access to a paper shredder, shred them and use the shreds as padding or cushioning in place of bubble wrap.
Kitchen items like ceramics and china can be packed side by side like in a dishwasher rather than stacking them on top of each other to prevent breakage.
If you don’t have packing peanuts, you can use clean plastics of different sizes to prevent the items inside your boxes from shifting during the move.
Organizing small items
Zip lock bags can be used to organize small items as they’re ideal for packing items like papers, chords, furniture screws among other such small items.
To make things easier, you should label the bags for easier sorting when you get to your new place. One advantage of using zip lock bags is that they’re reusable, so you can use them to store small stuff at home post-move.
Packing liquid items
Liquid items like kitchen soap, shower gel, toiletries and such can leak when moving and should thus be secured well.
An ingenious way to do this is to open the cap, place a plastic wrap between the bottle and cap and then screw the cap back on. For added measure, wrap the bottles using kitchen plastic wrap.
Rent moving boxes for packing
To trim your moving costs some more in relation to packing materials, consider renting moving boxes rather than buying them. On average, rental boxes cost 50% less than if you were to buy packing material.
Most of these boxes today are made from heavy duty plastic, so you’ll find moving companies that rent out these boxes giving you, say, a 2-week window to execute the move.
Cleanliness need not be a huge concern as they’re always cleaned before and after every move, although this also depends on the company you’re dealing with.
These boxes are available in different sizes, complete with zip ties and peel-and-stick labels, not to mention free drop-off and pick-up service, if it’s a local move!
Utilize an organizing app
Gone are the days when you had to write down all your items in an Excel list. Nowadays, you have plenty of smart inventory apps at your disposal.
All you need to do is download an app, take photos of the items that are going into a specific box, and label both box and photos using the same name.
The app will have this info handy when you’re not sure where or in which room a certain item is and you need to retrieve it. Most of these apps rely on QR or bar codes, so they’re easy to use.
Use garbage bags
Items like duvets and winter jackets use up a lot of packing space. Ideally, these should be packed using vacuum space bags. A set of three on average costs $20 or thereabouts.
If the budget doesn’t allowance for such extravagance, an ordinary garbage bag is an option, coupled with a vacuum cleaner and rubber band.
With these 3 items and some ingenuity, the vacuum cleaner can be used to compress the air out while the rubber band secures the bag. This reduces the package size considerably.
Items to pack separately
Sort out any hazardous items you may have and dispose of the non-essentials in the proper way as indicated on the packaging.
Paint, cleaning reagents and tools are hazardous and should be labeled and packed separately from the other household stuff. Same case with fire extinguishers, painting equipment, car batteries and oils, chlorine granules, ammonia etc.
Packing furniture and electronics
Heavy and sensitive items like furniture and electronics should be approached carefully when packing.
Some furniture items may need to be taken apart. If this is not feasible, they should be properly secured with additional support to preserve their structural integrity during transit.
TVs and monitors should be packed in their original boxes and if these are not available, special wooden crates with padding will do, with the electrical cables and hardware going into properly labeled plastic bags.
If need be, take photos of all device connections before disconnecting them if you think reassembling will be a pain.
Conclusion
When all is said and done, DIY packing will end up saving you a few bucks.
It is, however, a complex project that requires a lot of attention to detail. It takes up much of your time but when started early and properly planned, there’s no reason it shouldn’t pan out well.
Make considerations as to whether or not you have the time and resources to take on the project. If not, consider hiring professional movers who handle all aspects of packing.