Cheap Moving Supplies—where Can You Cut Corners?

By Author: Vikram Kumar
Total Articles: 9377
Comment this article

If you're on a tight budget, which many people are when moving house (let's face it, it's an expensive activity most of us don't do more often than we have to!), you might be wondering where you can save money, and whether or not to use cheap moving supplies. Here are a few ideas, then, for moving home on a budget.

You can get cheap moving boxes and other cheap moving supplies from plenty of places; they are lots of cheap moving supplies companies out there! Though they obviously won't be as good quality as the more expensive version (after all, as with most things, you get what you pay for), you can save a certain amount of money here. However, you will have to be extra careful when you're packing. Make sure to fill cheap moving boxes right to the top, so as not to leave any air space which might allow the top of the box to collapse. Using one smaller box inside another can also help to strengthen weak sides, as long as you fill any gaps with crumpled paper or other fillers to help keep the shape.

If you are using cheap moving boxes, it's best to use the smallest boxes possible for your items, as they'll tend ...
... to be more resilient. You'll end up with more boxes, but they shouldn't take up much more overall space in the truck in the end. Also, make sure you tape up the boxes really well. With new, quality boxes, you can usually afford just to tape across the outer join at the top and bottom of the box, but with cheap moving boxes it's always best to tape both inner and outer joins and, if possible, around the edges and corners to give them the best possible chance of staying in shape.

Speaking of tape, quality packing tape is usually much stronger than the cheaper versions available. It's also thicker and easier to handle, and as it's stronger, you won't need as much. I'd say scrimping on cheap tape is probably a false saving.

When it comes to packing inside cheap moving boxes, though, it's a very different story. You don't need to buy hundreds of meters of bubble wrap for most moves; you will need some for awkwardly shaped items with delicate edges or protruding shapes, but once you've wrapped them put them inside a large enough box and then fill the spaces with screwed up newspaper or magazine pages to pack out and strengthen the box. You can also use newspapers and magazines to wrap crockery and cutlery safely (they may need washing when you unpack them to remove the print, but you can save quite a lot of money by doing this instead of using bubble wrap or special packing paper. Try and save newspapers and magazines for a couple of months before you start packing.

Where you can make the biggest saving, though, is by doing the transporting yourself. If you have only a few possessions, a few trips in a car may suffice but, even if you have larger items that require a van, hiring one is a good deal cheaper than hiring a removal company. And if you're also saving money by using cheap moving supplies or second-hand boxes, you can be extra careful with the driving to avoid potential damage in transit!

Author Bio

If you're looking for Cheap Moving Supplies , but you don't want to cut corners too much, ask Supplies For Moving for their advice. They'll explain the advantages and disadvantages of Cheap Moving Boxes and other items, and you'll probably find their prices are not as much as you might expect.