Are you moving a short distance, perhaps across town or within a couple hours? You’re probably hoping that you can save money on your move when it is close-by, but unfortunately the packing and moving costs are often not much less. Whether you’re moving across town or across the state, there are ways to cut your costs during a short move. Enjoy these money saving packing tips for short moves that can ease the financial burden of relocation.
Pack Yourself
Paying for packing services is the biggest expense of a move. Though most people do prefer to pack themselves, there are situations where a family will prefer to have either partial or full packing services. This is truly considered a luxury and if you’re trying to cut down on costs, this would be the first service to eliminate. According to Florida Pro Movers, nearly all of the customers that opt for packing services have employers paying for their move.
Set Your Boxes Free
Many moving companies and truck rental companies offer boxes for sale to help customers pack for short and long distance moves. However, why should you pay for packing boxes when in fact, there are several sources of free boxes that easily handle all your packing needs. Here are a few sources that offer free boxes for packing your stuff.
Free Boxes on Craigslist
Craigslist is always reinventing the wheel when it comes to operating an online marketplace. One of the most recent innovations for the buyer meet seller virtual model involved adding a section simply called “Free” to its growing selection of user-friendly options. The “Free” section of Craigslist is where you leave a post publicizing your mission to locate a large quantity of free boxes. This is the easiest way to get a large quantity of boxes in a single trip. The Next Door app and Facebook Marketplace routinely have listings for free boxes too.
Grocery Store Delivery Day
Have you ever wondered what grocery stores do with all the boxes left behind on delivery day? You see the produce manager organizing fruits and vegetables removed from large, sturdy boxes, and then you watch the produce manager take the empty boxes to the back of the store on a cart. Most grocers break down product boxes, and then slide the boxes down a conveyor that leads to a mechanized dumpster. If you let your favorite grocery store know you are in the market for moving day boxes, the meat, produce, and wine and spirits managers should gladly leave several empty, not yet crushed boxes for you on delivery day.
U-Haul Can Help You Haul
U-Haul established a model for connecting customers with free packing boxes called Customer Connect Box Exchange. The program brings people from across the United States together to exchange moving supplies. Just type the keyword phrase “Free Boxes” into the search engine box located on the Customer Connect Box Exchange to get your search for free packing boxes off to a good start.
Going Green for Free Boxes
Recycling centers all over the country bustle with activity, particularly on Saturday and Sunday when the eco-friendly conscious of the area dump off items to be used for a second life. You see plenty of natural debris such as trees and shrubs, but no other recyclable item appears more at a recycling center than cardboard boxes. All you have to do is connect with other eco-friendly conscious recyclers by saying. “I can take those off your hands.”
Finally, we get back to the hitting up our friends and family member before moving day. Post your need on your Instagram or Facebook, put the word out that you’ll be moving about a month before, and ask your friends will keep an eye out for you for anyone moving to save boxes for you. Even better, do you know a real estate agent? They certainly know plenty of people that are moving.
Don’t Pay for Packing Supplies
Do you really need to pay for bubble wrap to protect your most valuable possessions against strong impacts and the water dispensed by Mother Nature? Moving companies love to add on to relocation bills, and one of the best ways to earn more of a profit is to add packing materials to the final receipt. Avoid paying for packing supplies, when all the packing supplies that you need sit under your roof.
Her are a few examples of free packing supplies:
- Newspapers and magazines
- Blankets
- Linens
- Towels
- Old apparel
Not only do free packing supplies provide plenty of cushion for your most vulnerable things, the materials also give you more cushion in your short distance moving budget.
Take Several Car Loads
It’s easy to fill your car with some odds and ends and haul them over yourself. Try to bring something every time you go by the new apartment or house. Look for the odd shaped items that will fill a truck faster, as movers charge more for larger trucks, like plants, lamps, and your TVs. The less time they spend on moving day, the lower your costs will be.
