The one thing that everyone realizes, once they start planning their move, is that it is not cheap. From finding movers to decluttering your home and packing everything, there are a lot of things that you will have to spend money on. Therefore, in order to not spend a fortune on your move, let’s go over some ways in which you can save money on packing supplies when moving to NYC, and whether saving money on packing supplies can sometimes be a bad idea.
How to get cheap packing supplies
There are a couple of efficient ways in which you can save money on packing supplies when moving to NYC. All you need is to be a bit creative and start your moving preparations at least a month in advance.
There is no way that you will be able to save money when moving at the last minute, trust me. There are three things that relocation can be: fast, cheap or safe. Unfortunately, you can only choose two and, you should never, ever risk safety when it comes to relocation.
Free boxes
The first thing you can do in order to save money on packing supplies when moving to NYC is to get free moving boxes. Visit your local warehouses and stores and ask them to save you some. Keep in mind though that you need to start doing this at least a month before moving day. That way you will give enough time to the workers to save you some.
Try to get as many as possible and then use the ones that you think are good enough. You can also try getting free moving boxes from book stores and fast food joints. Those places usually have surprisingly strong boxes that are excellent for moving.
Everyday items
As every packing guide can tell you, you should not buy fancy padding and wrapping supplies for your relocation. For a vast majority of relocations, simple household and personal items will be more than enough for padding.
For instance, you can use your clothes as wrapping material for fragile items such as your accessory collection. Cotton items, like t-shirts, are excellent for protection from moisture and vibrations from the moving truck.
Wool, on the other hand, is much more suited for padding as it can provide dense support when folded. You can even use crumpled up newspaper to provide padding between items, just as long as you place it densely enough. All in all, you can easily save money on packing supplies when moving to NYC if you show a bit of creativity.
Renting and Reusing
Another easy way to cut moving expenses is to rent your packing supplies. This can be especially useful if you need to get really good packing supplies but don’t want to spend a fortune on them. Mind you, not all packing supplies are reusable.
Some moving companies offer to rent plastic bins as an alternative to cardboard moving boxes. These bins can be surprisingly cheap, and effective. Especially if you have items that under no circumstances can get in touch with moisture. But, and this is important, you will need to take proper care of these plastic bins. Sure, they may be sturdy and resilient, but nothing is indestructible. Make sure that you use them properly so that you can return them afterwards.
How hard should you try to save money on packing supplies when moving to NYC
Once you figure out how to save money on packing supplies when moving to NYC, you might be wondering: “Gosh, why isn’t everyone doing this?” Well, there can be many reasons. Some people don’t think of it while others don’t care and simply take out credit in their bank. But, since you do both think and care, you should be aware of the downsides of trying to save money on packing supplies.
As it is with everything else, you can go overboard with trying to save money. And, you need to know the sings that you are going overboard and why it is important that you don’t.
How can cheap packing supplies hurt you?
When using cheap packing supplies, your biggest concern needs to be safety. Having a safe move is always a top priority. Unfortunately, that is the first thing you will reduce when trying to move. There is little utility in saving money on packing supplies if you end up experiencing a moving accident. Although having good movers handle your relocation will reduce the chance of a moving accident, you simply cannot substitute quality packing supplies. You can and should try to strengthen your packing supplies with duct tape. But, even that has its limits.
In order to be sure that your supplies are good enough, try to have a mover inspect them. If you want to be sure that they are not trying to hustle you into getting their packing supplies, get a third party moving company to do it.
Are there any benefits to saving money on packing?
Besides the fact that you will, obviously, have more money if you save it, there are some other benefits to saving money on packing supplies. First off, you will be able to invest that money into different aspects of moving. You should visit sites like dumbomoving.com to see how much your move will cost. Only then should you look into making it better.
Spending a lot of money on packing supplies can be good, but not if you do not spend enough on other parts of moving. If you can choose, it is much better to save money on packing supplies when moving to NYC and spend more on your movers. Excellent movers and decent moving supplies are a much better combo then excellent moving supplies and low-grade movers. Furthermore, by trying to save money on packing, you will start dealing with your move much sooner than you otherwise would. This will greatly help you with preparing for your relocation and help you avoid moving mishaps.
Guest Post by Sally Norton
