What Packing Materials you can use from home to cut costs?
Moving can be a very stressful time and to ensure that everything goes smoothly you need to plan ahead. One of the biggest and most time-consuming things you need to do before moving is packing. You need plenty of materials to pack all your belongings and ensure they will be safe during transit. However, these supplies can be very expensive. Below are the packing materials you can make use of to keep the price of your move down.
Related: How much do furniture removal companies cost in South Africa?
Borrow boxes
Most households have some boxes lying around somewhere. Gather everything you have in your own home and then ask friends and family to borrow any spare boxes or containers they may have. If you know someone who has recently moved, then why not ask if they are getting rid of any boxes. Workplaces and schools often end up throwing away a lot of boxes from big orders they have made, ask to see if you can take those off their hands. You can also ask on Facebook Marketplace and similar sites to see if anyone is giving away any free boxes. Biggles also has moving boxes for sale and deliver to your door in any city within SA. Read our guide on how to choose the right boxes when moving home.
Plastic bags
Plastic bags won’t be able to store all of your belongings, but for smaller things that you want to keep together such as accessories, wires and cables or toiletries, etc, these can be perfect. Most people have a load of plastic bags lying around from grocery shopping, so these won’t be hard to get your hands on. If you fill up the plastic bags with belongings that you want to keep together it will be easier to unpack on the other end too. You can even label the bags with a marker, so you don’t have to undo them all to find what you are looking for after you have moved.
Garbage or Refuse bags
Similar to plastic bags these are perfect to use to transport your belongings. Refuse bags are much bigger than plastic bags and can be used to carry more things. A lot of people decide to put their clothes into garbage bags or lighter, less sharp items such as bedding, as they could be easily ripped if you are putting heavy, edged belongings into them.
Suitcases
Suitcases will need to be transported themselves, so make use of them by packing them with any belongings that will fit. You could use them to transport your clothes or any other items like electronics that might be a bit more delicate and need extra protection. Make sure you label the suitcases with a fragile sticker if you are putting anything that might easily be broken inside, so that the removal company knows to be more careful with them when putting them in the truck.
Socks, rags, old clothing, sheets
When packing boxes, you need to ensure that the things inside can’t move around a lot, as this may cause them to break. You will need to pad out these boxes and wrap your breakable belongs in something that will keep them from breaking. Use any old rags, clothes, linen or towels that you can possibly find to do this. This will not only keep your breakables safe, but also pack your softer items away too.
Containers
Use any containers you have lying around the house to pack things into. For example, you can use baskets, bags, hampers, and drawers from any cupboards or dressers you are taking. These can all be used to pack things into and put into a truck that won’t easily move around. Make sure all these containers aren’t packed too full, especially if they don’t have a lid, as you don’t want the contents to all spill out in the truck whilst in transit.
Packing materials don’t have to be expensive and it is possible to use the materials you already have lying around your house to help you pack. Get creative with your packing and you will save yourself a lot of time and money in the long run.
Related: Where to donate your furniture in SA
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